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.
Bouygues Construction joined Construct Lab in July. This group of construction and public works firms fixes frequent problems in these sectors, and start-up companies apply solutions. Julien Bourcerie, Open Innovation Manager for Bouygues Construction, on “collective intelligence” in construction.
In France, the construction sector generates more than 40 million tonnes of waste every year and consumes large quantities of resources to meet the needs of renovation and new construction. A situation that contributes to threatening certain resources with scarcity, or even shortage, in the medium to long term. For example, this is the case with sand, of which the sector is a large consumer.
Originally, car parks were created around a need: vehicle parking. But today, at a time when the place of cars is being called into question in cities, the potential of these infrastructure networks opens up new prospects for building future cities.
Twenty billion euros per year. That's the potential of the energy renovation market in France, according to the consultants of Echos Etudes in their latest publication. What are we waiting for?
Focus on planting initiatives to regreen cities including urban canopies to provide plant life without digging, planters with automatic watering or rainwater harvesting systems, “oasis” schoolyards, and urban mini-forests.
The COVID-19 pandemic, through the urban planning initiative of "coronavirus bike lanes", has highlighted the return of the bicycle to the city. In reality, this comeback has been under way for many years, though it did get a recent boost. What are the causes? What are the consequences on urban planning today? What will bicycles in cities look like ?
This is the oldest museum in Paris, and also the biggest culturally significant construction project currently under way. The Carnavalet museum – History of Paris will reopen in late 2019-early 2020 after major renovations, some of which are being performed by Ouvrages Publics (Bouygues Bâtiment Ile-de-France, a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction). Worksite visit.
“At the end of the crisis [health linked to the Covid-19 epidemic], the questions [regarding energy policy] will need to be readdressed.” So said Pascal Roger, president of the Federation of energy environment services (Fedene) to News Tank Cities on 01 April 2020. Currently, new renewable energies represent a prospect for ecological transition for this sector with photovoltaic in the lead, between giant power plants and innovative installations. Where are we ?
Green roofs are on the up and up. And for good reason! They have many environmental, economic and social benefits. In addition to their aesthetic appeal, they can promote biodiversity, improve the insulation of buildings and retain rainwater. Recent research conducted by ecologists is improving our understanding of the conditions under which rooftop vegetation thrives and develops, and assessing the quality of ecosystem services provided by different types of roofs. We consider the factors behind the design choices for such ecosystems.
