Îlot Castéja in Bordeaux : work is progressing !

The restructuring project includes a construction component, providing for the development of a new urban space, particularly including rental housing, a local association, a brewery, an underground car park, etc.

Soletanche Bachy Fondations Spéciales has been appointed by the consortium to build the deep foundations (piles) for this future building.

The first phase of the work, which began in March and was completed in early July 2022, included the construction of 160 Starsol® piles more than 25m deep with an F3500 drilling rig.

This first stage of the project was not easy for the teams, since access to the worksite is difficult and the plot is cramped. A special convoy had to be arranged to transport the drilling rig, which is more than 26m long.

It was also necessary to create foundations with a pile head 8m below the level of the platform, since the piles needed to be installed before the earthworks. To do this, the Arsol process (patented by Soletanche Bachy Fondations Spéciales) was used, enabling the piling work to be carried out without exceptional crane work and in complete safety.

Soletanche Bachy France was then able to start the diaphragm wall work at the end of June 2022. The wall has the following characteristics:

• 350 linear metres
• 25m deep
• 63m thick
• 6,000m³ of concrete

Once again, the site’s compact size proved a major challenge for the teams, while the narrow streets of Bordeaux’s historic city centre did not make it any easier to transport equipment and materials.

Despite all this, the work on the wall went ahead safely and without problems and has recently been completed.

The continuation and end of the operations will take place from November 2022 to February 2023. The objective is to install 39 struts and complete 30,000m³ of earthworks.