Besix uses Maturix at Draakplaats

Besix Draakplaats, construction of bridge from case studies.

Renovation of historic bridge in Antwerp, Belgium

The historic masonry and concrete bridge at Draakplaats is being renovated in the middle of Antwerp, Belgium.

The masonry part was still structurally in good shape and needed only aesthetic renovation. The concrete part however was structurally damaged and had to be broken down and rebuilt from zero.

Watch the interview with Stijn Konings, Project Manager at Besix

By using Maturix for the construction site, Besix is able to cut down five weeks in this civil project with real-time concrete monitoring.

By using thermocouples that are cast directly in the structure and connected to a transmitter, the temperature inside the concrete is measured continuously. The data is sent wirelessly to the cloud platform. The software automatically calculates maturity and strength based on the history data and the concrete mix and the strength development process can be followed. The data is accessible from any device via the web portal or app and provides Besix with real-time insights into the actual curing status inside the structure in several positions for each cast.

Stijn Konings, project manager, always knows how the concrete is curing and cut down redundant curing time. With the smart solution, he has access to the data from anywhere using Maturix.

If you want to find out more, you can read the full case study here.

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Draakplaats Bridge

Renovation of a historic bridge in the city center of Antwerp

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Besix Draakplaats, construction of bridge from case studies.
Besix Draakplaats bridge construction.

“To gain 5 weeks on a civil project of 40 weeks is an amazing time and cost-saving action. I am definitely going to use Maturix for my next project as I believe it is the best solution on the market - very user-friendly and intuitive.”

Stijn Konings

Project Manager, Besix

The historic masonry and concrete bridge at Draakplaats is being renovated in the middle of Antwerp, Belgium. The bridge exists out of two parts. One part is masonry and was built in 1895. The second part is concrete and was built against this first part to extend the railroad from two to four tracks. 

The masonry part was still structurally in good shape and needed only aesthetic renovation. The concrete part however was structurally damaged and had to be broken down and rebuilt from zero.

Infrabel chose Besix  for restoring the five arches of this historical bridge. The project contains 2.600 m³ concrete, poured in four casts for each of the five arches. Each arch is 18m wide and 8 meters high. The bridge is part of the main transport hub to and from the port of Antwerp and is therefore part of the busiest freight train lines of Belgium with busses and trams as well.

Challenges

Besix is facing several challenges at this project. They have to break down and  build a new bridge next to an existing bridge that is still in service, also during the construction phase. Two train tracks have to be running, and special safety measurements are required. The location of the project is a challenge, as it is in the middle of the city of Antwerp with trains, trams, and busses passing and limited space. A concrete pump transports the concrete over roads on-site. Lastly, the shape of the bridge commonly requires special attention: “The bridge is a work of art and it is a quite normal shape for masonry – but for concrete, it surely is not!” says Stijn Konings, Project Manager at Besix. “The formwork itself had to be completely handmade in wood in the Netherlands and we had to  use the same formwork for all five arches.” – Stijn Konings

Key Challenges

  • Replacing old concrete from 1920 while preserving original masonry from the historic bridge
  • Use of one custom-build wooden formwork for all five arch casts
  • Construction site located in the busy city center with railroads, trams, and busses in service
  • A minimum disturbance of public transportation and ensuring a safe construction

Solution

Besix uses four Maturix devices to monitor the temperature, maturity, and strength development inside the structures. With monitoring the curing of each arch, they could optimize the formwork removal time based on real-time data.

The Maturix platform has been accessed by site managers, project management from both Besix and the client Infrabel, and Besix’ concrete supplier. The concrete supplier supported Besix to get the calibration data required for the strength calculation.

When the system told that the required strength had been reached, they knew they could remove the formwork with reduced waiting time while ensuring safe work and great product quality. When monitoring had been finished, automatic reports were created and shared with the project owner.

Besix Draakplaats, wireless monitoring of bridge construction.

“For me, it is crucial to be able to measure the concrete maturity or to be able to monitor the concrete strength in this project! As the shape is very specific, we ordered handmade wooden formwork. However, we have five arches and only one formwork – so we reuse the same one. Thus, a fast formwork removal is key for staying on schedule and reducing the impact on public transport. With Maturix, I have, on one hand, real-time insight into the curing process, and on the other automatic documentation, which is required for this public project. This saves us a lot of time and additional work!” – Stijn Konings, Project Manager Besix

Results​

“Maturix has saved me at least one week per cast. With these five arches, it saves us five weeks in total by using the system. To gain 5 weeks on a civil project of 40 weeks is an amazing time and cost-saving action. I am definitely going to use Maturix for my next project as I believe it is the best solution on the market – very user-friendly and intuitive.” – Stijn Konings, Project Manager Besix

Download the case
Besix Draakplaats construction site for bridge.
Besix Draakplaats, construction of bridge from case studies.

“With Maturix, I have, on one hand, real-time insight into the curing process, and on the other automatic documentation, which is required for this public project. This saves us a lot of time and additional work!”

Stijn Konings

Project Manager, Besix

About Besix

The BESIX company has grown in its over 110 years of experience into a multidisciplinary group focussing on construction, property development, and concessions. The group has a strong position in its home It was founded in 1909 in Belgium and since then strengthened its position in Europe with extensive experience also in the middle east and Australia.
In 2018 the Group achieved sales revenues of over 2.5 billion €. The Group employs more than 15.000 persons in 26 countries across 5 continents.

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Olivier at Maturix

Get in contact with

Olivier Lamaignere

You can contact Olivier by phone, email, or LinkedIn if you want help finding out whether Maturix is the right solution for you.

+45 91 89 36 36 [email protected]
Olivier at Maturix
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Maturix® is the smart solution addressing the needs of the construction and concrete industry. Our aim is to increase the ease of collecting, analysing and understanding your businesses data, through wireless sensing solutions.

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