08/10/2024
Upper One: Foundation Work Completed for the Skyscraper by Soletanche Polska!
The Upper One project involves the construction of a 130 m high skyscraper in Warsaw. For this project, our subsidiary Soletanche Polska is building Diaphragm walls at a depth of almost 40 meters, equipped with a geothermal energy system to heat and cool the building. A first for a skyscraper in Poland! A project totally in line with the3rd pillar of Soletanche Bachy’s Environmental Roadmap.
For the client STRABAG Real Estate (also the general contractor), Soletanche Bachy Polska is undertaking the foundation work for the future hotel and office complex in the heart of the Polish capital.
Geothermal energy in the foundations
The Upper One complex was designed in line with the STRABAG Group’s climate policy. Environmentally-friendly solutions were incorporated at every stage of construction, starting with the foundation work.
As early as the tender stage, the customer was looking for experienced subcontractors to implement environmental solutions.
“Even the tender challenged us to find the best environmental solutions in the field of geotechnics!” emphasizes Emilia Błach, Director of the Tenders and Projects Department at Soletanche Polska.
The Geothermal energy system is certainly the most innovative solution included in the design, so far unheard of for skyscrapers built in Poland. Polypropylene tubes were installed in the building’s Diaphragm walls and basement Barrettes. The building will thus use energy from the ground for heating and cooling.
“The logistics involved in supervising the two subcontractors, the steel fixer and the pipe fitter, proved complex. In addition, we had to insert the reinforcement cages into the cavities with great care to avoid damaging the polypropylene pipes”, explains Jacek Zdunek, project manager at Soletanche Polska.
This project corresponds to the third pillar of our Environmental Roadmap: Inventing our future, which consists of developing innovative solutions that address our customers’ environmental issues.
Work completed
Soletanche Polska began foundation work in July 2023, preparing the ground for the construction of Diaphragm walls. To secure the excavation and enable the dismantling of a fragment of the foundation slab of an old demolished building, teams installed Berlin walls supported by a steel frame. In parallel with the demolition work, Diaphragm walls have been installed at a depth of 40m since September 2023. Construction was completed in the first quarter of 2024.
Soletanche Polska then proceeded to install 79 Barrettes (from 4.5 to 20m depth). A horizontal impermeable barrier was also installed by jet grouting (one meter thick and 35 meters deep).
At the end of June, Soletanche Polska began earthworks on the first level, with the installation of 51 steel struts at the level of the crown beam, before pouring the concrete for the floor.
Congratulations to the teams on the successful completion of this project!
