An urban-friendly technology from Japan that is also friendlier to the environment is expected to make installation of steel piles for bridges and flyovers a much quieter, stronger and cheaper process.

The NS Eco-Pile, a screwed steel pile developed by Japanese firm Nippon Steel and Sumikin Engineering, was transferred to a Vietnamese partner March 23.

It has helical blade welded of the edge which performs the digging as it is rotated, driving the pile into the ground like a wood-screw.

Takashi Takeuchi, Director of the Japanese firm's Building Construction and Steel Structures Division, said the technology that matches urban conditions in Vietnam has many advantages.

First of all, it can be used in narrow areas and does not require a big construction site and also produces lower noise and vibrations compared to technologies currently in use, he said.

He cited the production of lower dust and total avoidance of waste soil as other significant advantages.

Do Le Khang, Deputy General Director of the Hanoi-based Thang Long Construction Joint Stock Corporation, which received the technology, said the NS Eco-Pile was an advanced technology highly suitable for constructions in Vietnam's urban areas like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

"Once constructed, the area occupied is half that of other existing technologies. It also shortens the construction period, which means the total construction cost can be lower," Khang said.

He said in other technologies, including the currently popular bored pile, the construction of one pile may take 2.5 to three days while with the new technology, the construction of five piles will take just 1.5 to two days.

He also emphasised the new technology's recycling capacity, saying it can be removed and recycled as temporary piles, which means it is very convenient for building temporary bridges for major urban constructions in the country.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Deputy Transport Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong said that the ministry welcomed all new technologies that were eco-friendly and suited Vietnamese conditions.-VNA