Innovation underwater

Diverless pile spraying and cutting

During construction of the new parking basement on the C3 Church project in Amsterdam, DISA International, in collaboration with Roel van der Stoel, was able to carry out much of the work without culverts. A first, because for the first time a new and patented technique for pile spraying was used on this scale. The result tastes like more,
And will soon have a sequel

The C3 site in Amsterdam Zuidoost is being redeveloped by SBB into a community center, urban lobby and 128 housing units with parking in the social and middle rental sectors. The existing buildings were completely demolished and the foundations removed. “On behalf of and in cooperation with Roel van der Stoel, we initially used a diving team to saw off the old foundation piles with a diamond cable,” says Marc Veldhuizen of DISA International. For this job, the use of a diving team was still unavoidable, but that too may change in the future. DISA continues to invest and is fully committed to developing diverless technologies. 

Underwater habitat

The new foundation of the parking basement consists of Hekcombi piles and Gewi anchors. “We cleaned and de-grouted the Gewi anchors with the hydraulic head cutter without a culvert and then lifted them up to the level of the underwater concrete floor to be constructed,” Veldhuizen explained. “For cleaning the Hekcombi piles, we used our newly developed and patented pile sprayer. With this technology, we create an underwater habitat at depth to create a dry working environment. In this ‘air chamber’ we can clean the Hekcombi piles with high pressure, without the need for divers.” The impact on the grout shell is also many times greater, according to Veldhuizen. “Previously this was heavy and risky manual work, now it can be controlled safely and accurately from the surface.” 

Underwater concrete floor

After DISA delivered the construction pit completely clean, the diving company applied the underwater concrete floor at a depth of 6 meters in the construction pit. “In a continuous pour of some 26 hours, some 2,250 m3 of concrete was applied, resulting in a floor 1.20 meters thick. Thanks to tight planning and the use of new tools, including our pile sprayer, the work could even be completed a week ahead of schedule,” Veldhuizen says proudly. The C3 project marks a clear step toward culvertless construction. “The use of cameras and sensors allows us to accurately monitor the work, with divers only left for inspection and quality control.”

This approach not only increases safety, but also shortens lead time and reduces costs. “While maintaining quality,” Veldhuizen adds. The market is responding enthusiastically: several parties have already shown interest in DISA International's culvert-less technologies.