The Ask
During the construction of a freeway in Samukawa, Japan, in 2003, a deposit of small bottles containing mustard gas from the WWII era were found buried in the soil. Construction halted, as one broken bottle could have killed hundreds of residents. Kobe Steel desperately needed a durable, flexible, protective structure to cover the area so the soil could be sifted through carefully.
How Sprung Delivered
Sprung quickly delivered a large structure that featured a sophisticated negative pressure air handling system, which ensured toxic gas would not escape into the community should a bottle break. For safety, each section of the flexible structure was erected off the pile and crane-lifted into place. Kobe Steel went on to find 800 bottles of chemical warfare material within 8,000 cubic meters of soil, and the Sprung structure allowed work to be completed in a timely manner — without any accidents.
The Specs
- 130’ wide x 190’ long | 100’ wide x 40’ long
- 70’ wide x 20’ long | 50’ wide x 25’ long
