Special civil engineering project: Underground parking garage access in Basel
November 06, 2018
New construction of a ramp - that sounds like a simple job.
However, the reconstruction and new construction of the access road to an underground car park in Basel was a real challenge. The hurdles: extremely tight space conditions and numerous aggravating conditions on site. The difficulties were manifold. The central aspect: the cramped location in the city center, as an island building in the middle of Grenzacherstrasse Basel. Grenzacherstrasse is a residential area and is served by public transport, which was not allowed to be obstructed during the entire construction period. In addition, numerous underground pipes, such as those for the sewerage system, run alongside the construction site, which further restricted the already very tight space. In order to protect the residents from excessive noise emissions, the client set clear guidelines, which resulted in a categorization of the noisy work. Concreting after hours, for example, was not possible. Difficulties such as these also require the ERNE team to be precisely organized within appropriate time frames.
Demolition and excavation - impressive figures
Even the development of the construction site was extremely challenging. The dimensions of the old access road that had to be dismantled: 4 x 4 meters in cross-section and a length of 160 meters. The excavation was twice as wide as the original ramp and 9.5 meters deep from the level of the road. The new access road was widened to a generous width of 15 meters in the curve and 6.5 meters in the straight section. Two tower cranes with a radius of 65 and 55 meters were used to service all areas of the construction site.
Excavation, shoring and dismantling according to a precise script
The small distance to the neighboring properties, buildings and utility lines, e.g. the sewer running parallel to the ramp (Ø 150 cm), made the use of anchors almost impossible. Nevertheless, the excavation pit had to be built with extremely low deformation. This forced the civil engineer to combine different shoring methods in a very confined space. According to his information, there were a large number of design-relevant construction stages during the various construction works.
In some cases, the excavation pit had to be repositioned several times during the various construction phases and stages. This greatly hindered the construction process in all phases and many parts of the execution. For this reason, the excavation, shoring and dismantling of the old ramp and the construction of the new ramp were carried out in many small stages, according to extremely precise specifications and - in consultation with the civil engineer - according to a detailed "script".
ERNE's specialty: special challenges
The project was exceptionally difficult. However, it is precisely with such tasks that the ERNE team can bring its strengths to bear and offer the customer clear added value. After all, it takes many years of experience, a great deal of knowledge and the full commitment of each individual to carry out such complex projects professionally. Another plus is our comprehensive range of services. Demolition, drilling and milling work, excavation, special civil engineering, exposed concrete construction, road construction and surfacing work - at ERNE, everything comes from a single source, which prevents misunderstandings, idle time and duplication. A convincing aspect that also came into play in the Grenzacherstrasse project in Basel.
Facts about the construction site
Object | Access ramp to a parking garage in Basel | |
Services | Demolition, drilling and milling work, excavation pit excavation, special civil engineering, exposed concrete construction, road construction and surfacing work | |
Construction time | November 2017-November 2018 | |
Project participants ERNE | Calculation: Harald De Vries, Site manager: Stefan Schoch, Foremen: Manfred Nussbaum and Dominic Hasler, AVOR and formwork: Hansjürg Egli, Project management: Peter Frei |
