Return to Frankfurt: BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH once again commissioned with the execution of an excavation pit in the Mainmetropolis

As a long-established trade fair location, international financial center and home to the European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main is one of the most important cities in the world and is constantly evolving. In this context, BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH was previously commissioned in 2020 with the construction of an overall excavation pit for the new building of exhibition hall 5 in Frankfurt. Now the specialist foundation engineering experts are returning to the Mainmetropolis for another project in the immediate vicinity of Messe Frankfurt exhibition grounds.

“For a new hotel and office high-rise as well as for the South entrance of the exhibition grounds, we were entrusted with the construction of the corresponding excavation pit,” explains Jonas Höltje, Site Manager of BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH. The scope of services commissioned by GZS GG Frankfurt Europaallee GmbH includes the construction of foundation piles and a two-phase diaphragm wall that form the basis for the construction of a 123 m tall high-rise with a four-story underground garage. In addition, five anchor layers are being constructed as tie backs in the western part of the excavation pit, while strutting is executed in the eastern part using two strut layers guided across corners. “The pile and diaphragm wall work has already been concluded,” continues Jonas Höltje. The 45 foundation piles in total were executed as fully cased piles with a diameter of 1,500 mm and up to 17 m of empty bores and the 240 m two-phase diaphragm walls were constructed with a width of 0.8 m up to a depth of 33 m. Currently, the soil excavation and the construction of the first and second anchor layers are underway.
 
One challenge during this project was posed by the logistics: Because the construction area was limited by the exhibition grounds and a track section, no usable storage areas were available. Both the supply of materials and the disposal logistics for the drill spoil therefore required extensive planning. A drilling rig BAUER BG 39, an duty-cycle crane MC 64 with grab unit and two KLEMM KR 806 anchor drilling rigs are being used for this work. The work started in January and is expected to be completed by November 2022.