Grand Prize for the best of the best was awarded to Freyssinet’s unique Cable Stay Technology used to stabilise the Siri oil platform in the North Sea, in the 2015 Vinci Innovation Awards this week, while Crossrail’s Whitechapel team was also rewarded for its ground breaking staggered end reinforcement system used to speed up and boost the quality of reinforce placing on shaft slabs on the project. 

Contractor Vinci this week rewarded the innovative and ground breaking ideas and solution devised by its teams and partners on projects across the UK in the firm’s 2015 Innovation Awards

Grand Prize for the best of the best awarded to Freyssinet’s unique Cable Stay Technology used to stabilise the Siri oil platform anchored in the North Sea 220km off the coast of Denmark. The project was designed with consultant Atkins and installed by client Subsea 7.

At the end of 2010, Atkins consulted Freyssinet about the possibility of using a cable-based strengthening system after a 2009 inspection detected cracks in the structure. The company carried out development work to boost load-bearing capacity, corrosion protection of the anchorages, life span and fatigue resistance plus the additional constraint of complete prefabrication.

The resulting system was installed on the platform in June 2014 by the lient, Subsea 7. Increased speed of installation alone resulted in cost savings that more than fully covered the cost of design, supply and prefabrication of the stay cables.

Also rewarded on the night was the Vinci Grand Projet team in partnership with Balfour Beatty, Tony Gee & Partners and Arcelor Mittal for it’s staggered-end reinforcing bars,  which delivered simpler, faster installation of dense reinforcement for the BBMV joint venture on the Crossrail contract C512 at Whitechapel. 

This innovative method of positioning the reinforcement bars, simply “butts” rather than laps bars, allowed reinforcement panels to be preassembled and then positioned by crane at the bottom of the shaft, saving time and money but also reducing risk by requiring fewer steel fixers in site. 

The winners

Equipment and Tools

Blister lifting tool – used to replace the post tensioning system on the Hammersmith Flyover strengthening project – in partnership with BLS

Safety Prize

Stop-Go sign with a camera – signalling plus deterrence at roadworks – in partnership with Routesafe

Marketing and services prize

3D presentation model – displaying and highlighting the advantages of an alternative solution – in partnership with Hobbs Studio

Sustainable development prize

Energy optimisation for Crossrail - Combining renewable energy sources for a hybrid facility – in partnership with GI Energy

Management prize

Green Steps work-study training programme – tapping into sustainable and environmental development expertise – in partnership with the University of Exeter

Dissemination prize 

Staggered-end reinforcement bars - simpler, faster installation of dense reinforcement - in partnership with Balfour Beatty, Tony Gee & Partners and Arcelor Mittal

Special Jury award

Near-miss app for mobiles – across the board use in two years – in partnership with Pro Sapien

Processes and Techniques prize

Support-free tunnel junction – renovating the Victoria Underground Station in London without encroaching on public area – in partnership with BAM Nuttall

Partnership prize

Inverted mapping of noise contours – taking noise disturbances and vibrations into account in works scheduling – in partnership with BAM Nuttall and Noise Map

Special Jury prize

Safety rail edge protection – a worksite solution confirmed by standardised testing 

Grand Prize

Reinforcing the Siri offshore platform – an unprecedented application of the Freyssinet Cable Stay Technology.