Virtual construction–basis for sustainable construction planning

Our company HOCHTIEF ViCon was formed in 2007 out of a former focus of our R&D activities, virtual construction. The company is successfully concentrating on the growth market for virtual design and construction (ViCon), also known as Building Information Modeling (BIM). In the HOCHTIEF Group they increasingly form the basis for sustainable and effective performances in the entire building life cycle.

For instance, our American subsidiary Turner has already realized more than 300 projects with the help of BIM processes: for example the Middle Tennessee Medical Center Project in Murfreesboro.

In the Lusail Urban Development Project in Qatar HOCHTIEF ViCon uses the methods in the area of infrastructure. Here we use a 3D model which we independently developed ourselves to support planning and construction of primary infrastructure, amongst other things roads and underground railways as well as gas and supply lines. Using our standards we developed for integrating state-of-the-art technologies for virtual construction, we tangibly and sustainably improve the quality of planning and construction preparation. This enables us to also minimize risks for our clients and our own business and emphasize our leading position in the development and utilization of new technologies.

Further information:
www.hochtief-vicon.com/
www.turnerconstruction.com/

Safety for truckers and roadworkers

Our Australian subsidiary Leighton Contractors is currently building the Ballina Bypass as part of work to upgrade the Pacific Highway. As is usual with projects of this kind, traffic routing and the traffic situation change frequently as work progresses, requiring maximum attentiveness notably from drivers of heavy trucks. To prevent accidents and improve safety for road users and roadworkers alike, Leighton has for the first time deployed a novel warning system developed by its subsidiary Visionstream. The Visionstream Telepath™ CB Radio Highway Alert System identifies speeding vehicles by radar and uses citizen’s band radio to alert their drivers to their excessive speed and roadworks lying ahead.

Lighting concept for effective and sustainable stage lighting

Opera and theater lighting that creates the required dramatic effect while not using too much energy has been a major challenge in the past. In 2010, HOCHTIEF Energy Management installed a lighting system at the Staatstheater in Hanover that meets the theater's exacting artistic requirements while delivering significant energy savings. This was partly achieved by replacing conventional light bulbs with LEDs developed in cooperation with a lighting manufacturer. HOCHTIEF also fine-tuned the control system. Energy consumption dropped by no less than 80 percent as a result, and artists and audiences alike are delighted with the new lighting. In September 2010, in recognition for their work, the HOCHTIEF project team was presented the European Energy Service Award 2009, which honors innovative services in the energy sector.

World's tallest building completed

Opened in January 2010, the 818-meter Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. Our subsidiary Turner's construction management services contributed materially to the success of this mega-project in the Arab emirate of Dubai. For example, a process was developed for pumping concrete vertically for around 585 meters without it solidifying on the long way up. It could not be pumped any higher than that, so the upper floors were built with prefabricated components made of reinforced concrete. A pioneering system ensures evacuation of the giant tower in case of emergency. The builders of the facade also set a world record: Never before has an aluminum and glass facade this high been installed before. In total, workers spent 22 million hours constructing the project, which consumed 330,000 cubic meters of concrete and 142,000 square meters of glass, among other materials.

Further information:
www.turnerconstruction.com/

John James Audubon Bridge – the longest cable-stayed bridge in the US

2010 the HOCHTIEF subsidiary Flatiron completed the longest cable-stayed bridge in the United States near New Orleans. Our company faced a particular challenge: The work took place during flood season. For this reason, Flatiron elected to use a prefabricated cofferdam system*, weighing 2,300 metric tons, which could be erected independent of the unpredictable river elevations. Once erected, it was lowered, supported off the temporary extended drilled shafts, into the river.

*A system which provides a dry enclosure in water for foundation work on bridges and other structures.

Further information:
www.flatironcorp.com/

Unique station roofscape

Our Australian subsidiary Leighton created a sensation with the undulating roof on Melbourne's Southern Cross Station. The structure is waterproof to the outside but "breathes" internally, filtering out smoke, diesel particulates and other pollutants. The project called for numerous innovations, and not just for fabrication and assembly of the many differently shaped roof parts. A requirement that the station should be naturally ventilated also confronted us with major challenges. The project was rendered more difficult still by the use of a wide range of materials and construction elements not previously deployed in Australia. Leighton took the challenges in its stride and won the Australian Construction Achievement Award for the project in 2007.

Innovative materials and products in action

The construction of the new Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center in NY, a project of our US subsidiary Turner, had many innovative features. Special acoustic insulation, for example, allows all of the Center's two dozen performance spaces to be used at the same time. Turner fitted the building with the first of a special kind of glass curtain wall in the USA. The curtain wall incorporates steel mullions that carry heated water, insulating the interior from the winter. The virtually silent HVAC system uses displacement ventilation to push air through registers under the seats for enhanced audience comfort. In a fire safety innovation, we installed a fabric for the acoustic ceiling panels that is normally used in firefighters' clothing. Turner also worked on a compelling solution for the main structure of the building, providing a means of anchoring it into a 45-degree slope.

Further information:
www.turnerconstruction.com/

Minimally invasive bridge building

HOCHTIEF's US subsidiary Flatiron has developed a bridge building technique that causes minimum disturbance to the surrounding environment. The company's specially developed gantry allows all bridge construction tasks to be performed from the structure above as it is built, including pile driving, laying precast pier caps and erecting girders. When a span is complete, the gantry travels forward along the bridge to work on the next span. This eliminates the need for heavy construction cranes. The unique machine is capable of constructing the whole bridge in an assembly line process. Flatiron applied the method for the first time on the Highway 17 Bypass road building project near Washington, which traverses environmentally sensitive wetlands. We secured the contract in a competitive bidding procedure that took into account the environmental impact of proposed techniques as well as their cost.

Further information:
www.flatironcorp.com/

Innovative planning method for the airport management

HOCHTIEF Concession is using a scenario planning method in airport management. The method charts realistic scenarios for a relatively distant future and subject to relatively large uncertainty in specific external variables. Our subsidiary has adapted the method to its specific needs and applied it for the first time on Budapest Airport. One early success is the new organizational structure, which HOCHTIEF Concessions developed by working together with local management to identify all events and developments important to the future of the airport. The organizational structure was then fine-tuned to the resulting range of scenarios. Adopted changes included the creation of an Aviation Unit with central oversight over the development and implementation of services for airlines. In conventionally managed airports these two areas are looked after separately, which is less customer-centric than the new approach.

Historical structure's features reconstructed

After restoring the neo-baroque Charlottenburg gate, HOCHTIEF is now recreating two candelabra in front of the monument which had been destroyed. The ornamentation on the two approximately 22-meter candelabra was originally made of tuff, which does not weather well. It is being reconstructed by HOCHTIEF using imitation tuff made from specially developed concrete.