Tribute to the historical figures of Vienna
In terms of history, however, the Hohe Markt has even more to offer. Every Viennese schoolchild knows the “Anker Clock”, whose name is derived from the former headquarters of the ANKER insurance company. It is regarded as one of the most important examples of “Jugendstil” (art nouveau) and joins the two parts of the “Ankerhof” building between Hohe Markt 10-11 and 12 with a span of over 10 metres. A very popular painter and sculptor of the time, Franz von Matsch, was commissioned with its design. One special feature is that the 60 minutes are spread over a horizontal path, rather than a circle.
The 12 “regents of the hours” – twelve effigies of famous Viennese historical figures, for example Charlemagne and Maria Theresa – pass through the four-metre clock-face over a twelve-hour period. The appearance of the copper figures, with a height of up to 2.80 metres, is accompanied by music typical of the respective era. At 12 o’clock, all the figures parade together to a melody from Haydn.

Building site and tourist attraction with little space between
“Up to 200 tourists marvel at the lunchtime spectacle”, reports HAZET project manager Leopold Bogner, who is responsible for building renovation work at Hohe Markt Number 12. “For this reason, the valuable clock could not be surrounded during construction work. It could only be provided with a protective roof”, Bogner explains. In the narrow city centre streets, the crane was therefore erected behind the tourist attraction, with assembly taking place on two consecutive nights between 11pm and 5am. The former Helvetia Insurance building from 1911 is being completely gutted, with only the supporting walls remaining in place. Roof reconstruction has proven to be very complex. In order to meet the strict requirements of the planning authorities, the roof is being dismantled piece by piece and re-erected one quarter at a time. This guarantees that the height of the building will be exactly the same following renovation.

Ultimate luxury with 360-degree panorama
Since the building is two stories taller than the surrounding properties, an unobstructed 360-degree view over the city of Vienna is guaranteed – the top-floor penthouses rank among the most luxurious ever built. All the apartments will be equipped with a spa area, the lift runs straight to your own four walls, and the fireplace can be lit or the air-conditioning started up by smartphone.
This fashionable residential building with a prestigious address will bear the regal name of “Palais Principe”, probably derived from the “Via Principalis” in Vindobona, where the Roman legionaries once enjoyed their steam baths.

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>> HAZET
>> About the Anker Clock
>> Complex renovation of the Anker Clock 2005
>> Vienna Museum

The drilling work took place in open and closed mode – the machine dug in “open mode” up to a certain point, then it worked in closed mode. This means that near the bore head a soft soil mixture is used to facilitate drilling. This is necessary because in some tunnel boring sections there is nothing but soft rock between the tunnel shaft and the ground surface above. The machine was operated day and night from the middle of August to the beginning of October, drilling the 500-metre long route through the “Oberstadt” district of town. Following the breakthrough in November 2011, the team breathed a sigh of relief and literally saw “light at the end of the tunnel”. “The drilling work was completed without any complications and we were well below the level of subsidence expected,” Marco Reith is pleased to account.

The massive steel structures were the source of a number of extremely tense situations in the historic tunnel. In November 1948 there was a coal dust explosion in the driver’s compartment of a Type 50 2059 steam engine in the middle of the tunnel. D train 21 from Koblenz to Paris had 650 passengers on board. The entire driver’s compartment went up in flames after a jet of flame escaped from the firebox.

The locomotive driver was no longer able to touch the brake valve and it seemed as if the train was unstoppable. In a spectacular feat the locomotive driver climbed out of the driver’s compartment and onto the metal siding of the steam engine, where he was able to reach the front air valve and managed to bring the train to a stop at the end of the tunnel. Locomotive engineer August Vochtel of Trier received the Medal of Bravery from the French Governor for saving the lives of all of the passengers on board the train!

The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Tunnel cuts through a meandering loop of the River Moselle, thus sparing the Moseltalbahn railway line from an incredibly long detour on the route from Trier to Koblenz. The first trains are scheduled to travel through the tunnel on completion at the end of 2012. Then the old Kaiser-Wilhelm-Tunnel will be renovated.
By the way: You won’t see the “light at the end of the tunnel” if you stand at one end of the tunnel and try to look through it. The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Tunnel may be as straight as an arrow, but it ascends a total of 14 metres during the course of its 4,205-metre long route.

>> Press release covering the tunnel break through

Tunnel boring machine at „New Kaiser Wilhelm Tunnel“

„New Kaiser Wilhelm Tunnel“ broken through

Videos source: YouTube

The game concept was realized by project leader Stefan Randelshofer, research associate at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, and six students specialising in Multimedia Art and Multimedia Technology. The conceptual design stage took roughly six weeks and included numerous brainstorming activities – Randelshofer also got Josef Schinwald, Head of the Animation department and instructor for Game Design, involved to help with the complex design of the game.

After an intense development phase that lasted about four months, the basic concept was presented to customers; detailed graphics and the final sound design were still missing. Approval followed, and then two students familiar with 2D and 3D design, a sound designer and three programmers took it from there. They worked in the computer labs at the architecturally aesthetic glass/concrete building in Urstein, making detailed graphics, testing the sound design and programming the game elements.

As they developed the app they used an unconventional project management tool called the “scrum method”, which is based on the idea that most development projects are too complex to be planned with precision from the beginning. Three principles – transparency, verification, and adaptation – help to minimize complexity. This method requires many meetings – five to ten a day – and demands that project members be present at all times. “This project management method is usually only used by major software developers such as Adobe, Microsoft or the big game studios,” says Stefan Randelshofer, explaining this unconventional approach.

After nine months of intense development work, the game was presented at the construction site of the Salzburg exhibition hall, being built by ALPINE. ALPINE employee Johann Motschnig, currently working on the construction of the new exhibition hall, was the first user to test the game outside of the lab: “I think it’s great,” he said, “It’s important to be repeatedly reminded about safety. If I said nothing had ever happened to me, I’d be lying.”

ALPINE takes the safety of employees very seriously. The company offers many different internal courses on the topic of work safety, some of which train workers how to secure themselves (e.g. connecting and disconnecting safety ropes) in real situations.

Download “Don´t Drop” ALPINE Version

How to install Don’t Drop! for Android

• Download Don’t Drop! to your phone (the file is saved to the internal memory or SD card).
• Use the file manager to locate the file (Name.apk) and open it.
• The app icon and name appear on the top of the screen and you will be asked if you want to install the application.
• Confirm the installation. When the installation is complete you will find Don’t Drop! with your other apps and you will asked if you want to start it right away.

www.fh-salzburg.ac.at
www.doka.at
www.palfinger.at
www.skylotec.at

Different needs
A hospital or a clinic must meet a number of different needs. Patients should feel that they are in good hands, while the staff should be able to work as efficiently as possible. This places great demands on those who plan and build these complex buildings. The design must optimally support all processes and structures. To ensure this the planners must first study the processes before they can begin drawing the ground plan. The aim is to create a complete and functional “organism”.

It took roughly a year of intensive planning work to plan the renovation of and annex to the Landesklinikum Weinviertel Mistelbach-Gänserndorf. The objective of the concept is not to increase size but rather to optimise functionality, paths and areas to create a hospital where everything is located within a short distance of each other. By 2017 the hospital is expected to have 550 beds, and create 200 new jobs. The State of Lower Austria is investing a total of 186 million euros in the project.

Special challenges of the project
The fact that the historic core of the regional clinic is to be restored and that the hospital needs to stay open during the entire construction period means the planners must face a number of additional challenges. Even so, planning work was successfully completed at the end of 2010, and the groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held on 27 June 2011. A consortium consisting of the companies ALPINE and VAMED, the Lower Austrian commercial property lender NÖ Hypo-Leasinggesellschaft and the architects Moser and Maurer are responsible for the project.

Among other things, the plans include moving the main entrance, building a new surgical and intensive care centre, a family centre with a paediatric, gynaecological and obstetrics unit, an outpatients’ clinic for child and adolescent psychiatry, remodelling the outpatient and the first aid area, separating emergency and scheduled patients, designing a new, attractive outdoor area, and adding a parking level with 250 parking spaces. Other goals are to fundamentally improve the overall functionality in the hospital and incorporate clear structures to ensure good orientation for patients and visitors.

When the work is finished, people in the region will have an innovative, state-of-the-art hospital to serve their medical needs.

Photo gallery – the new “Weinviertel” State Clinical Center in Mistelbach-Gänserndorf:

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ALPINE is also currently involved in the construction of a staggering structure: the Unstrut Valley Bridge is being built between Erfurt and Leipzig (see also INSIDE 2.2010). On completion, it will be the second longest railway bridge in Germany with a total length of 2.67 km. Work is taking place at heights of up to 45 m. With the help of a formwork carriage, 46 sections of track are gradually taking shape.

Première for an innovative device
Where the carriageway has already been completed, the cap is currently being mounted. This is the name for the parapet that forms the closure to the track on either side. Alongside acting as a footpath and a mounting point for the guard rails and noise barrier, it also performs several other tasks. For example, it serves as protection for the sealing layer. The sections are concreted directly onto the bridge. All the material is moved by a revolving tower crane. This particular type of crane is being employed for the first time ever on the Unstrut Valley Bridge. It was introduced as recently as 2010 at the BAUMA (International Trade Fair for Construction Machinery, Building Material Machines, Mining Machines, Construction Vehicles and Construction Equipment).

The special feature of this crane, representing a major technical innovation, is the crawler undercarriage. It makes the crane mobile. Until now, only so-called bottom-slewing cranes (crane tower and boom revolve on the carriage) could be moved easily and quickly. Special rails would have to be laid first for top-slewing cranes (boom revolves around the crane tower). The new system makes the job easier and reduces costs. “Our whole team is delighted and privileged to be the first users of this innovative device,” reports Richard Steinbauer, the employee in the Technical Equipment Division at ALPINE Bau Deutschland responsible for giant equipment. “No rail tracks get in the way of our work and we are making excellent progress. The feedback to the hire company is entirely positive.”

Unstrut Valley Bridge photo gallery – crane with crawler undercarriage

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All-rounders for hire
ALPINE also has its own state-of-the-art machinery. One example of a genuine all-rounder is the under-bridge inspection unit ABC 170 LS/190 LS. It facilitates the performance of inspection, maintenance and renovation work on edge beams and bridge undersides. Not only on traffic bridges, but also on narrow footbridges. During deployment, first the HGV with the unit is placed on the bridge and part of the equipment – similar to the mast element of a crane – is guided out over the bridge perimeter. Then the working platform can be extended underneath the bridge. It has an impressive reach of 19 metres. Operation is possible up to a wind speed of 45 km/h. This versatile piece of equipment is not only of use to ALPINE employees – the under-bridge inspection unit can also be hired simply and cost-effectively by third parties (see information sheet).

Information sheet – under-bridge inspection unit

A real team effort
ALPINE employs around 600 workers in Singapore. Four metro stations and tunnels with a combined length of 8.3 km have already been completed. By 2015, three more stations and several tunnels will be constructed. The subject of safety is an important concern for the project team during this process. Regular safety meetings and training courses are held with the aim of heightening employee awareness, highlighting potential risks and explaining important safety measures. During the course of an extensive campaign, a safety week, video presentations and a safety quiz were held for the whole team, among other things. Specially printed T-shirts, posters and stickers are used to remind employees – including those on the construction site – to exercise caution, show consideration for new or inexperienced colleagues, and avoid risks.

Project Manager Singhal is particularly pleased with the effectiveness of these activities: “Two million accident-free working hours is a great success. A feat that we could only achieve with close and committed teamwork on all levels.”

The success was celebrated with the entire project team and many guests on the construction site. Alongside speeches by the project team and the developer, awards were presented to especially safety-conscious employees. The entire management team acknowledged their commitment to safety in a written promise.

High standards
“Health and safety at work are taken very seriously at ALPINE,” emphasises Divisional Director Meik Müller, who is responsible for underground construction projects in the Asia region. “It is very important to us that safety standards are also our top priority abroad and employees receive appropriate training.” The fact that these measures have proved to be so effective in Singapore is undoubtedly a good cause for celebration.

Picture gallery

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Header photo: istockphoto.com/scibak

Keeping track in the data jungle
Ishap develops mobile documentation and archiving software and systems for companies in the building industry. The products IshapCARD and IshapBAU make it possible to register the details of every employee quickly and straightforwardly, and manage this data in a simple manner. For example, pictures can be taken with a smart phone of both the worker and his/her documents, and stored in the system. A photo ID card for the construction site can be printed out there and then. The software then automatically informs the responsible parties which documents must be recorded for every worker – depending on nationality. If necessary documents are missing or the validity of any of them expires in the near future, this is reported by the system. Hence, site managers and foremen can keep track in the data jungle and ensure that all the necessary information is available in a matter of clicks in the event of an inspection.

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Trailblazer in Austria
ALPINE is the first company in the country to employ this system on all its Austrian construction projects and has herewith taken on a role as trailblazer in the field of personnel and wage documentation. “The benefits for us are clear: Now we can register the details of every worker quickly and then archive the necessary documentation securely,” explains Engelbert Schwank, Commercial Branch Manager of the region Building Construction East. “Official inspections are therefore speeded up, because all the data and documents for the respective construction project are available immediately on site. This is very important to us as a major contractor.” The Ishap system is beeing installed across the board in Upper Austria, Salzburg, Carinthia and Styria, with Tyrol and Vorarlberg to follow.

“Hence, we have reacted early and rapidly to the documentation obligation,” underlines ALPINE CEO Dr Jörn Wisser.“We are well aware of the social responsibility of a company to ensure fair and transparent conditions of employment and payment. Moreover, we want to lead the way in the building sector, one of the largest employers of all, with a good example.”

>> Ishap
>> Wage and Social Dumping Prevention Act – WKO

Rudolf Brandstötter and Gonzalo Espinosa Ortega drafted the footbridge blueprint. They both received first place for their entry Link 27 in the Student Concrete Trophy 2007. The jury explained their decision as follows: “The independent draft combines a highly appropriate response to the location with an elegant solution. It not only achieves a symbolic effect, but also represents harmonious integration in the surrounding area.“ To keep maintenance costs low the building was designed as an integral bridge; i.e. it is constructed without supports or joints between the bearing structure elements.

Construction time window
Executing the plan required a great deal of creativity on the part of the ALPINE project team. For example, the prestressed concrete elements for the asymmetrical bearing structure were produced directly on site, despite the space restrictions. On a 45 x 10 m form table. Right in the middle of Vienna.

After completion a crane was used to position the approximately 40 m long beams. First, however, they had to be lifted from the formwork and turned in mid air, a feat only possible through the use of two additional cranes. All of this work was carried out in just four hours. The time allotted for the project was not only affected by the metro operating hours, but also the weather: The cranes had to be set up in the river bed of the Wien, which is subject to extreme water level fluctuations in rainy weather. Construction planning thus also required close coordination with the ZAMG (Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics).

Perfect white
Above all, the new footbridge obtains its unique aesthetics from its brilliant white colour, which gives the construction a light, dynamic feel and truly stands out against a relatively grey metropolitan backdrop. But the colour presented the ALPINE team with an enormous challenge. “White cement is more difficult to produce than regular cement,” says construction engineer Martin Ofenböck. “In addition, prefinished cement samples showed that the desired colour effects could not be achieved by adding white cement alone.“

After intensive research and discussions with suppliers and VÖZ (Austrian Cement Industry Association) they finally obtained the perfect mixture of cement, white cement and additional colour pigments. The bearing structure elements were produced at the same time in order to achieve homogeneous colour quality. Here the key was ensuring that the formwork was absolutely clean in order to prevent any type of contamination of the white cement.

Therefore a number of challenges had to be met before the footbridge could span its white arch across the Wien. The fact that this work was honoured with the 2011 SOLID Bautech Prize on 6 April 2011 in Vienna is a positive confirmation for the dedicated ALPINE project team.

Picture gallery „Steg Astgasse“

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>> Link 27 – Competition entry
>> 2011 SOLID Bautech Award – The winners

Sun protection is especially important for construction workers, who spend most of their time working outdoors and are especially busy when the weather is good. This is because our skin never forgets: Burns and skin damage can lead to sores or skin cancer years later. This is why the Bau-Holz Union and AUVA want to contribute to raising awareness through a joint campaign. A multi-language poster explaining the risks of intensive exposure to the sun and how to properly apply UV protection will be displayed at construction sites throughout the country. In addition, 35,000 UV safety glasses, 2,500 bottles of high-quality sunscreen and 1,500 UV protection T-shirts for apprentices will be distributed within the scope of the campaign.

ALPINE is also participating in the campaign. We have been aware of the importance of sunscreen for some years. “We have provided all of our employees with UV safety glasses free of charge since 2006,” explains Deputy Works Council Chairman Manfred Deutsch. “Following a test run last year, we are making sunscreen available at our construction sites this year as well.“ The additional awareness raised through the national information campaign will hopefully ensure that the products made available are actually used. After all, even the toughest men have sensitive skin.

>> National UV protection campaign at construction sites
>> Informational poster “Using Sunscreen while Working on Construction Sites” (available for download)
>> WMO press release

In order to move it from its original location in the rotunda at the foot of the Hungerburgbahn funicular railway, the panorama was opened along a seam; later it was wrapped in a huge, specially constructed transport roll with the painted side facing outward.  The roll was covered in plastic, loaded onto a 17 metre articulated lorry and transported to its new home at a cautious 20 km/h – pure suspense for lorry driver Rene Mair from Kufstein – the most valuable cargo he had ever transported was insured to the tune of 2.5 million euros, according to the Kronen Zeitung newspaper on 11 September 2010.

The crane operators needed nerves of steel as well: The 12 metre long piece had to be lifted lengthwise through a 2 x 2 metre opening in the roof of the building. Six men with walkie-talkies coordinated the efforts to lift the painting. The panorama reached its new location in under 10 minutes.

Constructing the museum was also a very demanding endeavour in more ways than one – the special topographic landscape, how the location on Mt. Isel is situated and the connection to the historically listed Kaiserjägermuseum required sure instincts. In addition, the lower half of the building features a round layout that perfectly showcases the panorama in its original beauty. “Tyroleans are accustomed to building on hillsides,” reports ALPINE construction engineer Elmar Leitner. “However, a round building with a great deal of exposed concrete is still a challenge.” The building has a 102 meter perimeter, is 16 metres tall and features a subterraneous link to the existing historic construction. It forms an ensemble together with the existing old building and the centrally located Andreas Hofer monument.

The opening celebration for the Tyrolean Panorama will take place on 12 March 2011.

>> Tyrolean State Museum
>> Bergisel
>> Tyrolean Panorama Opening Ceremony Programme

Video:

The restoration

The move

Image: Tyrolean State Museums / Creator: mmdesign

Learn more about the topic of art and building in the 2/2010 issue of our company magazine INSIDE.

However, special requirements do not only apply to the construction site itself. “London’s Major Boris Johnson, a devoted biker and walker, has a personal interest in improving the situation for cyclists and pedestrians”, says project manager Christian Neumann, “which is why we must avoid accidents caused by cite traffic by all means”. The construction site above ground level will be enclosed so as to confine annoyance caused by noise and dust. This will do justice to the sensitive environment and the neighbours in this densely built-up urban area. This requires special cranes and special concrete mixing plants.

Employees face logistic challenges due to the tight access shafts that supply the entire tunnel site, the critical traffic situation right in the centre of the London City and crowded spaces above the access shafts.

 The mining experts face yet another challenge because of the special soil, the “London Clay”. The soft London Clay – that may be likened to a harder kind of cheese – is easily excavated but requires immediate securing with shotcrete. Additional cement injections will prevent settlement of adjoining sensible buildings and movements in the vicinity of a labyrinth made of channels and underground railways.

>> www.crossrail.co.uk
>> Target Zero
>> Crossrail

The Pinglu-Tunnel is part of a visionary water-conveyance-structure project (Shanxi Wanjiazhai Yellow River Diversion Project) that will provide a dry region of China with the water from the Yellow River. Due to the length of the sough, this project held a number of challenges.  Towards the end of the mining drive, workers had to daily travel 90 minutes before even reaching their work place. A complex ventilation system was necessary to continuously provide the tunnel with fresh air. The material was also subjected to enormous stress: “The trains transporting people and material into and out of the tunnel had to travel hundreds of kilometres daily”, Müller reports. “There seemingly was no end to the maintenance work.”

Now, the project team can take a deep breath – an important section has been completed. The remaining works will only require a few more months. In 2011, the Pinglu Tunnel will be completed and will finally provide a formerly dry region with clear water.

Picture Gallery Cut-Through Pinglu-Tunnel

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Our 2.2010 issue of our company magazine INSIDE will provide more information on the Shanxi Wanjiazhai Yellow River Diversion Project.

ALPINE was had a booth at the Innotrans 2010. The booth presented the broad portfolio of ALPINE-ENERGIE in contact line engineering for regional and intercity rail traffic as well as comprehensive competencies in railway construction. As a one-stop solution provider, ALPINE provides custom-designed package solutions and, where necessary, innovative special solutions.

There was a great interest in the ALPINE booth that had a model of the Gotthard Base Tunnel on display. The ALPINE team – headed by Wolfgang Huemer (branch manager ALPINE Bahnbau), Peter Kramer and Gerhard Hofbauer (ALPINE-ENERGIE, business area manager for overhead contact line construction) – welcomed numerous interested visitors, various partners from abroad as well as prominent names in regional politics and economy. For two days, managing directors Roman Esterbauer (ALPINE Bau) and Helmut Schnitzhofer (ALPINE-ENERGIE) were also at the booth. New contacts have been developed and existing contacts intensified. In total, this was a very successful presentation at this important fair that provided new and interesting impulses for future development.

The next Innotrans will be held from September 18 – 21, 2012.

Picture gallery Innotrans 2010

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>> Innotrans Website

Therme Wien
The modern city spa has been constructed on the area of the old Oberlaa hot springs; since the 1970’s, the sulfur-bearing water has provided recreation to the Viennese population. In the future, the Therme Wien will provide an even richer offering with approximately 4,000 m² water, 3,000 m² sauna and 4,500 m² wellness areas. With a total of 26 different-sized pools, the spa area will be subdivided into various thematic areas. Guests should be able to find tranquillity and relaxation or action and adventure, depending on their mood. Additionally, there are hair and cosmetics salons and an amply dimensioned sauna world, separated for ladies and gentlemen or mixed. The 6,000 m² health care centre “Therme Wien Med” is immediately connected to the spa and holds about 200 treatment and therapy stations for deficiencies in the musculoskeletal system. A fitness area is also directly connected with the spa and holds state-of-the-art power and endurance exercise apparatuses, three different exercise rooms for group training and a separate LadyFitness zone. The Therme Wien provides a unique offering to all sport and mobility enthusiasts.

With this comprehensive offering, Therme Wien intends to establish itself as a holistic health and wellness centre, covering prevention, wellness and rehabilitation under one roof.

The ALPINE project team would have earned some leisure time too – because the construction of the Therme Wien was quite a challenge. First, the event centre Kurhalle Oberlaa and the adjacent tennis courts had to be demolished. Subsequently, the soft ground required a pile foundation: The new pools have been constructed on top of approx. 450 ductile piles reaching up to 14 metres into the clayey ground. This required precision work: A slant of a few millimetres only would have adversely affected the water change-out in the overflow basins and consequently impaired water quality.

All civil engineering works for the mega-project Therme Wien have been performed during full operation of the public bath. There was only a limited decline in the number of visitors because of the efficient planning and coordination of logistics. There was only a single complaint: “One of the guests didn’t understand how come the crane operator was able to see into the sauna’s open air area from his working platform high up on the crane”, construction site manager Andreas Rauscher tells with a smile. However, even after September 27, 2010, his and his team’s job isn’t fully finished yet. Only once the new spa has been opened, the old spa will be demolished and a two-story underground car park constructed in its place.

TAUERN SPA Zell am See – Kaprun
The finish line is close in the Salzburg Pinzgau region too: On November 8, 2010, Austria’s largest spa operator VAMED Vitality World, will open the new spa on time for the beginning of the winter season. This is another location where the highest standards are a must: The 48,000 m² area provides sufficient space for a four-star resort hotel with its own panoramic spa and a water and sauna world of more than 20,000 m² for daily visitors. Visitors will find seven differently designed indoor and outdoor pools, 13 different saunas, 17 beauty and treatment rooms, and a special “Kidstein” spa for children and high-end gastronomy. All this comes with a spectacular Hohe Tauern mountain panorama.

ALPINE is involved as a partial general contractor and investor in this largest tourism project in Salzburg’s recent history and has superbly mastered all challenges posed by the Kaprun valley so far – e.g. underground with low bearing capacity and unfavourable ground water conditions. Additionally, important contributions were made to strengthen the regional economy during the construction period: Whenever possible, local companies were used for building works. 30% of contracts directly awarded by ALPINE have been assigned to Pinzgau companies, 46% to companies elsewhere in its federal state. The TAUERN SPA Zell am See – Kaprun also created 200 additional and all-season jobs and trainee spaces.

Picture gallery: Therme Wien / TAUERN SPA Zell am See – Kaprun

[Mit PicLens anzeigen]

>> Therme Wien
>> TAUERN SPA Kaprun – Zell am See
>> VAMED Vitality World

The 1.2010 issue of our company magazine INSIDE provides more information on wellness and the power of water.

The mass-spring system is a construction-engineering procedure used to minimise the transmission of vibration and noise emissions created by railway vehicles. It is used particularly in the construction of railway tracks in residential areas. Vibration insulation is achieved through the large and inert railway trough (open concrete trough) in combination with the elastomeric single rail supports.

So far, the exchange of supports has been very difficult. As part of the construction of the Unterinntaltrasse (Lower Inn Valley Railroad) – currently the largest construction project in Austria – ALPINE has developed a system significantly simplifying the exchange of damaged supports and thereby extending the service life of the entire system. The exchangeability of the supports was part of the building owner’s (ÖBB) request. ALPINE has mastered this challenge with flying colours. Initial tests at the Unterinntaltrasse have achieved perfect results. This support-exchange system is now being made available to ÖBB and will enable a cost-effective and an easy maintenance of tracks.

How does it work?
To exchange a row of supports, 8 hydraulic presses lift the trough plate. By maintaining a predefined bending line and by not exceeding a maximum lift of 22 mm, the track substructure is not being damaged. To exchange elastomer supports beneath a track, which has been lifted off only a very limited distance, a mobile mechanism is required that can be simply and quickly centred on a bearing pedestal. This is achieved by using limit stops on both the support exchange vehicle as well as the bearing pedestal. The support exchange vehicle picks up the elastomer supports in the defined position. This allows lifting off of the elastomer support from the bearing pedestal and pulling it out from underneath the track. The limit stops also allow to reposition the new support precisely on the bearing pedestal.

Image gallery

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The Southern Railway Station is being demolished since January 2010. Simultaneously, work has already begun at the Central Railway Station with up to 400 workers and up to 100 building machines in action. In December 2012, this transport depot will see its partial commissioning. The entire project is to complete by 2015 and then will serve as the central hub for 1,000 trains and 145,000 people per day.

An information centre has been established at the fringes of this construction site to inform all neighbours and those interested about this project of the century where ALPINE is also involved as a consortium partner. Bahnorama allows an insight into construction activities and an outlook on the completion of the new central railway station. In addition to this exhibition, various events are planned as well as a coffee bar. The opening will be on August 19, 2010.

The wooden look-out is, without a doubt, the highlight of the information centre. With 66.72 m it is Europe’s highest accessible wooden tower. It has been constructed in March already. The prefabricated modules of 15 metres each have been lifted and mounted by using a 400-ton crane with a 70-metre pivot arm. Not such an easy task in the densely built-up urban area.

The material used was domestic, untreated spruce wood. Wood is an environmentally friendly raw material and easy to assemble and disassemble. However, implementing the vision of a wooden tower in the real world was not always easy: “When we have initially asked stress analysts they just told us to forget about it and use steel”, Hans Schartner of RAHM Architects tells in an interview. “However, we eventually did find a stress analyst and a master carpenter in a single person: Ing. Hans Matzinger. He encouraged us that it was possible to develop a wooden construction that meets today’s safety standards. He brought a book on high seats for hunters to our initial meeting.” So, you are dead centre if you think of an urban high seat when viewing the look-out at the future central railway station. Anybody may “hunt” the city from that vantage point: Two panoramic elevators make an exciting outlook possible for the less than sporty too.

Photo gallery

[Mit PicLens anzeigen]

>> Project Central Railway Station
>> Tower blog

Money flows is not the only thing caused by sports and a wider sphere is influenced by it. There is no doubt that the speed of the social-cultural development of a city, country or region can be increased by large sporting events. Currently, all of Africa looks to the south of the continent in hope that the World Cup effects more than just South Africa.

In South Africa, the World Cup has caused a significant improvement of its infrastructure – and with it a long-term benefit. For example, a large-scale programme to modernize and expand the country’s power supply infrastructure was begun. Telecommunications and transportation networks have been massively expanded. The first high-speed train line in Africa has been opened on time for the World Cup.

Sportive points of interest
The new construction and remodelling of soccer stadiums has given ten South African metropolises new landmarks. These sports stadiums have given the World Cup a definite look. Modern design, high technology and the region’s cultural tradition have been skilfully combined. For instance, the exterior of the largest stadium in Africa – the Soccer City in Johannesburg – resembles the African drinking vessel called Kalebasse. The stadiums in other locations have also become well known symbols and architectural points of interest, such as the Bird’s Nest in Beijing or the Allianz Arena in Munich.

The Allianz Arena, constructed by ALPINE between 2002 and 2005, has become a Mecca for both soccer and architectural fans alike. The facade has been constructed with highly innovative technologies and by now is an attraction for both soccer fans and experts. It consists of about 3,000 air cushions made of merely 0.2 mm thin foil that can be illuminated in red, blue and white with about 4,000 specially developed lights. The membranes are self-cleaning, are continuously aerated and weigh only about a 30th of the weight of glass.

Austria competes internationally
Domestic companies play in the top international sporting league. Austrian products and know-how are in high demand in the sports and event industry. The eye catching facade of the Soccer City Johannesburg for instance is made of fibre glass concrete sheets made in Salzburg. The Vorarlberg Doppelmayr Group is the world leader in cable cars and has constructed cable cars in more than 80 countries. Even several Austrian companies are involved simultaneously in the construction and modernization of skiing regions in Turkey and Africa.

ALPINE is also part of this world league in the construction of stadiums. In addition to the construction of the Allianz Arena, the construction of the Dubai Cricket Stadium is also one of the company’s prestigious projects. For the European Soccer Championship 2008, the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg and the Tivoli Stadium in Innsbruck were reconstructed by ALPINE as part of a consortium – and the Wörthersee Stadium in Klagenfurt was newly constructed. For the EURO 2012 event held in Poland and Ukraine, spectacular new stadiums are currently being constructed in Danzig and Warsaw.

Sustainability in the construction of stadiums
ALPINE faces new challenges in the construction of the new soccer stadium for St. Pölten. New sustainability benchmarks are being set for this stadium. It is to become the most environmentally friendly stadium in Austria and is to excel through particularly high energy efficiency. The ecological and renewable construction material is wood which is extensively used – the design’s optical impression is dominated by its wooden roof structure – it is to create a family friendly atmosphere.

The planning provides for about 8,000 seats, five VIP lounges as well as a Business Club for more than 800 guests of honour. Additionally, there will be a restaurant with Fan Shop and its very own kindergarten. In spring of 2011, the construction will begin once the environmental impact assessment has been completed. The completion is planned for 2012. The net contract value of this project is about Euro 18.3 million.

Visualization of the St. Pölten Stadium:

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Header photo: Allianz Arena Munich

But this is not the only characteristic that makes this crane so special. For example, it grew simultaneously in height with the heat exchanger tower even while in operation. The original height was just 80 m. Since the start of construction it has “climbed” twice, i.e. been extended upwards. For this, the crane had to be braced to the building at two points in order to sufficiently stabilise the crane tower.

It may be a matter of predisposition whether you envy the crane operator who has to climb 280 rungs every day for the view from his cabin 130 m above the ground; but he certainly has an impressive job.

Specifications:
Model: Liebherr 550 EC-H 20 Litronic
Hook height: 123 m
Jib length: 41.50 m
Lifting capacity: 20.0 t

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You can find more information about the assembly of cranes and the special safety precautions that must be taken in this respect in the issue 1.2010 of our company magazine INSIDE.

>> Leube

ALPINE also was a successful participant of the Concrete Day 2010. As part of the sophisticated lecture programme, future-oriented construction projects – such as the construction of the ultra-modern cricket stadium in Dubai, the Viennese District “Viertel Zwei”, the Danube bridge Traismauer and the central part of the Gotthard base tunnel – were presented, and current developments in energy generation were discussed.

Of course, ALPINE had its own booth on site, which had many interested visitors. There, the managing directors DI Dr. Peter Preindl (CEO), Ing. Roman Esterbauer and Bmst. Ing. Karl Gruber made an important investment in the future: they met 40 HTL and TU students from Salzburg, Upper Austria and Vienna, answered their questions and talked to them about the reality of the construction business.

The next Concrete Day will take place in 2012 and, considering the durability of the building material that gave the event its name, it is likely that we can expect more repetitions of Concrete Day in the future.

ALPINE at the Concrete Day 2010:

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Interesting international building and infrastructure construction projects:

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>> Website Concrete Day

The supporting formwork of the bridge is constructed piece by piece in the classic cantilever construction method about 20 m above the water. For the first time in Austria, ALPINE uses newly developed DOKA cantilever construction carriages for the construction of the supporting formwork.

>> Video (wmv-Datei, 30MB)

You´ll find the whole article in the printed customer magazine.

Links:
DOKA – The Formworks Experts
Video: Kindly supported by ASFINAG

You´ll find the whole article in the printed customer magazine.

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Links:
Architect Martin Kohlbauer
Architects Henke und Schreieck

The new Danube bridge at Traismauer improves accessibility of Central Lower Austria and part of the so called Regional-Ring-North. It provides an efficient axis between Stockerauer dual carriageway S 5 and the Kremser dual carriageway S 33 and leads to the Westautobahn A1 (motorway).

You´ll find the whole article in the printed customer magazine.

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VAM GmbH & Co KG Anlagentechnik und Montagen manufactured the harbour gate. The gate is composed of four individual parts with weights of 52.7 – 40.4 – 40.1 and 70.4 tons. After manufacturing in the factory in Wels they were treated with corrosion protection at the company Bauschutz Linz.
Then they were transported to the Viennese harbour by heavy-goods trucks. This is were they are currently stored.
The gate parts will be lifted in place from December 14 – 21, 2009.

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The Viennese harbour is the largest Austrian trimodal logistics centre and features simultaneous connections to ship, train and truck routes. About 12 m tons of goods and about 1.700 ships are handled annually.

Links:
VAM GmbH & Co KG Anlagentechnik und Montagen
Wiener Hafen
Grund- Pfahl- und Sonderbau GmbH

Photo credits: VAM GmbH & Co KG Anlagentechnik und Montagen

However, aesthetics alone was not the decisive factor: Outstanding achievements in material research enabled these building envelopes to automatically adjust according to light and temperature characteristics and thereby create a comfortable living and working environment. These building envelopes influence light transmittance, energy balance (absorption, reflection, storage), indoor environment quality, characteristics of ventilation, acoustic and colour and thereby create a variable and adjustable unit.

The Stuttgart based ILEK Institute (Institut für Leichtbau Entwerfen und Konstruieren – ILEK Institute for lightweight design and construction) actually is an interface between architecture and engineering. One of the research areas of the ILEK Institute is the “design of adaptive systems”. Excellent innovations resulted from using chemical and physical functional principles of multi-layered systems.
The materials used in room and building envelopes consist of autonomous or controlled systems with different functions and different possible reactions. For instance, thermotrope layers as used in glass fronts as sun screens. These layers change their optical characteristics from transparent to translucent as temperature increases. In an autonomous and reversible process they switch from clear to a strongly diffusing and misty-white condition. This ensures a strong multiple scattering and diffuse transmission of light.

Electrochrome material is placed in a gap between sheets of glass. It changes its colour when electrical charge is applied. This process can be reversed as well. This electrochrome material changes its transmittance of light depending on what amount of d.c. voltage is applied. This effect is utilized. Electrical charge is applied to a microscopically-small coating on a glass surface. This changes its colour.

The transmission characteristics and energy absorption of a window module may also be changed with liquid crystals. Prototypes have already been produced to test the usability of infinitely variable elements on the basis liquid crystals. These prototypes are currently undergoing field tests.

The exhibition
„Sketches for the Future“ (until October 16, 2009)
forschen // entwerfen // konstruieren (research // design // construction)
by Werner Sobek, head of ILEK and professor at the Mies van der Rohe professorship at the Illinois Institute of Technology currently displays at the Wiener Ringturm. Sobek is a “researching, designing and constructing engineer”. In cooperation with other famous architects he has often drawn attention when presenting spectacular concepts. The same is true for his work as an architect and and his own projects and buildings.

Link:
ILEK – Institut für Leichtbau Entwerfen und Konstruieren (ILEK Institute for lightweight design and construction

Image source:
Post Tower Bonn, 1999–2000 © HG Esch, Hennef

The magazine will provide surprising insights into the world of ALPINE. No matter whether your are a technical expert or simply interested. The many aspects and facets combined in the single terms “construction” are sufficient for an unending stream of editions. The group’s and its employees’ activities, technology, innovations or subjects like economy, sustainability and safety only serve as a central theme. Insights into foreign countries and cultures, the day-to-day life in exotic locations, many personal and lasting impressions or fascinating research projects are just an excerpt of what you can expect to find in this magazine. There is a never ending well of fascinating subjects.

External and internal editors work with the ALPINE Department of Marketing and Group Communication to provide you with a variety and interestingly written subjects. The magazine’s layout was developed in-house and bears the company’s distinctive fresh and modern style. All issues are complete in-house productions. And they are produced with passion.

The magazine is published twice a year and sent to customers, potential buyers and interested people.

Its name got St. Pauli only 180 years ago. Prior to that this district just outside the city of Hamburg was known as the “Hamburg Hill (Hamburger Berg)”. The residents of this district have been loud and colourful ever since settlement began in the 17th century – and has not been welcomed within the city walls. It was composed of those that couldn’t pay the fee that was due if you wanted to become a full citizen, of foul-smelling trades like fish-oil distilleries, noisy industries, barkeepers, prostitutes, cheap entertainment and the collection place for those haunted by the Black Death. Later on the rope makers (in Old-German> Reepschläger) moved into this district as well and gave this famous street its name: Reeperbahn. In 1830 St. Pauli’s boom began with the introduction of steam navigation. Many sailors came as the ships docked at the river Elbe near the “Hamburger Hill”. St. Pauli became an entertainment district. Bars and establishments mushroomed. Trade and the harbour provided the residents of St. Pauli with a living. In 1840 St. Pauli housed 98 barkeeper, 10 out of 13 dance halls in all of Hamburg and 150 registered prostitutes. The area around the streets Spielbudenplatz, Reeperbahn, Herbertstraße and Große Freiheit is locally referred to as “Kiez” (meaning the red-light district). In this area there is no closing hour for bars – according to governmental regulation. Beer halls, theatres and cabarets existed since the beginning of the 20th century. St. Pauli survived WW II almost without damage. In the 60s many Rock’n'Roll legends and even the Beatles performed in clubs at the Große Freiheit. Cabarets, vaudevilles, shows, clubs, bars and brothels live next to each other.

Today, a modern quarter with apartments, hotels and office buildings is being created between the Hamburg harbour, Reeperbahn and the old warehouse district next to the premises of the former Bavaria-St. Pauli brewery. However, the original St. Pauli never dies and remains full of characters. And the live blood of it all is the Reeperbahn, this flashy, glittery boulevard between the old city gates Millerntor and Nobistor. It’s colourful, loud and headstrong.

Empire Riverside Hotel / Film
[See post to watch Flash video]

www.alpine-bau.de
www.empire-riverside.de

Picture credits:
www.mediaserver.hamburg.de/C. Spahrbier
ALPINE Bau Deutschland AG

This is the fate of millions of amphibians when they move from their winter resorts to their spawning grounds or summer locations. Frogs, toads and salamander are part of the species of amphibians. Their ideal habitat is a very diverse, natural environment with a multitude of small habitats such as lakes, meadows, hedges, forests and marsh areas. More and more traffic routes cut the routes of amphibians. Streets are the most dangerous barrier for these animals. Traffic kills so many every year that numerous amphibious populations are threatened with extinction. Tunnel-Guidance-Systems are a means to permanently protect migrating animals. These consist of passages and a guidance system. They enable these animals to safely cross a street. Prof. Dr. Manfred Pintar, Export for the protection of amphibians at the University for natural resources in Vienna (Amphibienschutzexperte an der Universität für Bodenkultur in Wien) points out that “70-90% of amphibians could be saved in this way”. Permanently installed protective systems have another advantage in that they also protect young amphibians when they migrate. The same is true for the migration of amphibians in autumn and other migrating small animals. Migrating animals are very headstrong and want to use the shortest possible route. They do not like to be redirected. Therefore it is necessary to carefully study the migration routes of amphibians and to plan tunnel-guidance-systems accordingly. Some 30 to 50 km of protective devices for amphibians have been build during the construction of the PPP Project Y in Lower Austria.

Picture credits: Arge NATURSCHUTZ
www.amphibienschutz.at

“In the beginning we had to study all kinds of reactions wine has when in contact with concrete before we could develop the ideal type of concrete for the ageing of wine”, says graduate engineer Johann Ramsbacher and MD of Rauter GmbH, the Styrian manufacturer of wine-eggs. Wine has a sour ph-value. Consequently we had to develop a special mixture. Compared with the French model we improved the mould of the concrete-eggs and thereby the concrete’s surface characteristics. Three years ago Angela and Werner Michlits got excited about using concrete-eggs for the ageing of wine. Since then they successfully promote this bio-dynamic wine ageing and storage method in Austria. Last year the first Austrian wine “hatched” in concrete-eggs was bottled: the “Meinklang Sankt Laurent 2006″.

A concrete-egg holds 900 litres, has wall thickness of 12 cm and weighs more than 1.7 tons. It is equally suitable for the ageing of red and white wines.

Concrete is a modern building material and used in all areas of construction. The ALPINE magazine “struct” (first edition in autumn 2009) will provide more information on the use of concrete and ALPINE’s concrete research.

Picture credits: www.meinklang.at

Links:
www.meinklang.at
www.rauter.at

ALPINE has a considerable part in the urban development of Linz and constructed numerous buildings.

Lentos Museum of Art
This building has been designed by the Zurich architect Weber & Hofer and was completed in 2002. Today, it is one of the most important museums of modern art in Austria. This museum of art is located at the banks of the Danube river between Nibelungenbrücke and Brucknerhaus. On 8.000 sqm of useful space it houses numerous works of art from paintings, sculptures, constructive art, paper an artistic photography. ALPINE had a 50% ARGE share in its construction.
Lentos Museum of Art Linz

Urban development of the area around the main station
In December 2004 the main station designed by architect Wilhelm Holzbauer was inaugurated. It was constructed in only two years (ALPINE had an ARGE share of 50%). The railway’s customers elected it as Austria’s most beautiful train station for the third time. A new quarter has been created around this newly constructed train station. It’s most visible characteristic is the three towers: the Terminal Tower (with 98.5 meters the highest tower in Linz), the Power Tower of Energie AG (72 metres high) and the Knowledge Tower (Wissensturm) (63 metres high)..

In 2007 the Terminal Tower received the DIVA Award for exceptionally innovative projects. The Social Security Administration and the Tax Offices of the city Linz and Urfahr moved into this 24-floor building with 122 parking lots.

The Zurich based planner Weber + Hofer designed the Energie AG Power Tower. This tower features an energy façade and is flanked by a two-story building with a green flat root. This building provides 20 000 m2 of useful space for more than 500 employees. The two-story underground garage provides space for 248 cars.

Since September 2007 the public library’s main office and the adult education centre are housed in this 16-story Wissensturm (Knowledge Tower) that features a floor-space of 15,400 m2. Architects Kneidinger/Stögmüller provided the basic concept for this tower. The building management of the city of Linz provided the detailed planning.

In 2004 the Landesdienstleistungszentrum (State Administrative Service Centre) was completed. On six floors it units 30 departments of the State of Upper Austria. The requirement to make this building easily accessible was solved by its proximity to the main station and a bus terminal located right in its ground floor.

Picture credits: Linz 09 / Copyright: Robert Striegl