Progress on the WoN line has been comparatively slower than the EoN line mainly due to challenges stemming from land acquisition and the diversion of utilities. These issues have delayed the construction of the monorail’s structural elements in the Bastheel and Wadi El-Nile areas. To begin work in these segments, work is currently ongoing to divert 220kV power lines and utilities through a highly populated area, which is described as a “painstaking” process. To expedite the diversion of utilities, Hill International and the NAT have been in constant engagement with the government bodies and companies that own the necessary utilities–with Hill supporting the NAT with land acquisition per Egypt’s legal framework. The impact of COVID-19 has been felt throughout the project with frequent fluctuations of commodity prices and supply chain disruptions cropping up regularly to disrupt acquisition and logistics for the project. To overcome these challenges, the NAT has had to work actively with the project’s contractors to ensure smooth progress on the project. A Home for Past and Present to Support the Future–the Grand Egyptian Museum Still west of the Nile River, rising from a site roughly 2-km west of the Giza Plateau, a massive structure, echoes the grandeur of its ancient neighbor. With full view of some of the greatest lasting legacies of Egypt’s ancient history, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is the decades-long result of a push to build a facility to house and restore Egyptian artifacts related to this tremendous history. For centuries, artifacts discovered in Egypt were shipped to facilities all over the world for restoration and display. As a means of reclaiming this cultural legacy via the built environment, the GEM is a space that provides ample space for both creating immersive cultural experiences and restoring ancient artifacts.
The concept for the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) began in 1998 with funding discussions, and, in 2002, the results of an architectural competition–in which over 1,500 architects submitted designs for the structure–were announced. The GEM’s design was awarded to Heneghan Peng Architects, Buro Happold, and Arup. Following the competition for the architectural design, the next major consideration became the future location for the museum. To connect the GEM both symbolically and geographically to Egypt’s rich history, surveying began on a site just west of the Giza Pyramids in 2005. This building site 2-km west of the Giza Pyramids is envisioned as an extension of the Giza Plateau. Two years later in 2007, the GEM secured funding through a $300 million loan from the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation with an additional $147 million coming from the Egyptian government and $150 million from donations. In 2010, the Egyptian Ministry of Culture selected Hill International to provide project management services during the GEM’s construction, and two years later earthworks began at the selected site. The construction of the GEM was under way. Amongst the artifacts housed in the museum are a colossal statue of Ramses II as well as King Tutankhamun’s Solar Chariots. The statue of Ramses was relocated to the museum in 2018, becoming the first artifact housed in the structure. In fact, this 82-ton, 3,000-year-old artifact is so large that it necessitated the atrium be built around it. With the statue relocated, work began on the surrounding structure. These massive artifacts represent significant moments in the GEM’s construction as the project responded to challenges from COVID-19 and the Arab Spring. Breathtaking in both scale and design, the GEM is meant to invoke the scale and grandeur of its ancient neighbors. Visitors are able to immerse themselves in Egypt’s history in culture using curated paths
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csengineermag.com
Spring 2024
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