Building a new beginning for Belgrade The Belgrade Waterfront urban redevelopment project seeks to revive Serbia’s capital after decades of neglect. Massive construction on the river bank, however, is tricky and requires pumps and know-how for non-stop dewatering. L ike sculptures waiting beneath veils, under-construction buildings form black monoliths against a golden sky before sunrise, their reflections glim- mering in the dark Belgrade waters below. In the ‘White City’, a bright new future looms. The Belgrade Waterfront project is taking shape on a 1.8 million square metre construction site at the river Sava. Underway since 2015 and scheduled for completion by 2045, the brand-new neighbourhood will house 14,000 people and contain 20,000 new jobs. There will be apartments, hotels, shops, cultural venues and more, to a total value of 2.6 billion Euros. “Belgrade is going through a transition and, with this project, has the chance to become a modern city with nice areas to live and better infrastructure,” says Milan Vesić, Mechanical Engineer for site contractors Millennium Team, referring to the city’s longstanding need for urban renewal. Pumps working constantly Construction work hit a serious obstacle in early 2017 as river and soil water began to flood excavation pits, threatening costly “We are constructing right on the embankment and need pumps that can dewater constantly without problems for years.” Milan Vesić damages and delays. The solution: 110 SP submersible pumps installed inside water wells underneath the building surface, leading water back to the river. “The level of the river can be extremely high, and water was penetrating and therefore jeopardising the construction site. We imme- diately met with the contractors and came up with a customised solution that could be executed in time before huge damage occurred,” explains Vanja Danicic, Sales Manager, Grundfos Serbia. Ever since, the Grundfos pumps have been working around the clock, as keeping the building site dry requires constant attention. “We are constructing right on the embankment and need pumps that can dewater constantly without problems for years. We chose Grundfos for their good technical specifications, fast reaction to the problem and, most importantly, reliability,” says Milan Vesić as clear daylight envelopes the waterfront, itself a derelict area before bulldozers moved in. Once in a lifetime Wearing rubber boots, he stands on the ground which will form the base of the capital’s shining new area, and adds: “This part of the city was not in a good condition, but we are trying to make it a better place. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, making Belgrade one of the most important centres in South East Europe”. JOURNAL18
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