The best of 2008

Alpha Ventus
Situated some 45 kilometres north of the island of Borkum, in water about 30 metres deep, alpha ventus is the first German wind farm to be erected at sea in genuine offshore conditions. The plan is to erect six Multibrid M5000 and six REpower 5M turbines plus an offshore transformer station. There will be a control room set up onshore to supervise the operation of the wind turbines.

Each turbine is about 150 metres high, including its rotor. The amount of steel in each unit, at around 1000 tonnes, weighs as much as 200 adult elephants or 22 railcars. When the rotor is turning at maximum speed, the tips of the blades cut through the air at around 300 kilometres per hour. The first six turbines are due to start rotating in autumn 2008.

Project stat: Each turbine weighs as much as 200 elephants

Megyeri Bridge
This new bridge construction in Budapest, Hungary, is part of the northern section of the M0 motorway. The 1862 metre-long bridge is divided into five sections on a total of 28 supports. The central element is the 590m long cable-stayed bridge over the River Danube with spans of 145m, 300m and 145m respectively. The overall height of the pylons on the Danube Bridge is 100 metres.

Project stat: The bridge is due to open in August 2008

Scandinavian Hydrogen Highway
The Scandinavian Hydrogen Highway Partnership is a collaboration initiative aiming to accelerate the introduction of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel. The vision behind the partnership is to make the Scandinavian region one of the first regions in Europe where hydrogen is commercially available and used in a network of refuelling stations. The higway will run from Norway to Germany via Jutland. As the first stage of the project, Denmark is to open six hydrogen tank stations in June 2008.

Project stat: The total investment for the project so far is €1.7 million

Shakhtar Stadium
Shakhtar Stadium will be the first stadium in Eastern Europe to be designed and constructed in compliance with EUFAs five star guidelines. The iconic design features a sloping roof from north to south in line with the site, a glass façade providing views into and out of the stadium, and clear external concourses, is sympathetic to its surroundings in Leninskiy Komsomol Park and has seated accommodation for 50,000 spectators. 

Project stats:

• The project is due for completion in May 2008
•  At its peak, over 1000 construction workers will be working on the stadium
• The total construction site will be 254,907m2
• The height will be 54m from pitch to the top of the roof
• Approximately 4300 tones of steel will be used in construction
• 7668m2 of natural turf will be used with 2201m2 of synthetic turf

Tour T1
T1 is an office-use skyscraper under construction in the high-rise business district, La Défense, Paris. The tower is 185 metres tall and will be the second-tallest skyscraper in La Défense after the Tour Total. The tower was conceived as a folded glass plate cut by an arc on its north face. The profile is distinctive and changes according to the vantage point: from the south the tower appears as a ship’s bow, from the east and west a large sail, and from the north a tall staircase. 

Project stat: The tower is due for completion in 2008