During the past decade, an innovative composite precast, prestressed U-shaped bridge deck has been developed for use in the construction of the high speed railway system in Belgium (see Fig. 1) and for replacing the old structural steel bridges that are being phased out. The railway system, centered in Brussels, connects London, Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne (Köln) -one of the most densely Construction of single-track high speed rail lines in

ArchitectBel gacom Namur, Belgium 16At a height of 171 m (561 ft), the Namur Telecommunications Tower in Vedrin near Namur, Belgium, is believed to be the tallest loadbearing precast, prestressed concrete structure in the world. The tower has a tripod structure up to the 96 m (315 ft) mark and extends as a single cylindrical shape thereafter. The main structure comprises reinforced precast concrete ring segments, spliced with a special mortar and post-tensioned together. This article describes the conceptual development, design features, precasting techniques and erection procedure involved in building this unique tower.

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