ONE ROOF

meters of concrete and 142,000 square meters of
glass, among other materials.
Further advancement of virtual construction
Our company HOCHTIEF ViCon was formed in 2007
out of a former focus of our R&D activities, virtual construction.
The company is successfully concentrating
on the growth market for virtual design and construction
(ViCon)*, also known as Building Information Modeling
(BIM). HOCHTIEF’s divisions are now using this
state-of-the-art design process in numerous projects.
In total, our US subsidiary Turner** has constructed
more than 180 buildings using BIM. For instance, this
process is enabling Turner to complete the Middle Tennessee
Medical Center project in Murfreesboro approximately
three months ahead of schedule. For the first
time, HOCHTIEF ViCon is applying this method to one
of its infrastructure projects, the Lusail City urban development
project in Qatar. The 3D planning method is
being used in designing and constructing the primary
infrastructure, including roads, railway lines, and pipes
for gas and drinking water. With the help of 3D collision
tests conducted while designing the building’s technical
systems, we succeeded in identifying and eliminating
a number of problems in advance.
John James Audubon Bridge
The HOCHTIEF subsidiary Flatiron is building the longest
cable-stayed bridge in the United States, crossing
the Mississippi River, north of New Orleans. Completion
is scheduled for 2011. Our company faces a particular
challenge: Construction needs to be done during
the constant changing stages of the river and its
strong currents. For the construction of the footings for
the main towers, which are supported on large diameter
drilled shafts, Flatiron elected to use a prefabricated
cofferdam system***, weighing 2,300 metric tons,
❘ Information for our Shareholders ❘ ❘ Management Report ❘ ❘ Financial Statements and Notes ❘
which could be erected independent of the unpredictable
river elevations. Once erected, it was lowered,
supported off the temporary extended drilled shafts,
into the river.
Historical structure’s features reconstructed
Having already restored the neo-baroque Charlottenburg
gate in Berlin, HOCHTIEF has now recreated two candelabra
in front of the monument which had been destroyed.
The ornamentation on the two approximately 22-meter
candelabra was originally made of tuff, which does not
weather well. It was reconstructed by HOCHTIEF using
imitation tuff made from specially developed concrete.
Every project powered by R&D
The projects described here are perfect examples of
how multi-faceted our Group’s research and development
activities are. Technological or process innovations
feature in every HOCHTIEF project. A major role is
played in many innovations by HOCHTIEF Consult, an
ideas factory that ranks among Germany’s largest engineering
consultants.
Close cooperation with scientists
HOCHTIEF also gains R&D benefits from partnerships
with universities, scientists and industry associations.
In addition, HOCHTIEF‘s doctoral program allows selected
employees to obtain a doctorate. The doctoral
students represent an interface between the Group
and the university concerned, further deepening our
already close cooperation with institutes of higher edu-
cation. Through our active membership of the Euro-
pean Construction Technology Platform, we help to
maintain excellence in the European construction industry.
HOCHTIEF is also a member of ENCORD, the
European Network of Construction Companies for
Research and Development.
History brought back to life: We
reconstructed the two candelabra
at the Charlottenburg gate
using a newly developed type
of concrete. Antique postcards
guided the construction process
(photo at left).
One of our ViCon projects in
Qatar: Virtual planning allows
problems to be solved quickly
before construction on the
Lusail City urban development
project begins.
*For further information,
please see
www.hochtief-vicon.com.
**For further information,
please see
www.turnerconstruction.com.
A summary presentation of research
and development over
several years is not provided
because no statistics are compiled
on the cost of individual
research done in HOCHTIEF
projects.
For the R&D outlook, please
turn to “Looking Ahead: Outlook
and Opportunities” on
page 121.
***See glossary on page 197.
Annual Report 2009 53