Bachy Soletanche and Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering

This award recognises a hi-tech advancement or concept that has helped a company improve its performance or delivery of a specific challenging element of a project, between January 2022 and January 2023. This category is not aimed at projects that have achieved overall excellence – such projects should be entered into one of the six project categories. The entrant may have achieved technical excellence through producing a new approach to analysis or design, advanced techniques or procedures during design or delivery and/or working with its customers to improve delivery of a specific part of a project through technical refinement. An entry should be for a single technical advance or development applied to a specific part of a project. Developments applied to a number of projects may be better placed in the Digital Innovation or Equipment Innovation categories. The geotechnical work on the project presented must be completed at the time of the submission.

Use of Polymer Support Fluid when constructing diaphragm walls

The Bachy Soletanche Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering joint venture proposed the use of a reusable polymer support fluid for the diaphragm wall construction at HS2’s Old Oak Common. This provided a more sustainable alternative to the bentonite that was originally specified by the client as 100% of the polymer was reused throughout the project, resulting in huge cost, time and carbon savings. As well as undertaking rigorous scientific tests to find the most durable polymer, the team invested in specialist pumps and HDPE pipes to retain the polymer’s structure and minimise spills; therefore, further increasing its reusability. By taking these extra measures, the team were able to reduce the quantity of polymer used on the project by 50%. The JV also worked with KB Tech to devise a method for safely disposing of all polymer waste on site, which enabled them to avoid 333 lorry journeys.