Simply breathtaking: The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao project
The road link between Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao is a 55-kilometre bridge-tunnel system and the longest man-made sea crossing in the world. It links the two special administrative zones even more closely with the economic region of China’s Greater Bay Area, and crosses one of the busiest waterways in the world. But right here in the Pearl River estuary is also the approach lane of Hong Kong International Airport, the largest cargo airport in the world. Influenced by this, the decision was taken to construct a 6-kilometre section of the six-lane route as an undersea road tunnel between two artificial islands.
The PERI formwork solution for the slabs, cantilevered balconies and parapets is largely based on standard components taken from various PEIR systems. We also planned, produced and delivered countless timber formers and other cut-to-size plywood panels for the circular-shaped areas.
In the driving seat
“At the first meeting, Werner and I sat opposite ten managers from the China Communications Construction Company. Their first question was: “Can you make decisions?” I said yes and they asked me for a written power of attorney. I immediately called Weissenhorn in Germany and asked for such a letter. Zwo hours later I had the power of attorney signed by Alexander Schwörer (Deputy Chairman of the Advisory Board) on my mobile phone. Even before the conversation was over, the customer knew that he was dealing with negotiating partners who were in the driving seat, whose commitment could be relied on without any ifs and buts. That was something our competitors had not been able to achieve, even in many years of negotiations.”
Kuanzhi Zheng, Head of Global Chinese Business Team Strategic Projects PERI Group
At all levels
“When we learned about the project in November 2010, our competitors had already been negotiating with the China Communications Construction Company for three years. So we developed a concept in record time, flew to Zhuhai and gave our presentation. Fireworks! I was the main speaker and Kuanzhi interpreted simultaneously as if we had been doing it all our life. Until then, Mr Lin and his team had been told that tunnel bodies of this size would not be feasible without ties between the internal and external formwork. We showed that it can be done. In two hours, we convinced the site management that we had the better solution, and overnight the decision was made to go with us."
Werner Brunner, Senior Consultant, Strategic Projects PERI Group
"The next few days were the most exhausting of my life: when I wasn’t negotiating on the construction site, I was working on designs in the hotel room. Weissenhorn was far away and we had to decide many things locally, but we had the mandate and the full confidence of the management. So we did it and within 10 days the contract was signed and sealed. In Europe, a decision on a project of this magnitude would not have been made so quickly. The decisive factor was not only that we had the technologically superior solution, but also that we built a cultural and human bridge, and negotiated with our Chinese business partners on equal terms.”
Simply better: monolithic and without tie points
Exposed to constant currents and corrosive seawater, the tunnel is the trickiest spot in the 19 billion project. Accordingly, the contractor selected its technology partners carefully. Entering the contract award process late, we provided a convincing concept that is as simple as it is bold: 33 floating tunnel sections, each 180 metres long, to be built in a field factory on the coast. The key feature: the huge structural elements are moved through a stationary external formwork by hydraulic drive, while the internal formwork moves into the reinforcement cages cycle-by-cycle via truss girders.
The result: elements without ties from a single cast and the number of potential problem areas is reduced by many thousands.
21-metre-high portal formwork carriage for the 2.5-metre thick side and centre walls of the tunnel ramps, which are made of architectural concrete.
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