Summer student excursion to Canada

Four students travelled to St. John's in Canada on the Must Construction summer programme to look at the construction of the Hebron concrete platform.

9. August 2013

Multiconsult has a key role in the project design of Hebron and several of the company’s employees are working on this project in Canada. Students from Must Construction, the Marine Structures Section, have been allocated work associated with this project. Hebron is a Gravity Based Structure (GBS) which will stand in waters which are 95 metres deep, and it has a total concrete volume of 130,000m3. Further details about the Hebron Project can be found here.

– We had some wonderful experiences in Canada and we learnt a huge amount. Our students gained an insight into the technical and cultural challenges that they could face on building sites abroad. They also received great help in progressing to the next stage of their assignment, says Morten Engen, Must contact for IOG and the students’ tutor.

Excursion to the Bull Arm building site

Upon arrival the students travelled to the Bull Arm building site. This is the area where the first 27 metres in height of the platform are being constructed. The building site was full of activity and the students received a great insight into both the theory and execution of glide casting. The greatest challenge that day was the weather, since 30oC and blazing sunshine are not ideal conditions for casting.

Whale safari and the St. John’s design office

The project’s design office is located in St. John’s. There the students learnt about load combinations and global analysis, as well as how design affects wave loads. Must Construction’s assignments were discussed and the students were provided with excellent guidance.

Due to the fact that the employees at the office in St. John’s were relatively busy, the students also spent some time being tourists. On a whaling safari they saw humpback whales and puffins at close proximity. They also visited North America’s most easterly point and thoroughly investigated the centre of St. John’s. This was a trip which provided them with considerable professional benefits and a lot of fun.

The students who participated on the trip were as follows:
• Erlend Grøtta Giske, Building and Environmental Technology at the NTNU, studying construction
• Stine Maria Frøiland Jensen, Building and Environmental Technology at the NTNU, studying construction
• John Fredrick Berntsen, Building and Environmental Technology at the NTNU, studying construction
• Mattias Blomfors, Road and Water Building at Chalmers, studying construction

The students were also accompanied by Morten Engen.