Federal police headquarters to undergo extensive expansion

Various federal police units are based in Sankt Augustin near Bonn and often train together for highly complex operational scenarios. However, much of the infrastructure at the site is no longer able to meet the requirements of modern operational and training concepts. Many of the approximately 70 buildings date back to the 1930s. The majority are in need of renovation, and the roads and sewer networks are also outdated. Under the direction of the North Rhine-Westphalia Building and Real Estate Management Authority, the expansion of the more than 70-hectare site has been underway since 2020 without interrupting operations. A total of 86 packages of measures are being implemented in seven construction phases. In addition to the renovation and new construction of buildings, areas are being renaturalized and a “green belt” is being created around the site. PORR transport route engineering is also part of this long-term infrastructure project with its challenging sewer work.

Complex sewer work while operations continue

The construction of new sewage and rainwater sewers is a central component of the development plan. In total, the Düren-based PORR transport route engineering team will lay two kilometers of PE-HD pipes with nominal diameters of 160 to 1200, all of which will be connected using the heating coil welding process.

The work is challenging: on the one hand, the existing drainage system must be maintained, which means that continuous water drainage must be ensured during the three-year construction period. On the other hand, the sewer construction is taking place at depths of more than five meters, partly in stepped trenches, which poses an additional challenge in terms of depth. To make matters more difficult, large sections of the route run through a water protection area. This means that high demands are placed on the selection and installation of environmentally friendly materials. As a systematic preliminary investigation was not possible, the search for metallic interference objects required by occupational health and safety regulations is being carried out during construction.

Rolf Klöcker, branch manager of PORR transport route engineering, emphasizes: We attach great importance to high-quality execution as well as close internal and external inspections in order to meet our standards of quality, safety, and environmental protection. During the site visit as part of the AK1 qualification of the Güteschutz Kanalbau (Quality Protection Canal Construction), we were able to successfully demonstrate our high quality standards in criteria such as construction execution, documentation, and personnel qualifications.