ONE ROOF

stones of this consulting service involves inspecting
and evaluating existing airports for potential energy
savings and making suggestions for improvement.
Moreover, the company also prepares environmental
impact studies and develops waste management
concepts for airports.
HOCHTIEF sponsors winning team
The team of students from Darmstadt Technical University
we sponsored won the US Department of Energy’s
2009 Solar Decathlon. For the German institution, it
was the second win in a row at the US competition,
where participants must build a self-sufficient, marketable
building. The “surPLUShome” met the strict requirements
by including, among other things, highly insulated
exterior walls covered in photovoltaic cells. In
the summer months, the heat is reduced by a cooling
ceiling. We provided the successful team with technical,
logistic and financial support, and the resulting innovative
ideas will benefit our residential construction segment.
Sustainability seal awarded
The German Sustainable Building Council, an organization
of which we are a founding member, began
awarding German Certification for Sustainable Buildings
in January 2009. We reviewed the efficacy in
practice of such certification criteria as environmental,
economic, socio-cultural and functional quality in an
in-house innovation project, thereby actively participating
in the development of the certification. In the subsequent
pilot phase, our “smarthouse” office complex
in Munich was one of the first projects to receive the
gold preliminary certification from the German Sustainable
Building Council. At the same time, we added to
HOCHTIEF’s consulting expertise in green building
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across the Group. In the course of the year, additional
HOCHTIEF projects were certified according to German
Sustainable Building Council criteria.
Tunneling research project completed
In November 2009, “TUNCONSTRUCT,” a European
Union-funded multi-disciplinary research project, was
completed successfully. HOCHTIEF participated in the
project from the very beginning and coordinated two
work packages. The first involved development of control
software to help minimize surface subsidence during
shield driving in sensitive areas. The other project
aimed to further develop materials for tunnel linings.
The research and experiments demonstrated that the
use of high-performance materials can reduce shell
thickness and improve quality. We will integrate the
knowledge gained from these projects into our business.
inHaus2 activities continue
In cooperation with partners, HOCHTIEF is continuing
to use the inHaus2* research building in Duisburg, completed
in 2008, as an opportunity to test innovative ideas
for smart building systems. In 2009, we developed and
tested projects for increasing the efficiency of facility
management services, including a condition monitoring
system. The aim of the project is to perform maintenance
based on the current condition of the relevant
facility rather than at the pre-set intervals currently
used. The results of this project will help optimize processes
at HOCHTIEF Facility Management, thereby
reducing costs and boosting our competitiveness.
Winners of the 2009 Solar
Decathlon: The innovative
“surPLUShome” produces
more energy than it requires,
but comfort is not sacrificed in
achieving this extreme energy
efficiency (photo at left).
Our new Thor jack-up platform:
Thanks to its 82-meter jack-up
legs, the platform can serve at
impressive depths for installing
offshore wind turbines. Addition
al advantages include a
huge payload and large deck
area, which allow the platform
to be used even in stormy conditions.
*For further information, please
see www.inhaus-zentrum.de.
Annual Report 2009 51