Redesigning underground infrastructure in Rotterdam

The new depot of the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam can rightly be called a spectacular addition to the already distinctive architecture of this city. The underground infrastructure was thoroughly redesigned during the construction of the depot. In March 2020, Brownline surveyed a 130 meters drill for this project.

The Museum Boijmans van Beuningen has an impressive collection of approximately 151,000 objects. Only a small part of this collection can be exhibited in the current museum, which meant that the other pieces were spread over various depots. The museum was looking for a single location where the works of art could be safely stored, but would also be directly accessible to the public. That is why it was decided to build a modern and large depot right next to the current monumental museum building. The unique design shaped like a bowl has six floors, is covered with no less than 1664 mirror panels and has a roof garden with 75 trees. The mirrors and the green top provide a beautiful reflection and blend with the city.

At the initial stage of the project, it became clear that the underground cable and pipeline infrastructure needed to be overhauled on short term. The existing trajectory for electricity and telecom cables was only 2 meters deep, which would hinder the new building. The new trajectory has been set out at a depth of 12 meters and will contain nine casing pipes with a diameter of 160 mm.

For this drill with a horizontal curve of 35°, Brownline used the Drillguide Gyro Steering Tool. The time slot for the drill was relatively tight, but with the Drillguide GST, the drill was executed successful, accurate and efficient. The project could proceed according to plan and the depot will open to the public this fall.

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