In early 2017 the Chinese central government boosted the economy by starting large investments in infrastructure, nearly nowhere on a scale like in the city of Shenzhen. In Shenzhen, a start was made to the construction of Asia’s largest transportation hub located in the newly developed Shenzhen Free Trade Zone. The total construction area of the hub is 2.159.000 sqm with a total investment of 28.8 billion RMB. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2020 and the hub is geared to handle 420.000 passengers per day. The hub will connect train, metro, bus, and taxi to provide a seamless experience for commuters in and out of the city. Shenzhen Gongkan was awarded a major part of the foundation work of the transportation hub. Gongkan was founded in 1991 and is the leading geotechnical engineering company in the city. The company has a strong focus on soil research and is an early adopter of new foundation technologies. They are committed to market education and training.

 
To tackle this job Gongkan invested heavily in advanced foundation equipment, BG-38 and BG-46 high torque rotary drills from Bauer, and a 1412C vibratory hammer from ICE. The construction area is reclaimed from the sea and the soil profile is complicated. The top layers of soil and silt backfill are soft and make the slurry method unfeasible. The pile diameters for this project reach 2.8m and the design called for 15m long protective casings to be vibrated and extracted into place for each bore pile. As you can see in the video, the pile is driven quickly to depth a positioning pile is driven outside the pile to ensure verticality and is kept in place by large bolts.
 


Over two years and numerous technical exchanges, Gongkan and ICE built up an understanding of each other which resulted in the purchase of a 1412C vibratory hammer. ICE was impressed by Gongkan’s unique approach, the company has invested enormous effort in building up a comprehensive soil database of the Shenzhen municipal area nurtured a culture that that focuses on training and education. A leading construction company building its capabilities with equipment from Europe’s leading equipment suppliers is set for great success!