It's the world's longest sea-crossing bridge: 55 kilometres of motorway spans the Pearl River Estuary in the South China Sea before dipping into an undersea tunnel. The Chinese President Xi Jinping has today officially opened the gigantic infrastructure linking Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China. A colossal engineering structure, involving the Bouygues Construction subsidiaries Bouygues Travaux Publics, Dragages Hong Kong and VSL for the construction of a 9.4-kilometre section.
A bridge of strategic importance 5714 prefabricated segments of 250 different types, laid down at the rate of 18 per day, shaft grouted friction piling method to cope with difficult ground conditions – a technical first in Hong Kong –, sea-based installations and specific logistical arrangements to maintain the waterways throughout the duration of the works... Some notable innovations for the construction of this extraordinary bridge structure. It is now possible to reach Hong Kong from the main cities of the Pearl River delta in 30 minutes, compared with four hours by land and one hour by boat. A real basis for stimulating commercial ties between the two sides of the crossing.
Within the scope of a PPP (public-private partnership), Bouygues Construction is in charge of the design and construction of La Seine Musicale. This new cultural centre, commissioned by the Hauts-de-Seine Departmental Council and designed by architect Shigeru Ban, includes a large 6,000-seat modular concert hall with capacity for three shows a day, an auditorium with […]
Bouygues Construction unveils three innovative sustainable building projects: an autonomous building in Grenoble, a fertile island in Paris and a sustainable district in Sevran.
Bouygues Construction and Centrale Lille recently inaugurated the Construction 4.0 Chair, a partnership that represents the culmination of a 15-year relationship widely supported by the region and city. Two theses are already in the works. We met with the PhD students behind them.
In June 2020, eight major French cities saw their municipal councils taken or held by a Green majority: Lyon, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Tours, Annecy, Besançon and Poitiers. What do these green municipalities plan for the territories?
During 2020, the term 'tactical urbanism' suddenly appeared on the front pages of the press to describe the arrangements being tested in the face of the COVID-19 crisis: pop-up ‘corona cycle lanes’ marked out in yellow on the streets or temporary terraces for restaurants and cafés instead of parking bays, for example. Light, low-cost, temporary and sometimes transitional, tactical urbanism has many advantages in the face of crisis. Do these facilities point to more permanent developments? How do you transition smoothly between two views of a street or a square? What are the social and cultural issues at stake, and what are the impacts in terms of use? What initiatives can come from the inhabitants of an area?
Creating new spaces and experimental urban projects – whether they’re cultural, social or economic – revitalising spaces before their conversion for future use, making use of empty buildings, creating a dynamic in which members of the community can get involved, encouraging them to take part and to contribute to the creation of an area’s identity etc. A look at temporary urbanism-–building cities differently so that they can adapt to fit the changing needs of their inhabitants.
"Our subsidiaries Bouygues Thai and Bouygues Energies & Services, in a joint venture with the local company McTric, have built four solar farms in Ayutthaya, 100km north of Bangkok,in Thailand. Back in pictures on this amazing project:
Straw is increasingly becoming a part of the construction sector due to its low cost and great insulating properties. This return to basics is also driven by a desire to build in a more environmentally friendly way. This renewable insulating material has a lot going for it, including being a better circular economy solution and having a low carbon footprint, even though it requires some guidance in and care over its use.
This is an entirely new approach to construction, a more ethical and sustainable one. It involves predicting changes in usage, and the reversibility of a building after construction The aim is to be able to change the building's purpose easily to accompany changes in lifestyle and in the regions themselves.
