THE OGD ILE-DE-FRANCE AGENCY IS PERFORMING AN EXTRAORDINARY REHABILITATION OPERATION
The Ortec Group is currently working on a large building site in the suburbs of Paris. It is planning the rehabilitation of a historic industrial site located along the banks of the Seine river, which will become a series of 8-story buildings with 4 underground levels. This building site is unique due to the complexity of the project, the specific nature of the site and its highly-urban location. It is one of the largest building reconversion projects in the region.
Let’s take a closer look at the innovative techniques the Ortec Générale de Dépollution teams have developed specifically for this project and implemented to meet the environmental requirements and the client’s specifications.
A rehabilitation site requiring a multi-pronged approach
After the partial demolition of the original building, the teams of the Ortec Group’s OGD agency went to work to manage the site lands. The earthwork will be the site of building premises across 3 different zones, the main one being for the construction of 4-level underground parking facilities 46 feet deep, covering a surface of nearly 1.5 acres. To this end, OGD is working with a company that produces slurry wall building foundations. The challenges posed by the large building rehabilitation site, and the client’s exacting requirements must call upon the complementary areas of expertise of the Ortec Group. These challenges include limiting the disturbances generated by building works (noise, dust, pollution with volatile compounds), processing and utilizing large volume of excavated earth, controlling the impact on the atmosphere with a one-of-a-kind containment tent, and keeping to a tight schedule due to planned building works.
Tailored solutions for a one-of-a-kind construction site
Due to its location and industrial past, the site required detailed study and the implementation of innovative solutions to address the challenges inherent to the site:
- For instance, its situation on the banks of the Seine required dewatering operations of a depth of over 32 feet and the installation of a water processing unit. This unit can process a flow rate of 58,000 gallons per hour and is connected to an emergency generator for continuous pumping, 24/7, even during power outages. The quality of the treated water is monitored before it is released into the natural environment, twice a week.
- The second challenged posed by the site is its highly urban location. Ortec Générale de Dépollution has set up a 1.3-acre containment tent over the excavation site in order to manage excavated earth and highly volatile gases (hydrocarbons and solvents). This innovative tent confines gases for processing before they are released back into the atmosphere. The excavated earth is directly transferred to the Ortec Group’s waste sorting, transit and utilization facilities – a good example of the synergy and complementarity of the Group’s areas of expertise!
This rehabilitation building site will be complete in June. It is an example of the Ortec Group’s ability to offer innovative methods and a holistic offering covering everything from planning studies, the implementation and the management of the building project, to the utilization of the excavated earth.
