){kind=small}
Hamme tests a quieter future for street renewal thanks to BESIX Infra
A full renewal, above and below ground
In January 2025, Aquafin and the municipality of Hamme awarded the redevelopment contract to BESIX Infra. The brief is comprehensive. Existing pavements are being removed, underground networks modernised, and a separated sewer system installed, including the renovation of parts of the existing infrastructure. Above ground, the street will receive a new road surface and redesigned public space, softened by green landscaping.
That is the visible structure of the project. Beneath it sits a second layer of intent.
Rather than treating Strijderslaan as a routine site, BESIX Infra is using it as a live environment to test and refine sustainable construction practices. The approach is practical, measured and deliberately grounded in day-to-day site realities.
Restraint and reuse
Electricity now powers a growing share of the work. Alongside small battery-driven tools, such as grinders and drill hammers, BESIX Infra has introduced electric rammers, an electric core-drilling machine and an electric concrete saw. These machines arrived with preparation: teams were briefed in advance to ensure safe handling and smooth integration into normal workflows.
Energy use does not stop at the machinery. The site office itself is part of the experiment. Solar panels have been installed on the container’s roof frame, linked to a battery system that allows energy to be produced and consumed locally. Output and usage are monitored in real time, building a clear picture of what works in a temporary construction setting.
Materials and water management follow the same logic of restraint and reuse. Where conditions allow, foundations are built without cement. Materials broken out during the works are fully recycled and reincorporated into new foundations and road layers. Groundwater is not simply discharged. It is sampled, analysed and, if contamination is detected, treated on site using a mobile purification unit before release.
)
)
)
From data to dialogue
Energy consumption, emissions and potential savings are tracked throughout the project. The aim is not only to improve performance on Strijderslaan, but to carry reliable data forward into future sites.
The project has also become a place of exchange. BESIX Infra works closely with Aquafin, the municipality and other partners, sharing findings as the works progress. Technologies and methods that prove their value here are discussed with a view to wider application.
By the time the street reopens, Strijderslaan will have gained new pipes, new surfaces and new planting. Less visible, but equally important, will be the knowledge gathered along the way. For Hamme, Aquafin and BESIX Infra, the project offers a concrete demonstration that environmental performance can be built into everyday infrastructure works, not added as an afterthought.
Street by street, this is how sustainable construction becomes ordinary practice.
)