A worker died and 15 others were injured when the partially-built roof of the De Grolsch Veste soccer stadium in Enschede, the Netherlands, collapsed around noon on July 7. Investigations by the municipality, the public prosecutor and others have started. The accident occurred during a project, started this February, to add an additional tier of seats and roof to one section of the stadium. The facility, owned by the soccer club FC Twente, is approximately 160 km east of Amsterdam.Steelwork subcontractor Voortman Staalbouw B.V., Rijssen, confirms that the worker that died was an employee named Dave Nijkamp. About 125 workers
By treating ever-more wastewater rather than discharging it into its harbor, Hong Kong has been creating a growing mountain of sludge, which is set to overwhelm available disposal sites. With more sewage treatment capacity now under development, the Chinese Special Administrative Region is investing in one of the world’s largest fluidised-bed sludge incinerators. Image courtesy Claude Vasconi/Veolia The Tuen Mun is designed to handle 2,000 tonnes of sludge per day. Because of its isolated coastal location, the project includes a seawater desalination facility that will provide water for the site. Image courtesy Arup Completed in 1997, the sewage treatment plant
Through three wars, plans for an underground metro in Iraq’s capital city languished in a “pending” file. Now Baghdad municipally has signed a contract with a French firm and is dusting off decades-old designs for a 40-kilometer system. Map by Walter Konefal Planned Baghdad Metro The government also aspires to develop a separate plan for a 25-km elevated transit project as well.French design firm Systra S.A., Paris, now is mobilizing for 18 months’ work to develop the two-line metro project sufficiently for the city to solicit an engineer-procure-and-construct contract. Under Systra’s agreement, signed May 27, Systra also will advise on
In response to Japan’s Fukushima disaster, the European Commission on June 1 began stress tests on143 nuclear powerplants operated within the 23 member states of the European Union. The EC expects tests to be complete by year’s end. Later this month, the commission will invite neighboring countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, to follow suit. For the most part, stress testing is a desktop exercise to review safety factors and is already a part of the licensing procedure for nuclear plants, says Andrej Stitar, chairman of the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group, which helped devise the methodology. “All the natural
Carbon-free power is getting a double boost in Europe. France is about to procure an estimated $14 billion of offshore wind farms. Across the Channel, the U.K. is setting itself tough greenhouse gas targets, increasing its reliance on renewable and nuclear energy. Installations planned off north coast of France would lead toward goal of 6,000 MW from offshore power by 2020. Three of France’s biggest engineering companies formed an alliance to bid this month or in June for a slice of 3,000 MW of offshore wind power the government plans to have in operation by 2015. Another 3,000 MW is
Prospects for carbon-free power is getting a double boost in Europe. France is about to procure an estimated $14-billion of offshore wind farms. And the U.K. is setting itself tough greenhouse gas targets, increasing its reliance on renewable and nuclear energy. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton For ENR A lack of federal legislation for renewable energy is holding back the market for wind power and green jobs, supporters say. Related Links: Offshore Support for Onshore Wind Booms, Busts Stunt Growth of Wind Power Three of France’s biggest engineering companies have formed an alliance to bid this month or next for a
In summer 1858, when foul odors from the polluted River Thames forced the British Parliament to suspend its activities, legislators allocated funds to build London's first main sewers.
With construction for London’s 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games approaching 90% completion, Brazil is taking the construction baton. Officials there have begun procuring a master planner for the next games, set for Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Courtesy Olympic Development Authoority Handball arena, completed this month, is in East London's Olympic Park. London’s Olympic Development Authority, responsible for games-related construction, this month completed the handball arena. ODA had already handed over the main stadium and velodrome, also sited in East London’s Olympic Park.ODA Chief Executive Dennis Hone said that 83% of work at the 200-hectare park had been completed by
A series of earthquakes reaching magnitude 5.1 on the Richter scale rocked the city of Lorca in southeastern Spanish on the evening of May 11, causing eight deaths and injuring nearly 300 people, according to municipal officials. Several buildings in the historic center collapsed, including at least one stonework church. The quake's epicenter was between Lorca and La Hoya, some 15 km away. With a population of some 80,000, Lorca is about 75 km southeast of Murcia.
