CERN - High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project

Cessy, France

New structures at Point 5. Underground works, tunnelling.

Project

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project consists of a 27 km circular tunnel with eight sites positioned around the tunnel’s circumference. Point 5, located in France, is one of the largest sites composed by a very large experimental cavern as well as a large adjacent service cavern, multiple large diameter shafts and various interconnecting tunnels. Excavation principally in weak sedimentary rock (molasse). The project consists of the construction of various new structures: surface works, roads, buildings, an underground cavern and a tunnel network.

Technical data

  • New shaft H = 80 m, Ø 10.5 m
  • Cryogenic cavern L = 50 m, S = 300 m2 including pressurized rooms and cryogenic, power and ventilation connections between the tunnels and the building topside
  • Power converter gallery L = 300 m housing transformers, ducts and electrical and fibre optic cables
  • 4 service tunnels S = 50 m2, L = 50 m
  • 5 vertical linkage cores to existing LHC infrastructure Ø 1.0 m, L = 5.5 m
  • Escape tunnel L = 50 m
  • Buildings for shaft access
  • Main buildings to house the machinery

Costs

About EUR 65,000,000

Timeline

2016–2024

Clients

CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), Geneva (CH)

Services

  • Design
  • Tender design
  • Detailed design for execution
  • Construction management

Consortium

  • Lombardi
  • Pini Group
  • Artelia

Date: 25.01.2019