The world is facing a health crisis on an unprecedented scale.

 

At Sixense, we recognise our responsibility to protect ourselves and collectively curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

 

All Sixense staff are strictly observing government guidelines in order to ensure that we play our part in minimising the impact of Covid-19. In all our activities, we apply the minimum requirements to guarantee the health and safety of our employees, our customers and our partners.

 

Sixense is a key player in construction services and infrastructure operations. We are committed to serving our customers by operating safely and observing the necessary cautionary procedure invoked as a result of Covid-19.

 

We would like to reassure all of our customers and partners that we are fully prepared to maintain continuous service within the bounds of what is feasible, given the constraints of the current situation.

 

Our 3 primary concerns are to:

 

• Guarantee the necessary level of service on all projects required to maintain core infrastructure operations

 

• Protect our employees and participate in the collective effort to contain the Covid-19 pandemic

 

• Meet our customers and partners expectations by maintaining our services wherever possible

 

All staff who are able to work remotely are currently doing so from ‘home offices ‘ around the UK. Your usual contacts at Sixense remain available and are ready to listen. In addition, we continue to support our clients on site ensuring we do what we can to promote continued construction activity on all of  our  projects.

 

In response to the trust you have placed in us, be assured of our total commitment and solidarity with you to overcome this extraordinary crisis impacting us all.

We have supported Nordex wind farm development projects since 2003 through our involvement in developing the noise component of the environmental impact assessment package for its projects. This long-term partnership has developed throughout our collaboration on more than 50 projects all over france. Now is a great opportunity to look back on this special relationship and the way we operate.

All wind farm projects in France must meet particularly strict regulatory criteria, including the environmental impact study that acts as the basis for consideration of all applications to operate a wind power generating facility. The study is required to demonstrate that the project can be integrated sensitively into its environment, and that the potential impacts of the future wind farm are both managed and controlled.

Noise pollution is a major element of such an impact study. France has some of the most restrictive regulations in the world, requiring wind power projects to comply with a noise emission criterion based on residual noise: the base noise level prior to construction of the project, as measured at the dwellings closest to the future wind farm. A predictive acoustic impact study is then prepared as the basis for estimating the emergence levels (the difference in noise levels with and without wind generators in operation) and providing local authorities and communities with guarantees that the project will comply fully with all applicable rules once it becomes operational.

As acoustic engineers, our priority is to provide an objective and robust study that will enable the wind farm developer to prepare its operating strategy and strike precisely the right balance between power generation and regulatory compliance.

A standard study therefore includes pre-construction residual noise level measurements taken over several weeks, which will serve as the current benchmark level. There then follows the use of a predictive model to forecast the level of noise generated by the future wind turbines. Operating scenarios prepared in consultation with Nordex on the basis of reducing turbine noise levels in different weather conditions are then studied to ensure that the project complies fully with all regulations.

As these projects have advanced, so we have been able to develop our techniques in a number of ways: examples include systematic preliminary visits to all study areas before beginning any campaign to measure the initial noise landscape. The purpose of such visits is to identify the most representative measurement locations and to agree arrangements with local residents before installing our sensors.

The relationship between Nordex and Sixense is much more of a partnership than simply a customer/supplier relationship. The long-term involvement of Sixense in our projects and its excellent understanding of wind farm noise gained from practical experience in the industry mean that Nordex can be certain that the acoustic studies it includes in the impact assessments for its development projects are both robust and comprehensive. The primary goal of the acoustic study is its acceptance by the regulatory authorities, and the feedback we have received from these authorities tells us that the studies produced by Sixense are appreciated not only for their technical and scientific content, but also for their clarity.

As a wind farm developer rather than an operator, it’s important that Nordex obtains the most reliable acoustic measurement results in order to estimate how wind farms should be operated to maximum advantage. So we have to anticipate the possible noise reduction measures to be applied prior to their commissioning. In practice, these noise emission reductions impact the generating output of the project. These issues are relevant, because it is important that the customer ultimately responsible for operating the wind farm has no nasty surprises as a result of underestimating the impacts of the project, at the same time as avoiding the pitfall of devaluing a project by overestimating the risks involved and recommending excessively stringent constraints that will negatively affect the forecast generating output.

From our prospective as a wind turbine manufacturer, the expertise and involvement of Sixense helps us to develop our wind turbines in ways that can take maximum advantage of the operating conditions recommended by Sixense. The issues around the specific impact of wind parks during the particularly sensitive evening period can now be effectively addressed by the wind turbines we produce. In return, our special expertise as a turbine and wind farm developer undoubtedly helps Sixense to continuously improve its knowledge of wind energy technology and related issues.

Quentin Crespel, Acoustics Expert at Nordex France SAS

Last summer, Sixense were awarded the monitoring of a gas main by Wales & West Utilities at Craig Cefn Parc, close to Swansea in South Wales.

 

Far from the busy and noisey London, on a quiet piece of land occupied by a few flock of sheep, 54 Spot Weldable Strain Gauges (18 sections in total) were installed along 600 meters of pipe.

 

This new gas main is a diversion away from the previous section which, buried in the ground, moved over the past years due to landslides causing the main to leak. This time, our client is keen to monitor the movements to ensure that any future deformation of the gas main that may happen in the next 5-10 years will be detected by our monitoring system.

Sixense’s Acoustic division has been appointed as Noise, Vibration and Air Quality specialist to provide comprehensive consultancy and monitoring services for the six main worksites of Thames Tideway Tunnel’s East section. Sixense are extremely proud to be a part of this prestigious project.

 

This contract is one more step towards the achievement of our growth strategy launched 6 years ago, with the creation of our acoustic division in London, with the support of Sixense Environment in France.

 

The Tideway East contract involves construction of two sections of tunnel and five large shafts which intercept the existing overflows of untreated sewage that currently enters the River Thames.

 

In total, the £4.2 billion project has 25 km of tunnel through central London and requires 24 worksites.

Sixense have been appointed by Vinci Construction UK to provide a major package of environmental monitoring services during the redevelopment of New Covent Garden Market in central London.

 

The £2 billion 10-year project is designed to consolidate the 200 companies and 2,500 workers trading at the existing Market into a 500,000 sq ft new facility, making way for the construction of 3000 new homes.

 

The initial scope of Sixense Acoustic’s involvement was to develop a robust monitoring programme to ensure an adequate baseline was established against which potential impacts during the works could be assessed.

 

New Covent Garden Market, which provides produce for most of London’s restaurants, is to remain fully operational throughout the redevelopment works. During the planning phase of the project, market traders raised concern of the environmental effects of construction on their business.

 

To manage and minimise disruption throughout the construction works, Sixense Acoustic have installed and operate extensive environmental monitoring including 25 noise, vibration and dust monitors, combining both active and passive dust monitoring techniques.

May 2012, Victoria and Elizabeth, the first 2 of 8 TBM’s start their 26 mile journey through the London geology.

 

Fast forward to June 2015, 3 years later, the news is that the tunnelling on Crossrail, is finally complete.

 

A major milestone for the Crossrail project.

 

From the wilds of Wallesea Islands to the congested Central London infrastructure, with real-time monitoring working continuously, Sixense has been pivotal in providing accurate and timely monitoring to allow engineers on all the Crossrail sites to make the informed judgements necessary to allow the delivery of this world class construction project.

 

Crossrail completion is expected late 2021, early 2022.

 

And to think that proposals for a ‘cross London railway’ go back as far as 1941…..