Reinforced Earth’s TechSpan precast concrete component is providing a simple yet sturdy alternative to conventional bridge and tunnel span structures. Riccardo Musella, Managing Director – Reinforced Earth explains what makes TechSpan so unique.
Not many can claim that they’ve achieved a feat never previously accomplished in the entire southern hemisphere.
Fewer yet can say that they’ve worked on most major infrastructure pipelines in Australia’s major states.
As Riccardo Musella, Managing Director – Reinforced Earth can attest, neither of these achievements are the result of luck. Instead, they’re the by-product of pioneering infrastructure products across precast, geosynthetics, reinforced earth structures and more.
Reinforced Earth’s ability to design and deliver renowned solutions, including precast elements, has enabled the company to participate in some of the largest infrastructure works in Australia’s history.
TechSpan is one of the company’s flagship products in this space. A buried precast concrete arch, TechSpan is commonly used for transport infrastructure solutions such as bridges, tunnels, underpasses and crossings.
Musella says TechSpan represents a transformational product suitable for road, rail, mining and other niche transport applications.
“It’s a custom design that’s very flexible under heavy loads. Most other solutions in the market can’t offer that same level of flexibility. Across the globe, TechSpan has been used for mining applications, in roads and rail and even in defence infrastructure and projects,” he says.
“We have a design that can cater for a number of different sectors, while also being able to be scaled down or up with ease, depending on the type of project.”
Showcasing this scalability, Reinforced Earth this year designed and delivered the largest precast concrete arch in the southern hemisphere in Western Australia, while also supporting the delivery of tunnels on Sydney’s WestConnex Rozelle Interchange.
The enhanced structural integrity of each TechSpan arch enables each structure to cater for challenging conditions and heavy traffic, during and after installation.
All of this can be achieved with minimal waste on site, with each component prepared off-site and delivered with fewer disruptions and materials, making TechSpan an ideal product even in restricted environments, such as built-up and city areas. This also helps to optimise the time and cost required for erection and installation.
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“From an installation point of view, it’s an ideal solution. We’ve been tasked with delivering major projects that feature a number of our precast products, all of which are manufactured and prepared off site and delivered ready to go,” Musella says.
“There isn’t any time wasted or unnecessary mess on site, because all of the work is already done.”
These, and other designs, are compliant with AS5100 standards, with each TechSpan arch having an expected service life of up to 100 years.
While there are base templates that are used initially to design each TechSpan arch, Musella reiterates that every design is different.
“There are certain shapes and sizes that are used repetitively as we might be building a road tunnel that’s similar to another project that we’ve done in the past,” he says. “That being said, our design is customised every time to allow for different loading requirements and differing ground conditions.
“Regardless of each specific design, it’s efficient and easy to install overall, as it’s just made of separate segments of concrete that match with each other.”
Customers have even more choice, thanks to the company’s free design tool (www.precastarches.com), helping to open the door for project managers and contractors alike to explore how TechSpan can benefit their projects.
The half tonne
Innovative products such as TechSpan have contributed heavily to Reinforced Earth’s long-time success in the Australian market. But so has its people.
In 2024, the company is celebrating its 50th anniversary in Australia, a milestone that Musella says reflects the hard work and customer-first attitude of the Reinforced Earth team, as well as the wider Terre Armée global group (Reinforced Earth’s parent company).
“The thing that’s made me and the team proud is how we’ve been able to cater for projects of all size,” he says.
“We are very well known in the civil engineering industry because we’ve been involved in some of the most iconic projects across Australia.”
Musella adds that continued innovation in its technical solutions space, as well as the company’s core pillars to Retain, Cross, Protect and Strengthen have also been major factors in the company’s sustained success.
“Our technology is really at the core of the business,” he says. “It’s what we’re famous for, it is one of those technologies that have revolutionised the civil engineering industry.
“I think any civil engineer would be able to recognise some of the innovations, products and techniques that we’ve developed throughout the years.”
And this is just the beginning, with Musella saying that Reinforced Earth has a strong pipeline of projects and new solutions on the way.
“It’s been the work of our people that has guaranteed the success of our technology after 50 years. From a developmental perspective, we make sure that our products are efficient, easy to install and cost effective,” he says.
“You can tell, because people still want to use our products and see them as the best options out there. We’re not going to stop, there’s plenty still to come.”
This article was originally published in the December edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.