BLUE ECONOMY - Rhomberg Bau
BLUE ECONOMY - Rhomberg Bau
BLUE ECONOMY - Rhomberg Bau
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2012<br />
new<br />
dimensions<br />
<strong>BLUE</strong> <strong>ECONOMY</strong><br />
The art of thinking “blue” 4_5<br />
Gunter Pauli’s visions and solutions<br />
Sustainable demonstration projects 6<br />
Current projects and the future of construction<br />
Moving ahead together 16<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> Rail and the Sersa Group<br />
The magazine of the <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Group
Contents<br />
Editorial 3<br />
More with less<br />
<strong>BLUE</strong> <strong>ECONOMY</strong><br />
Gunter Pauli: the art of thinking “blue” 4 5<br />
Pre-announcement: Blue Economy award 5<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong><br />
Sustainable demonstration projects based on teamwork 6<br />
Current projects 7 9<br />
Project development at EXPO Real 10<br />
Maintaining value with vplus care 11<br />
Focus on CREE system building 12<br />
Stone with a history 13<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> Rail<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> and Sersa move ahead together 16<br />
At InnoTrans 2012 17<br />
Current projects 18 20<br />
New developments of RTE 21<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> Group<br />
Reports from the subsidiaries 14<br />
The <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Advisory Board 15<br />
Sustainability at <strong>Rhomberg</strong> 22 23<br />
News from Human Resources 24 25<br />
A look back at 2012 26 27<br />
9<br />
12<br />
Sounds really quite plausible. Every entrepreneur, every person, tries to achieve as<br />
much as possible with the minimum of effort. To do this in the field of construction,<br />
properties are simply fitted with more equipment so that everything is more<br />
efficient – and today, primarily energy efficient. With respect to the so-called grey<br />
energy*, which is an additional input to buildings, such an approach does not<br />
always make such good sense. Since today, the focus is – quite correctly – on the<br />
duration and cost of the use of buildings, one should not forget the entire lifecycle<br />
of products and materials. If we are serious about the energy turnaround,<br />
we clearly also have to take into account the energy required for the production<br />
of those materials. In other words, from the cradle to the grave. Technology on its<br />
own will not be enough for us to manage the challenges of the future. The rebound<br />
effect** lurks everywhere, which unfortunately has always been the case, until now.<br />
Therefore, we should start by leaving out as much as possible and only add things<br />
when they really make sense. This leads us to completely new approaches in<br />
thinking, as not every intelligent technical component in a house is always a good<br />
idea. If the installation of an exceptional lamp needs a network engineer costing<br />
EUR 150 per hour, that’s not very economical, even considering the life-cycle cost.<br />
“Reduce to the max” – or as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry put it: “Something is<br />
perfect not when you can’t add anything else to it, but when you can’t take<br />
anything else away from it.” Applying this approach right from the beginning<br />
of a design could yield many good ideas.<br />
The exemplary blue economy concept presented in this issue is full of appealing<br />
ideas. Examples show that there is enormous potential in making better (multiple)<br />
use of what is there already. However, this leads me to an almost unsolvable<br />
problem: as such, a company cannot really be sustainable. Only its workforce.<br />
They can think about it, or not. They can make a difference, or not.<br />
24 18<br />
39<br />
As a company we can give our employees enough space and the authority to<br />
make their own decisions so that they can make a difference with their approach<br />
and their input. It may take just a single question, or a single small action, during<br />
a project with a customer or internally – and something happens, something<br />
sustainable is created. We must not expect miracles. No completely new projects.<br />
On our own we cannot change the whole market all at once, but we can make a<br />
difference. And we all communicate about what and how, every day. Our customers<br />
will be interested in knowing what we do differently and where we have a<br />
positive influence.<br />
That is what makes life beautiful – the fact that we can make a difference<br />
every day.<br />
carbon neutral<br />
natureOffice.com | AT-169-577808<br />
print production<br />
EDITORIAL | Publisher <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Group, Mariahilfstrasse 29, 6900 Bregenz/AT, Tel +43 5574 / 403-0,<br />
Fax +43 5574 / 403-309, info@rhombergbau.at, www.rhomberg.com Photos Studio 22 (cover), Dietmar Walser Photography,<br />
Klaus Andorfer, Markus Tretter, <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Sersa Group, Shutterstock Responsible for the content Gabi Schnell, <strong>Rhomberg</strong><br />
Group Concept and design die3, public relations agency, Dornbirn/AT Printed on Balance Silk Declaration pursuant<br />
to § 25 Media Act NEW DIMENSIONS is published once a year; German circulation 4,500, English circulation 1,500<br />
Note In <strong>Rhomberg</strong>’s NEW DIMENSIONS the male gender is used in many instances, however this is only done for greater<br />
ease of reading and does not imply any inequality.<br />
Hubert <strong>Rhomberg</strong><br />
* Grey energy (also called hidden energy) in buildings refers to the amount of energy needed for<br />
the production, transport, storage, distribution and disposal of a product.<br />
** The rebound effect refers to a situation where the potential for saving costs or improving efficiency is not,<br />
or only partially, realised because what has been saved is immediately used for some additional item.<br />
Editorial XXX | NEW DIMENSIONS<br />
3
The art of thinking “blue”.<br />
Gunter Pauli’s visions and solutions for the<br />
“blue planet”<br />
Gunter Pauli is an economist and founder of twelve companies. However,<br />
he is anything other than a theorist: he is one who has devoted his life to<br />
practical approaches, who does not feel committed to profit maximisation<br />
and cost minimisation in companies but to the well-being of man and nature<br />
– and who wants to create added value with what is locally available. He is<br />
one who uses his entrepreneurial spirit for creative and innovative solutions<br />
for the “blue planet”. In addition, he translates his views and new business<br />
models to children’s books and starts projects for pupils throughout the<br />
world in order to arouse enthusiasm in the next generations for creative<br />
entrepreneurship.<br />
For more information on “The Blue Economy” and Gunter Pauli, please visit<br />
Twitter@MyBlueEconomy or www.zeri.org and www.TheBlueEconomy.org<br />
This current decade has spawned<br />
numerous ideas for green technologies,<br />
renewable energies and alternative<br />
components. But what is lacking is<br />
that, in many cases, the focus is only<br />
on a single advantage and the effects<br />
on the whole system are ignored.<br />
Two examples: instead of chemical<br />
substances, I switched to using soaps<br />
based on palm oil, and wash balls with<br />
soapnuts instead of detergent. In the<br />
1990s I saw the consequences of my<br />
well-intentioned actions: in order to<br />
create plantations of oil palms, people<br />
in Indonesia cut down large areas of<br />
tropical rainforest which destroyed<br />
the habitat of many animals forever.<br />
In India and Bhutan, where people<br />
washed their laundry traditionally with<br />
the soapnuts, the population had to<br />
switch to washing with their bare hands<br />
or the cheaper chemical products from<br />
abroad because the price of soapnuts<br />
multiplied. When I became aware of<br />
this development, I opted out immediately.<br />
TAKING A HOLISTIC APPROACH<br />
“I have learned how important<br />
it is to include social and cultural<br />
aspects in my projects.”<br />
This is not as easy as it might seem,<br />
as I will demonstrate with this example:<br />
give a hungry person a fish, and he will<br />
be satisfied for a day. But teach him<br />
how to fish and he will…? And here<br />
lies the mistake in thinking, because<br />
he will fish more than he needs!<br />
He will over-fish – until such a time<br />
that there is a good circular flow<br />
economy in which each person has<br />
access to a cheap supply of what is<br />
necessary and good.<br />
On the basis of these ideas I have<br />
sketched an exciting circular flow for<br />
impoverished peasants in Columbia: of<br />
the raw material produced in a coffee<br />
harvest, only 99.8 per cent is actually<br />
used. The coffee grounds, which are<br />
considered waste, could be used for<br />
the cultivation of shiitake mushrooms<br />
– in preference to clearing oak forests<br />
in China where these mushrooms are<br />
currently cultivated. Shiitake cultivation<br />
in Columbia would return a significantly<br />
better yield to the peasants, and they<br />
could send their children to school.<br />
But the cycle continues: the mushrooms<br />
would have the advantage of<br />
removing the caffeine from the coffee<br />
grounds so that this becomes suitable<br />
as animal feed. In turn, the additional<br />
feed would provide the peasants<br />
with more milk and meat. This in turn<br />
means that they are becoming more<br />
self-reliant. Waste from the animals<br />
could then also be fed into biogas<br />
systems for the supply of energy.<br />
I call this whole process “upcycling”.<br />
Thinking practically<br />
My projects are focused on practical<br />
things such as razors made of environmentally<br />
friendly silk from England<br />
that is kind to the skin, Swedish cider<br />
used for fire protection, roof panels<br />
that capture water from the air, the<br />
replacement of US-American adhesive<br />
by the use of the laws of physics as<br />
modelled by geckos, and various<br />
projects on algae in Brazil which bind<br />
CO 2<br />
and become a freely available<br />
nutritional supplement. My commercial<br />
activities follow the example of natural<br />
cycles, they create more work opportunities<br />
and a clean environment.<br />
Replacing what exists<br />
“Where can I replace an existing<br />
item with nothing?”<br />
…is the key question I ask. Let me<br />
explain by giving an example: an<br />
American student had the idea to<br />
replace sensor batteries with a freeof-charge<br />
source of energy, i.e. the<br />
force of gravity, and thereby save<br />
1.5 billion sensor batteries per year.<br />
This proposal was blocked in both<br />
America and Europe as the authorities<br />
requested market analysis and numerous<br />
studies before they were willing<br />
to even talk about the project.<br />
By contrast, it took the Chinese just<br />
a few hours to build this innovation.<br />
The wisdom of nature<br />
“I am very interested in creating<br />
more flexible boundary conditions<br />
and in modifying the laws of<br />
commerce.”<br />
I do away with waste and emissions<br />
worldwide. My foundation called ZERI<br />
– Zero Emissions Research & Initiatives<br />
– has acquired the reputation of<br />
an innovator for business models and<br />
as a member of the Club of Rome, I<br />
created my “Blue Economy” concept in<br />
2009. In it, I introduce 100 innovative<br />
system-based projects which create<br />
the basis for creative entrepreneurship<br />
– far removed from any licence fees.<br />
Because companies which create many<br />
jobs worldwide should serve the “blue<br />
planet”. Some of these innovations are<br />
inspired by ecosystems: climate systems<br />
modelled on termites or ball bearings<br />
modelled on the friction of a salamander.<br />
Methodically refined and matured<br />
systems make waste into the raw<br />
material for new products. Anybody is<br />
free to dip into this pool. For example,<br />
individuals are quite likely to obtain<br />
the coffee grounds produced in coffee<br />
houses free of charge, which they can<br />
then use for the shiitake cultivation as<br />
described above. The challenge is to<br />
have the courage to be an entrepreneur!<br />
There are solutions and innovations<br />
both for industry and for small<br />
and medium sized entrepreneurs. The<br />
implementation of these free patents<br />
makes it possible to construct our<br />
future with care for the environment.<br />
Start with the young<br />
One of my special concerns is to<br />
introduce children and young adults<br />
to the systemic elegance of our earth.<br />
I would like to convey to them, from a<br />
young age, an understanding of the<br />
way in which nature works. They are<br />
bound to be curious and, in their playful<br />
and creative manner, may show us new<br />
solutions. We need to establish a new<br />
way of teaching which engenders the<br />
spirit of the researcher and entrepreneur<br />
in young people. Because it is<br />
children who will determine tomorrow’s<br />
world. They will only be able to create<br />
a planet worth living on if they have<br />
the creative means. In this context, it is<br />
hardly surprising that I spend much of<br />
my time writing children’s books. My<br />
fairytales and fables convey an insight,<br />
in a playful way, into the way nature<br />
works and engender a longing to<br />
become heroes of the “blue planet”.<br />
Announcement<br />
The <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Blue Economy<br />
Award will be organised for the<br />
first time in the spring of 2013.<br />
This award aims to provide<br />
financial support and start-up<br />
aid to business ideas that are<br />
based on the idea of the “Blue<br />
Economy”. More information in<br />
the next edition.<br />
4 NEW DIMENSIONS | blue economy<br />
blue economy | NEW DIMENSIONS<br />
5
Sustainable<br />
demonstration projects<br />
based on teamwork<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong> is an all-round<br />
supplier of superior, high-quality<br />
property development projects.<br />
A new residential quarter with a total area of 10,000 m 2<br />
is being created at the Michelsberg in Ulm.<br />
The new residential quarter with 110 apartments<br />
is a significant contribution to the housing<br />
market in Ulm’s inner city.<br />
HIGHLY POPULAR RESIDENTIAL AREA<br />
at Michelsberg, Ulm<br />
An attractive residential development comprising nine<br />
different buildings with two to five storeys is being<br />
created in a central location between the Ulm inner city<br />
and Michelsberg. The project is being carried out by<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong> and Immobilienwerkstatt to designs<br />
by Mühlich, Fink and Partners, architects. There will<br />
be 110 two to five room apartments, all with attractive<br />
balconies, loggias or terraces – and some providing a<br />
view of Ulm cathedral.<br />
www.wohnen-am-michelsberg.de<br />
Martin Summer<br />
Peter Greußing<br />
In this interview, Managing Directors Martin Summer and Peter Greußing<br />
report on successful projects, their understanding of sustainable construction<br />
and their marketing strategy.<br />
What are the most important criteria<br />
of <strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong>’s success?<br />
Martin Summer: Top customer service,<br />
reliability, partnership, competence, our<br />
sustainable approach in thought and<br />
action, and being prepared to always<br />
give our best. But another important<br />
basis of our success is the fact that<br />
our departments support each other,<br />
our staff undergo continuous training<br />
and we always question our processes,<br />
again and again, with a view to a<br />
more professional approach.<br />
Peter Greußing: We see ourselves as<br />
an all-round supplier in the construction<br />
sector, covering the entire depth of<br />
value-creation process. Our customers<br />
appreciate top-class service, which in<br />
our case covers the entire life-cycle of<br />
a building. From the original concept<br />
to project development, through to<br />
construction and the management,<br />
leasing and operation of the property.<br />
Thinking in terms of sustainability<br />
and life-cycles is currently high on<br />
the agenda. How does <strong>Rhomberg</strong><br />
<strong>Bau</strong> deal with that?<br />
Martin Summer: We keep an eye on<br />
the level of operating and follow-up<br />
costs, and the longevity, of our property<br />
projects right from the design stage.<br />
Decisions throughout the development<br />
phase are made and assessed under<br />
the aspect of sustainability.<br />
Peter Greußing: And before we start<br />
construction, we study the entire<br />
life-cycle of a building. We take into<br />
account ecological, economic and<br />
social aspects in order to ensure that<br />
the buildings created are attractive to<br />
occupants, users and investors and<br />
are compatible with the environment.<br />
Which of last year’s projects<br />
best reflects <strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong>’s<br />
philosophy?<br />
Peter Greußing: A prime example is<br />
the change of use and refurbishment<br />
of the Luger-Areal site in Dornbirn.<br />
Various departments cooperated<br />
excellently on this project and have<br />
provided a compelling result. Starting<br />
with the cooperation of Project Development<br />
with the Housing team through<br />
to the implementation by our colleagues<br />
in the General Contractor department,<br />
together with our own Construction and<br />
Civil Engineering teams, through to<br />
leasing, administration and facility<br />
management by our FM department<br />
and vplus.<br />
What market areas does <strong>Rhomberg</strong><br />
<strong>Bau</strong> operate in and target?<br />
Peter Greußing: Obviously all our<br />
business fields fully concentrate on<br />
our domestic market in Vorarlberg.<br />
In this market we offer the full range<br />
of services to our customers. Beyond<br />
that, the marketing radius of our<br />
different business fields varies to<br />
a degree. In addition to Vorarlberg,<br />
our general contracting arm focuses<br />
on southern Germany, Vienna and<br />
other urban centres in Austria. From<br />
our branch in St. Gallen we also carry<br />
out marketing throughout Switzerland<br />
in the fields of general contracting<br />
and refurbishment.<br />
Martin Summer: In project and<br />
site development we are active in<br />
Vorarlberg and all over Austria, with<br />
a focus on Vienna, and in southern<br />
Germany. We intend to increase our<br />
activities in southern Germany and<br />
around Vienna as well as maintaining<br />
our focus on our home market.<br />
Likewise, we want to seize on growth<br />
opportunities throughout Austria.<br />
We feel that, with our high-quality<br />
projects, we are an attractive partner<br />
for investors.<br />
www.rhombergbau.at<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong> gmbh<br />
Managing Directors Peter Greußing and<br />
Martin Summer<br />
Authorised signatories in<br />
the Management Team Jürgen Jussel,<br />
Gerhard Vonbank, Dietmar Oprießnig<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong> AG (Switzerland)<br />
Management: Marcel Maier and Peter Greußing<br />
Workforce, <strong>Bau</strong> 2011/12 439<br />
Turnover, <strong>Bau</strong> 2011/12 EUR 181 million<br />
The new<br />
Luger-Areal site<br />
offers a total floor<br />
area of about<br />
4,200 m 2 .<br />
Revitalised residential quality<br />
Residential and commercial premises at the Luger-Areal site, Dornbirn<br />
The Luger residential and commercial building, dating from the year 1911, has now been<br />
carefully refurbished. The property has been turned into 38 new residential units and six<br />
high-quality commercial premises in a top location. After a construction period of only 21<br />
months, the former furniture store in the centre of Dornbirn has been given a new lease of life.<br />
This traditional property was formally opened at the beginning of June 2012. All apartments<br />
have already been handed over to their new owners, and the commercial premises Ulla Popken<br />
(ladies’ fashions) and Brennet AG (shirts and underwear) have opened their doors. With the<br />
preservation and re-design of the Luger-Areal, <strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong> has made an important contribution<br />
to the revitalisation and improvement of Dornbirn’s inner city. By recycling demolition<br />
material it has been possible to save many tonnes of resources as part of the construction.<br />
6 NEW DIMENSIONS | <strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong><br />
rhomberg bau | NEW DIMENSIONS<br />
7
Before<br />
refurbishment<br />
Conversion & modernisation<br />
Time does not stand still.<br />
But a building does.<br />
The refurbishment of a building heralds a<br />
new life-cycle, something that <strong>Rhomberg</strong><br />
<strong>Bau</strong> considers right from the beginning.<br />
Existing spaces are viewed from a new<br />
perspective and existing qualities are<br />
used to provide new solutions. Keeping<br />
subsequent costs low is a way of securing<br />
the value of the building for many<br />
decades. Our activities in “Conversion<br />
& Modernisation” cover refurbishment<br />
and restoration through to conversions<br />
and extensions, including upgrades to<br />
roofs, facades and services installations<br />
for better thermal performance. Recent<br />
examples are the refurbishment of<br />
the Harderstrasse residential site in<br />
Lauterach, the office building of Fries in<br />
Sulz and the roof refurbishment and PV<br />
installation for Huber Tricot in Mäder.<br />
Services offered by<br />
Conversion & Modernisation<br />
• Refurbishment concepts<br />
• Advice on public funding<br />
• Total refurbishment of residential premises<br />
• Conversion of business premises and<br />
changes of use<br />
• Modernisation/revitalisation of interiors<br />
• Facade, balcony and roof refurbishment<br />
• Conversions and extensions<br />
• Repairs<br />
Daniel Mohr has<br />
been in charge of<br />
the “Conversion<br />
& Modernisation”<br />
division since<br />
autumn 2012.<br />
After refurbishment<br />
Improving<br />
residential<br />
quality, lowering<br />
energy<br />
and operating<br />
costs: the refurbishment<br />
of the<br />
Harderstrasse<br />
residential<br />
development in<br />
Lauterach was<br />
successfully<br />
completed in<br />
2012.<br />
The technical<br />
service<br />
organisation,<br />
TÜV Süd, is<br />
monitoring the<br />
construction<br />
of the Novum<br />
16 residential<br />
development in<br />
Kempten with<br />
regular quality<br />
inspections.<br />
“The current situation in the Housing division is<br />
very satisfactory. All apartments in the completed<br />
residential developments have already been sold<br />
and the refurbishment of the Luger site in Dornbirn<br />
has been successfully completed. New projects<br />
are planned in Bregenz, Hard, Lochau, Schwarzach and Dornbirn.”<br />
Katharina Fuchs, Manager of Housing<br />
Tel. 05574 403-362<br />
katharina.fuchs@rhombergbau.at<br />
www.rhombergbau.at<br />
Energy-efficient construction<br />
Novum 16, Kempten<br />
A particularly energy-efficient residential<br />
development is being created in a central<br />
position in Kempten, Allgäu as a “KfW-<br />
Effizienzhaus 55”. Generously proportioned<br />
rooms in apartments ranging from 61 to<br />
142 m 2 provide the flexible life styles of<br />
the various user age groups.<br />
www.novum16.de<br />
An exclusive<br />
development of<br />
small apartments<br />
above the Inn<br />
Valley in Tyrol<br />
offering superior<br />
residential quality.<br />
LIVING where others spend their holidays<br />
Am Ullwald, Innsbruck-Igls<br />
On the Mittelgebirge plateau above Innsbruck an exclusive development<br />
of small apartments, “Am Ullwald”, will enter its construction phase in<br />
autumn 2013. Two buildings with twelve generously proportioned apartments<br />
each will offer a fantastic living experience: floor-to-ceiling windows<br />
with a sun-drenched southerly orientation provide magnificent views.<br />
Extensive gardens with terraces, or sunny balconies form a link between<br />
the interior and nature. The Innsbruck city centre is only five kilometres<br />
away and the village centre of Igls only a few minutes. The leisure facilities<br />
are outstanding: well-kept rambling and cycling paths, golf courses, lakes<br />
and skiing areas are all within easy reach.<br />
WE ARE SEEKING<br />
BUILDING PLOTS.<br />
Your plot could be the site for valuable housing.<br />
For sustainably built forward-looking residential projects by <strong>Rhomberg</strong>.<br />
Please talk to Katharina Fuchs and benefit from our bona fide approach<br />
and fairness.<br />
RHOMBERG BAU<br />
In the<br />
Nollenhorn<br />
project in<br />
Switzerland, for<br />
the first time,<br />
apartments will<br />
be available for<br />
both rent and<br />
sale in the one<br />
building.<br />
“We were able to achieve continuous<br />
growth in Switzerland in 2012. We were<br />
successful both in competitions and in<br />
project development. I put this down to<br />
our efforts in the past aimed at being a<br />
reliable partner to our customers.” Marcel Maier,<br />
Managing Director of <strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong> AG Switzerland<br />
Modern living<br />
Solitar residential and<br />
business premises, Aarau<br />
Attractive commercial premises and 14 apartments for sale<br />
offering between 70 and 140 square metres of living space,<br />
including two penthouse apartments with roof terraces were<br />
created in the midst of a beautiful site with old, existing trees<br />
in Aarau’s city centre. In its architectural aspect, the project<br />
features a modern facade with fair-faced concrete, generous<br />
The highlight of the<br />
Solitar project are<br />
the two penthouse<br />
apartments.<br />
Sustainable construction<br />
New projects by <strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong> AG<br />
Switzerland<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong> AG focuses strategically on<br />
the German-speaking part of Switzerland<br />
and is seeking project development partners<br />
in the private and institutional sectors.<br />
Under the management of Siegfried Frank,<br />
the team plans and develops forward-looking<br />
and marketable projects which are built to<br />
sustainability principles and thus provide<br />
investors with long-term benefit. In each<br />
phase of the project, economic, ecological<br />
and social aspects are taken into account,<br />
and the building is considered over its entire<br />
life-cycle. This involves a far wider approach<br />
to thinking, including the choice of location<br />
and use concept. Projects are rounded off<br />
with sophisticated architectural designs which<br />
are in keeping with the urban environment.<br />
This also applies to the Nollenhorn building<br />
complex in the canton of St. Gallen. The<br />
project will provide 22 apartments for rent<br />
and seven for owner occupation, on a site<br />
area of 3,300 m 2 .<br />
window fronts and a clear linear structure. The building<br />
specification includes the Minergie ® standard, with the<br />
services comprising a ground source heat pump system<br />
with a ground loop and buffer storage, and artificial ventilation<br />
with heat recovery. The materials for construction<br />
were selected using quality and sustainability criteria.<br />
All apartments were already sold when construction<br />
started and were occupied in July 2012.<br />
Exclusive and near the centre<br />
Housing at Ardetzenbergstrasse, Feldkirch<br />
Top quality housing is being built at Ardetzenbergstrasse in the immediate<br />
proximity of Feldkirch’s historic town centre. Spread over three buildings, the<br />
project will offer two-, three- and four-room apartments as well as generous<br />
penthouse apartments with terraces. The ground floor apartments will have large,<br />
private gardens. The sale of the property started at the end of October 2012.<br />
Thanks to its exclusive location and the outstanding public transport connections,<br />
the project attracted the interest of numerous investors.<br />
Housing in Feldkirch’s upmarket residential<br />
area in the direct vicinity of the Ardetzenberg<br />
8 NEW DIMENSIONS | <strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong><br />
local recreation area.<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong> | NEW DIMENSIONS<br />
9
Project development<br />
at EXPO Real<br />
Joachim Nägele reports on his visit<br />
to the exhibition in Munich and the<br />
future of project development at<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong><br />
Joachim Nägele,<br />
Head of Project Development,<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong><br />
EXPO Real is the largest property exhibition<br />
in the German-speaking region. Where does<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong>, as a company from Vorarlberg,<br />
feature in the scale of things?<br />
Compared to the international competition, we<br />
are obviously a “smaller player”. However, our highquality<br />
and sustainable approach to building is very<br />
noticeable even on this large stage, and with larger<br />
projects such as that at the Vienna main railway<br />
station, we are currently raising the international<br />
profile of <strong>Rhomberg</strong>. Generally speaking, the<br />
EXPO Real exhibition is used by market participants<br />
to get to know each other and exchange<br />
ideas. It is therefore the ideal place to present<br />
our two hotel projects in Vienna – in Storchengasse<br />
and at the main railway station – and to<br />
introduce them to potential investors.<br />
Vienna main railway station is one of the<br />
largest construction sites in Europe. What is<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong>’s role in the overall project?<br />
This construction site is about much more than<br />
just a new railway station. The overall project<br />
involves the development of an entire city quarter,<br />
with a footprint area of 109 hectares. We are<br />
responsible for the overall coordination, urban<br />
development and construction of hotels, offices<br />
and housing with underground car parking on<br />
two sites. Another of our projects in the capital<br />
is nearing completion: Hotel Storchengasse will<br />
start taking reservations from March 2013.<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong> and over 38,000 participants used the exhibition<br />
as a platform for extending their international networks.<br />
Over 1,700 exhibitors from 31 countries took part in<br />
the EXPO Real exhibition at the beginning of October<br />
2012. <strong>Rhomberg</strong> took a stand at the largest international<br />
trade exhibition for commercial property and<br />
investment in the German-speaking region, which took<br />
place for the 15 th time.<br />
Project Development focuses on commercial<br />
projects as well as numerous residential<br />
developments in the west of Austria and<br />
Southern Germany. Are there any hilights<br />
you would mention?<br />
Back in the spring of 2012, we opened western<br />
Austria’s first office building with an ÖGNI Gold<br />
certificate in Dornbirn – the QUADRA I DO –<br />
and very soon after, in June, we celebrated the<br />
completion of the new Luger site. We are developing<br />
another special project in western Austria in<br />
cooperation with a partner in Igls, near Innsbruck.<br />
There, we will be building a very exclusive residential<br />
development in a holiday location.<br />
In Southern Germany we are involved in some<br />
very attractive housing projects in Ulm, Kempten<br />
and Friedrichshafen. A very unusual project was<br />
the housing development at the yacht harbour in<br />
Lindau, which has now been completed and fully<br />
sold. Owing to the complexity of the project, we<br />
have published an architectural book which highlights<br />
all the interesting aspects of this project.<br />
How do you see the future in Project<br />
Development, where is <strong>Rhomberg</strong> headed?<br />
What is exciting is that housing in Vorarlberg,<br />
Southern Germany and Vienna is still viable.<br />
Because investors still have a preference for<br />
housing, perhaps also for psychological reasons:<br />
if an apartment can’t be let, they can use it<br />
themselves.<br />
Safe investments, and maintaining<br />
the value of your property<br />
In order to safeguard the use value and financial value of a property over<br />
the long term, it is necessary to look after it with active management.<br />
As a professional facility management organisation, vplus takes care of<br />
numerous tasks ranging from refurbishment, including applications for<br />
public funds, to advising on construction law and rental and property<br />
law at state, federal and EU level.<br />
Customer website content<br />
• Key property data<br />
• Overview of accounts<br />
(ongoing operating costs)<br />
• Documents (digital document archive)<br />
• Notice board (current information<br />
and announcements)<br />
• vplus contacts<br />
Since about 80 per cent of the life-cycle costs of buildings<br />
arise during their use phase, forward-looking management<br />
of property is an important means for ensuring that costs<br />
are kept to a minimum. vplus GmbH is a partly-owned<br />
subsidiary of the <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Group and has been managing<br />
properties throughout western Austria for many years.<br />
Expertly trained and motivated staff, five qualified realestate<br />
trustees as well as trained plumbers, electricians<br />
and construction technicians are the core team involved<br />
in facility management with the aim of securing the<br />
long-term value of buildings.<br />
Continually changing conditions present a challenge to<br />
facility managers and have changed the professional remit<br />
over recent years: facility management now has to take<br />
into account guidelines and laws relating to refurbishment,<br />
public funding, construction and the rental and ownership<br />
of property – at state, federal, and even EU level.<br />
“We are aiming to provide safe investments and innovative<br />
cooperation,” comments Andreas Karg in relation to the new<br />
online customer portal. “The password-protected website is<br />
a personal information platform for each apartment owner.<br />
Customers are able to easily download minutes, resolutions<br />
and other documents, or can inform themselves on current<br />
operating costs or payments. Customers are informed about<br />
the latest legislation and tips on refurbishment and energy<br />
conservation – because we would like our customers to be<br />
informed at an early stage – before a response is necessary.”<br />
www.vplus.at<br />
With its new website, vplus<br />
comes one step closer to the<br />
paperless office. Customers<br />
will be sent their personal<br />
user data in response to an<br />
email sent to info@vplus.at.<br />
10 NEW DIMENSIONS | <strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong><br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong> | NEW DIMENSIONS<br />
11
What is your fascination with CREE?<br />
In my previous job I was developing<br />
comprehensive transport solutions for<br />
inner city situations. There is an important<br />
social contribution in both that<br />
activity and the current one: it is not<br />
just a question of building yet another<br />
building, but constructing with awareness<br />
and being clear about what using<br />
less resources actually means.<br />
What advantages do system building<br />
and serial production offer?<br />
I see three important aspects: Vorarlberg<br />
benefits from a very high standard of<br />
craftmanship. Prefabrication at a factory<br />
provides the opportunity to export<br />
this quality in system building to less<br />
developed countries. Another aspect is<br />
that costs can be more reliably estimated<br />
– industrial processes are much<br />
easier to control than the construction<br />
of prototypes on site. Furthermore,<br />
system building helps when it comes to<br />
the approval procedure, which can be<br />
very costly especially in view of different<br />
In November 2012, Doris Bures, Federal<br />
Minister for Transport Innovation and Technology,<br />
and Hubert <strong>Rhomberg</strong> opened the first Life-<br />
Cycle Tower, LCT ONE, in Dornbirn, Austria.<br />
Focus on system building<br />
Interview with CREE’s new Managing<br />
Director, Stephan Wabnegger<br />
“CREE’s focus is on the careful use of resources,<br />
including time. We achieve this through system building.”<br />
Stephan Wabnegger responds to the challenge of<br />
explaining system building.<br />
approaches being taken by different<br />
municipal authorities.<br />
Where do you see market<br />
opportunities and what is your<br />
approach to managing these?<br />
In the first phase we concentrate on<br />
those customers that recognise the<br />
added value offered by CREE. We have<br />
received a number of awards and now<br />
we would like some orders. Both the<br />
product and the region are important<br />
in terms of practical implementation.<br />
With the construction of the LCT ONE<br />
and the Illwerke Centre in Montafon<br />
we have demonstrated the buildability<br />
of the product. The next task is to make<br />
the system usable for hotels, housing<br />
and commercial applications. I see good<br />
opportunities in our core region around<br />
Vorarlberg, since we are familiar with<br />
the culture and can act in cooperation<br />
with <strong>Rhomberg</strong>. Overseas markets are<br />
attractive, but need local experience<br />
when it comes to practical implementation.<br />
Award<br />
for CREE<br />
The state and the Vorarlberg<br />
Chamber of Commerce have<br />
awarded the 2012 Innovation Prize<br />
to seven Vorarlberg companies<br />
for the development of innovative<br />
products and processes. On behalf<br />
of CREE, Hubert <strong>Rhomberg</strong> and<br />
Michael Zangerl received the<br />
award from Governor Wallner<br />
in October 2012.<br />
The natural change in urban architecture<br />
INVENTED BY RHOMBERG<br />
How do you view the future of<br />
the former research project?<br />
The construction of LCT ONE in Dornbirn<br />
is the first step which is followed up<br />
with the project for the Illwerke as the<br />
second step. In October 2012 I was a<br />
keynote speaker at the World Resources<br />
Forum (WRF) conference in Beijing.<br />
We were the first and only company<br />
able to present a systematic application<br />
of the timber system construction idea<br />
in multi-storey buildings.<br />
What do you see as the next step?<br />
The pioneering phase is now over.<br />
CREE’s team has shown the system<br />
works and created impressive market<br />
awareness. I see my contribution as<br />
being the creation of clear responsibilities,<br />
the request for commitment and<br />
obviously the commercial success of the<br />
company. I think we owe that to Hubert<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong>’s impressive vision. For now,<br />
we will update the business plan, adjust<br />
our internal organisation and present<br />
this internally to CREE.<br />
“I like the architecture<br />
very much, but I was really<br />
positively surprised<br />
by the effectiveness<br />
of the air conditioning<br />
in LCT ONE: the air quality does not<br />
deteriorate, even when there are several<br />
people in the same office all day long.”<br />
Herbert Koschier, Infeo<br />
“We felt very comfortable<br />
in the LCT ONE<br />
right from the beginning<br />
– all that wood<br />
has a comforting<br />
effect, it creates emotional warmth,<br />
and at no time were we troubled by<br />
unpleasant smells as is common in<br />
new buildings.” Christian Häusle,<br />
Wirkungsgrad Energiecontracting<br />
Rocks with a history<br />
A treasure trove for builders and geologists<br />
At the Hohenems quarry, science and commerce meet. Both are interested in the particularly hard<br />
and frost-proof glauconitic sandstone and the fossil treasures embedded in it. Through folds and<br />
overthrusts, the old rock formation layers have come right to the surface and reveal the history of<br />
60 million years of rock formation.<br />
The chronicle of the quarry<br />
In 1610 Count Kaspar von Hohenems<br />
granted his valet the right to quarry<br />
sharpening stones. About 200 years<br />
later, the municipality opened the<br />
quarry in its current location and<br />
leased it out to the highest bidder at<br />
five-year intervals. At the end of the<br />
nineteenth century, the quarry became<br />
significantly more important due to the<br />
extensive works carried out to secure<br />
the banks of the river Rhine. During<br />
the World Wars, its caves were considered<br />
a safe refuge from air raids and<br />
were used for the production of war<br />
vehicles; they were blown up in 1947<br />
on the order of the French General<br />
Directorate. In 1966 the quarry was<br />
closed due to the heavy investment<br />
required. Just four years later,<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> leased the entire quarry<br />
site in order to cover the demand for<br />
rock products in the construction of<br />
the Wolfurt goods railway station.<br />
From quarry to<br />
resource centre<br />
When the company took on the quarry,<br />
the normal working procedures were<br />
subject to serious safety issues.<br />
Opening of the geology room<br />
In time for the “Long Night of Museums” in October 2012,<br />
the Vorarlberg Natural History Museum, Inatura, opened<br />
a new geology room. The exhibits include finds from the<br />
Hohenems quarry. The quarry is full of special geological<br />
features and is often frequented by geological researchers;<br />
it has yielded many historic finds from the ancient<br />
world of animals and plants.<br />
For an orderly and efficient quarry<br />
process, it was urgently necessary to<br />
repair the walls. So <strong>Rhomberg</strong> straightened<br />
out the main wall and eliminated<br />
any overhangs. Ten years after the<br />
acqui sition, the entire breaker plant<br />
was reconstructed and Austria’s<br />
largest impact crusher was developed<br />
for the production of asphalt aggregate.<br />
Two years later the concrete<br />
factory was modernised. In 1983 the<br />
plant was completed with a washing<br />
system for the production of concrete<br />
aggregates. Today the Resource<br />
Centre Rheintal not only quarries raw<br />
material, but also processes material<br />
brought to the facility for recycling.<br />
A number of measures were implemented<br />
to ensure that both the<br />
environment and the resources are<br />
treated in the best possible way:<br />
for example, the quarrying method<br />
was changed from vertical to horizontal,<br />
which made deep-hole<br />
explosion unnecessary. In order<br />
to reduce HGV traffic, a railway<br />
siding was constructed to the site.<br />
Adapted snow cannons reduce the<br />
generation of dust to a minimum.<br />
www.rhombergrcr.at<br />
Resource Centre Rheintal (RCR)<br />
Formed in 1970<br />
Operator <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Bregenz<br />
Managing Director, Building and Resources<br />
Peter Greußing<br />
Products/services Quarrying for raw materials<br />
(road construction, chippings, sand), armourstone<br />
(flood defences), gabions, concrete (Express<br />
Beton), recycling, landfill, building materials<br />
supply, metal workshop, general workshop<br />
“The <strong>Rhomberg</strong><br />
quarry is not only<br />
an important commercial<br />
asset in<br />
Vorarlberg, but also<br />
very interesting from an historic and<br />
geological points of view. The new<br />
geology room at Inatura Dornbirn<br />
documents this with state-of-the-art<br />
technology. I am pleased about the<br />
successful cooperation.”<br />
Stefan Rusch, Manager of the<br />
Resource Centre Rheintal (RCR)<br />
The geological specialities of Vorarlberg’s prehistoric origins are demonstrated<br />
in a lively and tangible fashion in the “Lebensraum Gebirge”<br />
exhibition at the Inatura Museum in Dornbirn, which uses state-of-theart<br />
exhibition material and which has <strong>Rhomberg</strong> as its main sponsor.<br />
12 NEW DIMENSIONS | <strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong><br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong> | NEW DIMENSIONS<br />
13
Alpenrind chooses Goldbeck <strong>Rhomberg</strong><br />
A deep-freeze and production building is being constructed in Salzburg<br />
Advisory Board at <strong>Rhomberg</strong><br />
Seizing opportunities and correctly assessing risk<br />
The Salzburg company, BVH Alpenrind,<br />
has chosen Goldbeck <strong>Rhomberg</strong> for<br />
the construction of its new deepfreeze<br />
and production building. With<br />
an overall floor area of 3,200 m², the<br />
building will house production areas<br />
with fast-freeze, refrigerated aging<br />
and dispatch rooms, as well as the<br />
associated office facilities. The new<br />
production areas will be linked with<br />
mobile racks and a box conveyor<br />
system.<br />
www.goldbeck-rhomberg.com<br />
The construction of the new deep-freeze and production building complies with European food<br />
standards and will be completed in January 2013. www.goldbeck-rhomberg.com<br />
Dipl. Ing. Roland Jurecka and Kommerzialrat<br />
Walter-Heinz <strong>Rhomberg</strong> assist the<br />
Management of <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Holding in<br />
an advisory capacity.<br />
About two years ago the <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Group established an Advisory<br />
Board consisting of Walter-Heinz <strong>Rhomberg</strong> and Roland Jurecka.<br />
Its tasks and functions are similar to those of a supervisory board.<br />
The Advisory Board is the link between the private <strong>Rhomberg</strong><br />
Foundation and the Management of <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Holding GmbH.<br />
It monitors and approves company strategy and organisation, and<br />
particularly important business transactions that require approval.<br />
This include decisions on the Group budget including turnover and<br />
profit plan, personnel, investment and financial planning, and large<br />
projects or foreign activities with an increased risk factor.<br />
New long-reach boom pump<br />
Express Beton expands its range of pumps<br />
Vehicle-mounted concrete pumps<br />
are used to pump concrete quickly<br />
and directly from the readymix vehicles<br />
to the point of use. For this purpose,<br />
Express Beton maintains pumps with<br />
a reach of 24, 36 and 42 metres –<br />
now extending to 46 metres with the<br />
addition of a long-reach boom pump.<br />
This concrete pump is currently the<br />
largest in Vorarlberg and, due to its<br />
flexible mast and pump configuration,<br />
has an extremely large working range.<br />
With this new addition to the pump<br />
vehicle fleet, the company will be even<br />
better equipped to respond to customer<br />
requirements.<br />
Major contract: the Pfänder tunnel<br />
Refurbishment and construction with Express Beton<br />
“Tunnel projects present<br />
a big challenge<br />
to concrete suppliers.<br />
These projects are<br />
technically demanding<br />
and require a lot of time and personnel.”<br />
Anita Helbig, authorised signatory,<br />
Express Beton<br />
All-rounder:<br />
pump with 46 m reach and<br />
5-section RZ-folding boom<br />
• Capacity up to 160 m³/h<br />
• Vertical reach 46 m<br />
• Horizontal reach 39 m net<br />
• Unfolding height 9.3 m<br />
• Pipe diameter DN 125<br />
• Swivel range 365°<br />
• Outrigger pressure 27 t<br />
• Outrigger width 9 m<br />
for full support<br />
• OSS support for a lateral<br />
working area of 6.5 m<br />
• Weight 36 t<br />
The new construction of the second tunnel tube through<br />
the Pfänder mountain is one of the largest contracts in<br />
Express Beton’s company history. With the supply of<br />
about 163,000 m 3 of concrete, the team was working<br />
round the clock. The quantity of concrete needed for the<br />
refurbishment of the existing Pfänder tube was less –<br />
about 17,000 m 3 . In both contracts, the quality testing in<br />
order to comply with standards required a lot of laboratory<br />
input. Special thanks are due to the entire workforce,<br />
as well as to our flexible and reliable partners, <strong>Bau</strong>-Truck<br />
and Höfle.<br />
The Management and Advisory Board meet several<br />
times a year. The objective is to assess risks and<br />
opportunities as best as possible, and thereby secure<br />
the long-term existence of the company.<br />
Risk managment – professional<br />
handling of what is not known<br />
How dependent is the company on important customers?<br />
What happens when production fails, or a new<br />
product is not accepted by the market? What are the<br />
effects of inadequately delivered services by subcontractors?<br />
These questions arise every day – but are<br />
all too easily ignored, as we concentrate on results<br />
and objectives. But it is definitely worthwhile to look<br />
at these issues in good time. Opportunity and risk<br />
management is a duty to be carried out by our managers.<br />
We can sustainably achieve our goals and secure<br />
jobs for the workforce only if we learn to handle risk<br />
correctly. Generally speaking, risk may be associated<br />
with unavoidable fate or personal responsibility, or a<br />
combination of both. Danger can only be avoided if<br />
we assume that we have at least some influence over<br />
our future.<br />
Murphy’s Law says “anything that can go wrong,<br />
will go wrong!”, a law which has been the subject of<br />
scientific study. In modern technology this slogan is<br />
applied as an analytical measure for error-avoidance<br />
strategies, and for the development of redundant<br />
systems. In risk management, the term “risk” refers<br />
to the totality of all possible negative and positive<br />
deviations from the target, as well as risks and<br />
opportunities. In project management we have to<br />
deal professionally with a large number of unknown<br />
variables, which is a typical aspect of the development<br />
of projects. We have to ask ourselves: would we have<br />
been in a position to avoid the occurrence of the event<br />
of damage or loss? What is the extent of the loss?<br />
What is the likelihood of the event of damage or loss<br />
occurring? We speak about an unknown risk when<br />
the damaging event could not have been foreseen<br />
in any way from the point of view of those affected.<br />
In this case there are only two avenues as a safeguard:<br />
to insure oneself or to not carry out the business!<br />
We speak of a consciously accepted risk when<br />
the damaging event could have been foreseen from<br />
the point of view of those affected. In this case, we<br />
can establish suitable measures to counteract the risk,<br />
and make provision for limiting any damage.<br />
When do we have to act?<br />
In risk management, the same principle applies as<br />
in all management: it is important to be pro-active in<br />
the face of any problems and issues, rather than to<br />
wait and react to any negative developments. This<br />
requires professional management accounting, quality<br />
management, detailed analysis and assessment of<br />
tasks, work procedures, time schedules, preparation<br />
and framework conditions which affect all areas of the<br />
company – from the managing director through to the<br />
site manager. Where risk manifests in loss, it is often<br />
the result of erroneous assessments and actions. In<br />
order to avoid these, it is imperative that there is a<br />
culture of openly admitting errors: “Let’s learn from<br />
our mistakes!” is, according to Advisory Board member<br />
Dipl. Ing. Roland Jurecka, the first step to successful<br />
risk management.<br />
14 NEW DIMENSIONS | RHOMBERG GROUP RHOMBERG GROUP | NEW DIMENSIONS 15
The Owner Board of the <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Sersa Rail Group (from left): Jürg Braunschweiler, Hubert <strong>Rhomberg</strong>, Konrad Schnyder and Ernst Thurnher.<br />
Moving ahead together<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> Rail and the Sersa Group<br />
At the InnoTrans 2012 exhibition, the merger of <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Rail with the Sersa Group met with a lot of interest.<br />
InnoTrans Berlin 2012<br />
The largest trade exhibition for the railway industry worldwide<br />
rhomberg sersa rail group<br />
Head offices Bregenz, Austria – Zurich,<br />
Switzerland<br />
Management Hubert <strong>Rhomberg</strong>, Konrad<br />
Schnyder, Ernst Thurnher, Jürg Braunschweiler<br />
Employees about 1,600<br />
Locations Austria, Switzerland, Germany,<br />
Great Britain, Holland, Turkey, Canada, Australia<br />
Services<br />
• Professional consulting<br />
• Design and project management<br />
• Design, construction and maintenance of<br />
high-performance railway infrastructure,<br />
particularly in the field of slab track<br />
• Commercial and mechanical track construction,<br />
standard and narrow gauge<br />
• State-of-the-art plant and machinery<br />
• Provision of specialist systems (patented track<br />
alignment and measuring systems)<br />
• Track welding and milling<br />
• Restoration of railway tunnels<br />
• Electrotechnical installations<br />
• Transport, rolling stock<br />
• Logistics services and contract labour<br />
The preparations are in place: <strong>Rhomberg</strong> is now acting jointly with Sersa. This merger<br />
has created Europe’s most comprehensive railway technology company. “We are<br />
certain that this step is the right one for a long-term alignment of both companies,”<br />
says Konrad Schnyder, CEO and owner of the Sersa Group.<br />
Strengthening market<br />
presence<br />
As a comprehensive all-round supplier,<br />
the new joint venture will clearly<br />
strengthen its market presence in<br />
the field of railway technology. “The<br />
merger is a logical consequence in<br />
our endeavour to position the railway<br />
technology business on a broader international<br />
footprint. The Sersa Group is<br />
a family-owned company and for this<br />
reason, and due to its geographical<br />
proximity, it is culturally very similar to<br />
ours,” emphasises Hubert <strong>Rhomberg</strong>,<br />
CEO of the <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Group. There<br />
will now be a total workforce of about<br />
1,600 dealing with our customers’<br />
orders – whether in commercial and<br />
mechanical track construction, in the<br />
project business, in electrotechnical<br />
engineering, in the provision of measuring<br />
and track alignment systems<br />
or in specialist consulting. Staff at the<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> Sersa Rail Group consists of<br />
numerous specialists with many years<br />
of experience in railway technology.<br />
Keeping the brands<br />
successful<br />
As the two companies will retain the<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> and Sersa brands, nothing<br />
will change in the way projects are<br />
handled for the longstanding customers<br />
and partners of the two companies –<br />
the <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Sersa Rail Group stands<br />
for top quality and delivery within<br />
budget and deadlines.<br />
www.rhombergrail.com<br />
www.sersa-group.com<br />
The international trade exhibition for transport<br />
technology, InnoTrans, takes place in Berlin every<br />
two years. The exhibition, which in September 2012<br />
took place for the ninth time, was more popular<br />
than ever before, attracting 2,515 exhibitors from<br />
49 countries. <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Rail and the Sersa Group<br />
again took part in this most important networking<br />
forum for the railway industry worldwide. Both<br />
exhibitors and visitors were full of praise for the<br />
exhibition.<br />
A total of 104 world firsts were presented by<br />
companies at InnoTrans Berlin. <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Technologie<br />
& Entwicklung GmbH presented the three<br />
new systems IVES, RhoTAS G5 and V-TRAS (see<br />
page 21). With the help of the extended range of<br />
services, <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Rail, as all-round supplier, was<br />
able to address new target groups at the exhibition.<br />
First meeting<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> and Sersa get to know each other<br />
A moderator and 42 participants from Switzerland, Austria,<br />
Germany, Great Britain, Turkey and Holland meet in Switzerland.<br />
During a team conference at the Rigi mountain, members<br />
of staff of the two companies got to know each other. The<br />
event was framed by statements by the owners and included<br />
an entertaining programme. The desire for cooperation was<br />
clearly and meaningfully communicated to the management<br />
staff. The conference also provided an opportunity to ask<br />
questions of the owners and to discuss the overall picture.<br />
“Visitors were positively<br />
surprised by the fact that<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> Bahntechnik has<br />
expanded its portfolio in the<br />
energy and telecommunications<br />
sector, and is therefore now an interesting<br />
partner for clients in the railway infrastructure<br />
business.” Martin Maguolo, Head of<br />
ATE consortium<br />
“The exhibition is an ideal platform<br />
for presenting a company<br />
to the market and introducing<br />
new products and services.<br />
For <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Bahntechnik, it<br />
is important to raise market awareness of the<br />
company and to forge new business relationships<br />
and learn about innovations.” Kai Ziegler,<br />
Head of <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Bahntechnik, Oberhausen<br />
“For the Energy Supply<br />
division it was important to<br />
forge contacts with manufacturers<br />
in order to be able<br />
to actually implement the<br />
planned product range in the field of energy<br />
supply to light railways.”<br />
Markus Loef, Head of Energy Supply,<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> Bahntechnik<br />
16 NEW DIMENSIONS | RHOMBERG RAIL<br />
RHOMBERG RAIL | NEW DIMENSIONS 17
The entire basic<br />
infrastructure for the<br />
Brenner Nord approach<br />
line was handed over to<br />
ÖBB in December 2012.<br />
Milestone at the Brenner<br />
Infrastructure installation at<br />
the Brenner Nord approach line<br />
With the Alptransit Brenner consortium,<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> and Alpine have achieved their<br />
big aim: after three-and-a-half years of<br />
intensive construction, the consortium was<br />
able, as planned, to successfully hand over<br />
the basic infrastructure – contract A1 –<br />
for the railway line from Kundl/Radfeld to<br />
<strong>Bau</strong>mkirchen to the customer, ÖBB. The<br />
systems were operational in the autumn of<br />
2012 and inspection and maintenance of<br />
all equipment was completed by December.<br />
During the same period, the team finalised<br />
the work on signal, telecommunication and<br />
energy systems. In December, ÖBB was able<br />
to complete the commissioning process, so<br />
that operation on the Unterinntal line could<br />
be started shortly after. In parallel, interim<br />
operation was carried out along the line of<br />
contract A2. In the three-and-a-half year<br />
construction period, substantial quantities of<br />
building materials were installed along the<br />
A1 contract of the 41-kilometre section:<br />
the Alptransit Brenner consortium installed<br />
about 260,000 cubic metres of concrete.<br />
The length of the slab track is 71 kilometres<br />
and the overall track length 142 kilometres.<br />
The cables and cable pipes installed add up<br />
to a total length of about 1,100 kilometres.<br />
In order to ensure the best possible residential<br />
quality along the railway line, about<br />
27,000 square metres of sound insulation<br />
boards were erected. In addition, there were<br />
43 services buildings, 44 ventilation systems,<br />
14 pump systems and one extinguishing<br />
water system with a 35-kilometre pipeline<br />
with an internal diameter of 200 mm, three<br />
wells and 17 measuring and control stations.<br />
This construction site was a good example<br />
of the versatility of <strong>Rhomberg</strong> <strong>Bau</strong> as an<br />
all-round supplier of railway technology.<br />
Contract A1: Brenner Nord<br />
approach line<br />
Client ÖBB Infrastruktur AG, Innsbruck<br />
Contractors Alptransit Brenner consortium,<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> Bahntechnik GmbH, Alpine <strong>Bau</strong> GmbH<br />
Contract value EUR 260 million<br />
Construction period January 2009 to July 2012<br />
Contract A2: Brenner Nord<br />
approach line<br />
Client ÖBB Infrastruktur AG, Innsbruck<br />
Contractors Alptransit Brenner consortium, <strong>Rhomberg</strong><br />
Bahntechnik GmbH, Deutsche Bahnbau GmbH<br />
Contract value EUR 40 million<br />
Construction period January 2010 to July 2012<br />
Flexible and extendable<br />
The RK safetec systems<br />
RK safetec GmbH is the most recent subsidiary of <strong>Rhomberg</strong><br />
Bahntechnik and emerged from the “Neue Unterinntalbahn”<br />
project. Since 2011, RK safetec has been occupying itself<br />
with temporary installations for large construction sites and<br />
tunnel projects, as well as industrial applications. An important<br />
milestone was the development of the ZOKA system<br />
(ZOKA stands for access, localisation, communication and<br />
alarm systems), which runs on an IP-based data network.<br />
Currently, this system is being installed in a rescue tunnel<br />
of the Reutherberg road tunnel in Baden-Württemberg,<br />
Germany. RK safetec can cite numerous successes including<br />
large projects such as the Brenner base tunnel with<br />
exploration, drainage and access tunnels for the Sillschlucht<br />
and Ahrental tunnel sections, and the Ampass entry tunnel.<br />
For the restoration work at the Simplon tunnel between<br />
Italy and Switzerland, a manual and web-based access<br />
and localisation software application will be used which<br />
has been programmed and implemented by RK safetec.<br />
An interesting additional development was the task of providing<br />
video monitoring for solar arrays in Parma province,<br />
Italy, which was implemented by RK safetec. When movement<br />
occurs in the arrays, images are sent via email, which<br />
then activate the alarm system.<br />
RK safetec’s systems are successfully<br />
deployed in a number of projects.<br />
09-3X DYNAMIC<br />
Bahnbau Wels extends its existing tamping machine<br />
Bahnbau Wels GmbH (BBW) has been providing a tamping service with integrated<br />
dynamic track stabilisers for many years. This considerable success has prompted<br />
BBW to invest further in this concept and to extend the 09-3X with a Dynamic trailer.<br />
With this conversion, the company is combining the tried-and-tested three-sleeper<br />
tamping with road bed stabilisation in one machine, in accordance with the Dynamic<br />
concept. Equipped with a DRP measuring recorder, the 09-3X Dynamic makes a<br />
contribution to the ongoing modernisation of the BBW machine fleet.<br />
The 09-3X Dynamic<br />
combines threesleeper<br />
tamping with<br />
roadbed stabilisation.<br />
18 NEW DIMENSIONS | RHOMBERG RAIL<br />
RHOMBERG RAIL | NEW DIMENSIONS 19
Sersa UK Ltd. is<br />
pleased to have<br />
obtained contracts<br />
from Northern Ireland<br />
Railways and is<br />
successfully signing<br />
further contracts in<br />
Northern Ireland.<br />
New developments<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> Technologie & Entwicklung<br />
presents three new systems<br />
The development team of<br />
<strong>Rhomberg</strong> Technologie &<br />
Entwicklung (RTE) has been<br />
expanding the competence profile<br />
of the <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Rail Group in<br />
the field of track systems since<br />
2001. With its extensive knowhow,<br />
RTE develops and optimises<br />
complex systems for a number<br />
of specialist disciplines. Three<br />
new developments were completed<br />
in time to be presented at<br />
InnoTrans 2012: IVES, RhoTAS<br />
G5 and V-TRAS.<br />
Renewal and restoration<br />
Sersa UK successful in<br />
Northern Ireland<br />
Northern Ireland Railways has awarded two<br />
important contracts for the line between Coleraine<br />
and Derry, which cover the renewal and<br />
restoration of the entire track section between<br />
Castlerock and Derry. Improvement of the track<br />
safety and renewal of the line have to be completed<br />
during a nine-month closure period. Sersa<br />
UK is supporting the contractors on both these<br />
projects. With respect to track safety, Sersa will<br />
supply and install the track infrastructure element.<br />
This involves the removal, replacement<br />
and welding of about 3,250 18-metre-long track<br />
sections over fifty working shifts. A mobile flash<br />
butt welding system will be used for the welding<br />
work. In addition, Sersa will fit 40 mechanical insulated<br />
Benkler joints which neutralise the tracks,<br />
separate and reconnect the signals. The restoration<br />
includes a number of different tasks such<br />
as welding 2,220 tracks, neutralising the installed<br />
track and the installation of the insulated joints,<br />
as well as thermite welding.<br />
IVES: Intelligent, versatile, efficient and solid<br />
RhoTAS G5: <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Track Adjustment<br />
System now in its fifth generation<br />
V-TRAS: Versatile Transition System<br />
Australia’s largest<br />
railway goods<br />
operator has faith<br />
in <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Rail’s<br />
expert knowledge.<br />
A successful year<br />
Maintenance of<br />
38 railway yards<br />
Pacific National is Australia’s largest<br />
railway goods operator and sees<br />
itself as a leading supplier of transport<br />
services. In New South Wales and<br />
the north of Victoria the company is<br />
responsible for 38 railway yards, which<br />
in total cover an area of 800,000<br />
km 2 . The company has entered into a<br />
contract with <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Rail Australia<br />
for the maintenance of these facilities.<br />
The service includes regular inspections,<br />
a 24-hour emergency service,<br />
technical advice, modernisation work<br />
and preventive maintenance. During<br />
the first year of the contract, the main<br />
task was to survey the condition of<br />
the railway yards and then to jointly<br />
develop a rolling ten-year strategy for<br />
the railway infrastructure. In this phase,<br />
the PLASMA system was introduced.<br />
This system, designed by <strong>Rhomberg</strong><br />
in-house, surveys the track geometry,<br />
the data of which are then uploaded<br />
to the Pacific National Asset Management<br />
System where they are processed<br />
further. In addition, <strong>Rhomberg</strong><br />
developed and implemented a number<br />
of improvement measures for specific<br />
railway yards and has also been active<br />
in the expert assessment of derailments<br />
along the main lines.<br />
IVES slab track<br />
The holistic slab track concept is<br />
based on the analysis of the advantages<br />
and disadvantages of different<br />
tried-and-tested construction methods.<br />
The IVES track consists of an (asphalt)<br />
base layer, superimposed and dowelled<br />
bracket-type support elements, track<br />
fixing elements and track. The base<br />
layer and support elements can be<br />
installed accurately, and hence swiftly,<br />
without having to match the final track<br />
position. In the second step – similar to<br />
the installation of single point supports<br />
– the track grid is formed of track and<br />
track fixing elements which are aligned<br />
exactly and fixed into place by casting<br />
fast-setting high-strength mortar into<br />
special recesses of the support<br />
elements.<br />
Universal lift and position<br />
system RhoTAS G5<br />
The fifth generation of this lift and<br />
position system can be used for the<br />
installation of track systems with an in<br />
situ concrete support layer, using the<br />
top-down principle, and fulfils three<br />
functions: exact and reliable formation<br />
of the track grid by ensuring correct<br />
gauge and transverse inclination of the<br />
rails, precise positioning and holding of<br />
the track grid in height, position and<br />
cant, and the advantage of being able<br />
to run vehicles along the track during<br />
construction. The system’s advantage<br />
is its compact and very stable construction<br />
method and its flexibility to<br />
suit different project requirements.<br />
Universal V-TRAS<br />
transition module<br />
This universal module solves the<br />
problem of the transition between<br />
ballast roadbed and any type of slab<br />
track in a comparatively simple way.<br />
One end of the robust, ladder-shaped<br />
steel construction rests on the end of<br />
the slab track and the remainder is laid<br />
floating in the ballast roadbed. This<br />
structure supports a conventional track<br />
grid consisting of concrete sleepers<br />
and track. The V-TRAS transition<br />
module is similar to a pontoon bridge<br />
in its function: the end resting on the<br />
slab track cannot shift relative to the<br />
slab track. The remainder of the steel<br />
structure is in accordance with the<br />
ballast track installation.<br />
“We presented our latest system developments IVES slab track, the RhoTAS G5<br />
lift and position system and the V-TRAS universal transition module at InnoTrans<br />
in September 2012 and were able to generate much interest. RhoTAS G5 has already<br />
been scheduled for a new project. This means that we were able to reinforce<br />
our position as an all-round supplier in railway technology. We now look forward<br />
to more practical projects and the associated challenges.”<br />
Stefan Knittel, Bahntechnik Management<br />
20 NEW DIMENSIONS | <strong>Rhomberg</strong> RAIL<br />
RHOMBERG RAIL | NEW DIMENSIONS<br />
21
<strong>BLUE</strong> <strong>ECONOMY</strong><br />
Protecting the earth’s ecosystem and creating jobs at the same time –<br />
or put another way: seeing our commercial actions always in an ecological,<br />
social and cultural context – that is Gunter Paulis’ “Blue Economy” concept.<br />
An economy based on success and consideration for a better future for our<br />
children and grandchildren will work when we consider our actions holistically<br />
and make good use of what we already have. The <strong>Rhomberg</strong> Group,<br />
with all its business fields, members of staff and projects fully supports<br />
this idea.<br />
www.rhomberg.com