Precast Concrete

Precast Concrete

Concrete is the foundation on which our society is built on. Literally. And, precast concrete, a form of concrete formation, has become the most accepted form of construction in recent years. Recently, Queensland, Australia has formed a $300 million State Infrastructure Plan where majority of its projects plan to employ precast concrete. How has this form been developed over years?

It was builders who realized that the building process would be expedited tremendously if they poured the concrete moulds. And hence, these ancient structures have stood the test of time. As the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Well, it can’t be destroyed in a day too, due to precast concrete. In the modern age, it was John A. Brodie and Yannick Macken who developed precast panelled buildings in 1905, allowing them to be built quicker and cheaper than ever before.

(A picture of a bridge constructed using precast concrete)

Many industrial experts have hailed precast concrete as the most beneficial form of casting in the industry at present. A precast slab, when combined with an in situ concrete topping is said save thousands of dollars compared to the conventional method of slab concrete casting. Other advantages of using precast concrete is the increased quality of the material and the reduced cost of constructing large forms used with concrete poured on site. It is used mainly in the construction of buildings with repetitive design and elements, such as schools and apartments. Materials which have been built using high structural strength and rigidity, which have also been found to support heavy loads. This allows longer span in structural components and saves time too.

Yet, there are disadvantages in using precast concrete too. There exists a very small margin for error, hence very skilled workmanship is required in the application of the panel on site. The need for repetition of forms will affect creativity in building design. Yet, these challenges could be overcome. Significant efficiency in labour can be achieved through mass production techniques which could solve the hurdle of costly labour. With time, other problems could be resolved too. 

(The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, Baku is going to be built using precast)

Jiuquan Wind Power Base

Jiuquan Wind Power Base

A group of large wind farms, the Jiunquan Wind Power Base, (construction started in 2009) is expected to provide 8GW power in total. It is located in barren areas near the city of Jiuquan. Described as the country's largest wind project, it is seen as a great initiative to increase China's drive in renewable energy sector. It is expected to provide power to most of Northwest China. More than 3,500 turbines have been erected with an installed capacity of 5.16 GW, and at present the turbines are generating 1.15 GW of power, said Wang Jianxin, director of Jiuquan Development and Reform Commission.

"The Jiuquan Wind Power Base is a key part of China’s plan to supply 15 percent of the country’s energy from alternative and renewable sources by 2020. Carbon dioxide emissions have more than doubled in the past 10 years, taking China past the US as the world’s top emitter of greenhouse gases. Although critics have questioned its cost-effectiveness, the US$17.5 billion development will be the largest collective wind farm group in the world when completed." (KPMC)

Oyu Tolgoi Mine

Oyu Tolgoi Mine

An upcoming mine project (underground and open) in Mongolia which is the largest financial undertaking in the small country of Mongolia, costing US$4.6 billion. Many have described it as the largest mining project in the world. It is expected to bring many benefits to the Mongolian economy, especially increasing its economy by 35%. It has already contributed $800 million in pre-tax payments to the government of Mongolia. It is also expected to employ 15,000 Mongolians. 

 “Oyu Tolgoi is a catalyst for investment in infrastructure including housing for company employees, utilities and services in the Khanbogd soum and regional cities. The Project is developing roads, air transport and an electric grid in the South Gobi region and is investing $126 million in Mongolia’s largest education and training program to support university education and vocational training for mining and technical graduates across Mongolia.” (Gcgf) This project is expected to kick-start financial investments from other countries. The region is also expected to oppose China as the sole premier economic hub. The project is also expected to follow internal guidelines and rules for safety. 

Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais

Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais

Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais is a hospital in Mirebalais that was created by Partners In Health after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. It features solar power that can provide complete power on sunny days and feed power back to the grid. It is the largest solar-operated hospital in the world.

“With 1,800 solar panels, the building is immune to the country’s frequent power cuts, and on very sunny days can produce a surplus that will boost the flailing national grid. The hospital is equipped with the latest technology, including virtual teaching facilities. Private funding for this PPP came from donors such as the American Red Cross, the GE Foundation and Artists for Haiti, with US-based international aid organization.” (KPMC)

Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais, a state-of-the-art medical facility, was funded by several non-profit organizations, including the Red Cross, the GE Foundation, and Artists for Haiti, an organization founded by actor Ben Stiller and art gallery owner David Zwirner.

TAPI Gas Pipeline

TAPI Gas Pipeline

In one of the most important and buzzing region, the TAPI Gas pipeline is on the process of being laid. Officially known as the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline (TAPI), it is being developed by the Asian Development Bank. This pipeline will natural gas from Turkmenistan to India, passing through Afghanistan and Pakistan. Construction on the project started in Turkmenistan on 13 December 2015 and is expected to be completed by 2019.

The project is primarily expected to serve the India’s needs for natural gas. Covering more than 1,800 kilometres, the annual capacity of this project is 32 billion cubic metres of natural gas. It is expected to cost US$7.6 billion. The project though faces environmental and financial challenges.

“Project security remains a concern after the 2014 withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. Transaction advisor‑Asian Development Bank is building‑a consortium that would build and‑operate the‑line.” (KPMG)

South-North Water Transfer Project

South-North Water Transfer Project

Delivering mass infrastructures consistently, effectively and efficiently, the South-North Water Transfer/Diversion Project is one of the biggest project ever to be implemented, spanning over many decades. “Its main aim is to divert 44.8 billion cubic meters of fresh water annually from the Yangtze River in southern China to the more arid and industrialized north through three canal systems:

·         Eastern Route through the course of the Grand Canal;

·         Central route flowing from Han River (a tributary of Yangtze River) to Beijing and Tianjin

·         Western route which goes from three tributaries of Yangtze River to provinces like Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia”(Wikipedia)

With declining levels of groundwater, and decreasing groundwater, this project will be beneficial to more than 200 million people in the North region of China. The main beneficiary will also be the ever-growing network of cities & industries in China. 

Willets Point Development Plan

Willets Point Development Plan

A Historic plan which can transform an area neglected by generations into a posh and highly-sought one, the Willets Point Development Plan will completely transform the social environment by changing the infrastructure and waterworks involved. This shows how much possible impact infrastructure can have on the society. Apart from providing employment and business opportunities, it will also open up social mobility and improve quality of life.

“The first phase of the Willets Point Development Plan in the New York City borough of Queens aims to create around 2,500 units of mixed-income housing, retail and entertainment amenities, public open space, a school, hotel and convention center. Phase 1, budgeted at‑US$3 billion and funded by private developers, hopes to have a huge social impact in an area that has suffered decades of post-industrial decline by generating employment and improving the overall quality of life for residents. This project also plans to create defenses against the pollution that has plagued the waterways around Willets Point for‑over a century.” (KPMG)

Right now, the Plan is in legal hassles with conflicts occurring between the city administration and the court. Various other schemes such as turning into a stadium or parking for the LaGuardia Airport have been rejected/scrapped. 

Ohio River Bridges Project

Ohio River Bridges Project

“The Ohio River Bridges Project is an ongoing Louisville metropolitan area transportation project involving the reconstruction of the Kennedy Interchange, the completion of two new Ohio River bridges and the reconstruction of ramps on Interstate 65 between I-264 and downtown.” (Wikipedia)

Out of the two bridges, one bridge will be located downtown while the other, known as the "East End bridge," will connect the Indiana and Kentucky segments of I-265 (via KY-841) between Louisville's East end and Utica, Indiana.

The cost of the entire projects is approximately $2.5 billion and would be the largest transportation project ever constructed between the two states. Construction began in 2014, with the entire project being completed by 2024.

The project aims to increase transport between the two rivers, increase safety standards, connecting highways and reducing traffic congestion. The US$2.3 billion project involves the largest PPP Private Activity Bond offering completed in the US municipal market, and should provide a major economic stimulus to the Louisville-southern Indiana region. The main advantage of this project is convenient travelling & commuting for the citizens of this region.  

Kathmandu-Kulekhani-Hetauda Tunnel Highway

Kathmandu-Kulekhani-Hetauda Tunnel Highway

This highway will connect entire western followed by southern and eastern parts of Nepal through Hetauda and will significantly boost overall economic growth of the corridor, region and the whole country.

The Hetauda-Narayanghat-Mugling-Kathmandu passage is one of the highest trafficked road corridors in Nepal. Most of the goods from India or third countries are brought to Kathmandu via this route from Birgunj and other places. The road length from Hetauda to Kathmandu is approximately 227 km with travel time of approx. 6-8 hrs. The alternative route - the Tribhuvan Highway, though only 133 km in length still requires travel time of approx. 7-8 hrs. Whereas the purposed KKHT Highway will connect Kathmandu with Hetauda via Kulekhani in an hour.

“Labelled as a ‘4P’ (private, public, partnership and people), the Kathmandu-Kulekhani-Hetauda Tunnel Highway will be a milestone for Nepal if it goes ahead with a build, operate, own and transfer model. The Nepal Purbadhar Bikas Company Limited was set up as the country’s first infrastructure development organization to build it. At a cost of US$354 million, the 58 km road and tunnel will cut across the challenging Himalayan terrain to dramatically cut travel times, reduce vehicle fuel and maintenance expenses, boost business and improve citizens’ lives.” (KPMG)

São Francisco river

São Francisco river

“At US$6.4 billion, the São Francisco River Irrigation project is Brazil’s largest water infrastructure project, bringing good quality water to some of the country’s poorest people. Water from the São Francisco river will be diverted to rivers in the northeast that have dried up during the arid season,

via 720 kilometers of channels covering aqueducts, tunnels and reservoirs. Construction began in 2007 and is still continuing.” (KPMG)

Mombasa-Kigali Railway

Mombasa-Kigali Railway

The Mombasa-Kigali Railway is expected to bring many benefits to African economy. “Africa’s landlocked countries have poor infrastructure and struggle to reach global markets, paying up to 84 percent more to export their goods than a coastal country. The 2,935 kilometer Mombasa-Kigali Railway will link the port of Mombasa in Kenya with Tanzania and landlocked Rwanda and South Sudan, helping transport coffee, tea, other agricultural products, minerals, and machinery. Costing US$13.5 billion, the line is to be built in sections by different Chinese engineering and construction companies, with loans provided by, among others, China’s Exim Bank, and paid for by public funds from the countries involved”. (KPMG)

Kolkata Flyover Collapse

Hello readers. I am re-producing the following article from The Hindu, a well-reputed magazine on a recent incident in India, where a flyover collapsed. I would be giving my analysis on this incident in my next blog post.

21 dead as Kolkata flyover collapses

Scores of people inside vehicles trapped; Army called in

At least 21 people were killed and more than 60 injured as two parts of an under-construction 2.2-km-long Vivekananda Flyover collapsed in a congested market area in BurraBazar, north Kolkata, on Thursday afternoon.

A 100-metre (330-ft) section came crashing down suddenly on a crowded street around lunchtime, crushing pedestrians, cars and other vehicles under huge concrete slabs and metal. The death toll is likely to increase as scores of people inside vehicles were trapped under the collapsed bridge.

K.P. Rao, a representative of the Hyderabad-based construction company IVRCL, which was contracted to build the giant flyover, called the disaster an “act of God”, while an FIR has been lodged against the local officials of the company.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said “stringent action” will be taken against the owners of the company assigned to construct the bridge, connecting the central part of the city to the north.

The Army was called in.

The flyover is located at the hub of the wholesale market for spices, garments and plastics, BurraBazar, and the livelihoods of thousands who reside in the area, are linked with the market.

The National Disaster Response Force deployed five of its teams.Specialist rescue teams armed with concrete and metal cutters, drilling machines, sensors to detect life and sniffer dogs arrived around 2 p.m. But many of those engaged in the rescue appeared to be ordinary people who were seen trying to pull away concrete slabs with their bare hands.

Workers struggled to get cranes and other large machinery through the narrow streets of Burrabazar, one of the oldest and most congested parts of the city. “We have deployed five columns of personnel along with a team of engineers. A medical team from the Command Hospital is also at the spot,” Ministry of Defence spokesperson Wing Commander S. S. Birdi said.

Photo: PTI

A desperate search for loved ones

Relatives of those who were caught in the flyover collapse in Kolkata on Thursday were desperate as the nearby Marwari Relief Society and Medical College and Hospital, where the injured and dead were taken could not provide any information about their loved ones.

A junior doctor said most of the people came with injuries on their head or upper parts of the body. Many were seen desperately looking for their injured relatives. “My brother-in-law Sujit Debnath is admitted here, but nobody can tell me how to locate him. I have been here for over one hour and still clueless about how to meet him,” he said.

Several relatives of those who died did not know where the bodies were.

A 24-year-old college student and local resident, Amit Bihani, was sitting in shops adjacent to the flyover, when it collapsed. He said he heard a loud noise and the ground started shaking.

Commotion

“When I turned around I saw that a part of the flyover had collapsed,” he told The Hindu. When he ran up to the accident site, Mr. Bihani saw blood coming out from underneath the massive beams and those who were still alive were groaning in pain. It took a while for Mr. Bihani to recover from the initial shock but then he joined the rescue work. “I have seen 10 bodies being pulled out from the debris,” he said.

It was a close shave for 26-year old Arindam Pramanik who could not comprehend the huge commotion and the dust around him near the Vidyasagar flyover.

“I was under another portion of the flyover on my two-wheeler, when I saw people running helter-skelter and dust billowing around…I saw that a portion of the flyover had collapsed,” he told The Hindu.

Ring of Fire

Ring of Fire

A First World country, Canada is all set to open a humongous mining and smelting processing belt will benefit thousands of its citizens if it opens soon. Despite its many controversies surrounding it, it is expected to bring unlimited employment opportunities and economic prosperity to a remote part of the province’s north. 

With the province being of the least developed area in terms of infrastructure, this project is expected to bring in much-needed power and basic transport facilities in the region. CBC says "Chronic housing shortages, low education outcomes and lack of access to clean drinking water jeopardize the ability of local First Nations to benefit from the significant economic, employment and business development opportunities associated with the Ring of Fire developments."

The project is expected to show revenues uptil $30 billion to $50 billion and will create up to 5,000 direct and indirect jobs.

World Trade Center Transportation Hub

An extremely old transit station has been redesigned into the "World Trade Center Transportation Hub". The world's costliest train station, it boasts the design of a dove, to resemble peace and harmony. Despite budget problems, escalating tensions and long-delayed opening conflicts, the Hub has really offered many advantages which will definitely neutralize the shortcomings mentioned in the long run.

"It said that when completed, the hub will serve 250,000 visitors or shoppers as well as more than 200,000 commuters each day, making it the third-largest transportation center in the city, behind Grand Central Terminal and Pennsylvania Station." (Rawlink) 

Site C Clean Energy Project

Site C Clean Energy Project

A major infrastructural project currently being constructed on Peace River in British Columbia, Canada, the Site C Dam (also referred to as Site C Clean Energy Project) is expected to cost around “$8.3 billion. Designs call for an estimated capacity of approximately 1,100 MW and an annual output of 5,100 GWh of electricity” (Wikipedia).  

There will be a drastic impact on the businesses and commerce underway in the region and will also increase employment there, especially in contracts, engineering, service, maintenance, machinery, equipment etc. It will serve more than 500,000 homes and expected to power nearby industries for at least 100 years. It is also expected to export power to US. Though there was stiff opposition to it as it would require take-over of fertile agricultural land and global warming,