Berlin
Ruhleben sewage treatment plant
Berlin, Germany / 05.2024 - 01.2027
The Ruhleben sewage treatment works are situated in the west of Berlin, between the Havel, the Spree and the city centre. This is where the wastewater from around 1.6 million Berliners is treated. The expansion of the plant involves the construction of new facilities for water treatment, including a flocculation filtration plant as well as a UV treatment plant. PORR special civil engineering Berlin was commissioned by Echterhoff Bau GmbH to construct the DSV sealing slabs as well as the temporary back-anchorings for the construction pits. The works will be carried out in several construction phases until 2027.
Facts & Figures
Company
PORR Spezialtiefbau GmbH
Type
Sealing slabs
Runtime
05.2024 - 01.2027
Special expertise is required for construction pits at the Ruhleben sewage treatment plant.
Expansion of a key piece of Berlin’s infrastructure
The Ruhleben sewage treatment works is one of Berlin’s largest wastewater treatment plants and has been a defining feature of the capital’s technical infrastructure for decades. The new facilities will add further treatment stages to the works. Before the new structures become visible, their foundations and structures are being built deep below ground level. To this end, a total of nine sub-excavations have been created, in which the new plant components will later be erected.
Nine construction pits for new plant technology
The construction pit was divided into a total of nine sections using sheet pile boxes. The individual sub-construction pits range in area from around 100 m² to approximately 2,330 m² and reach depths of between five and eight metres. As some of the construction pits lie around 2.7 m below the water table, additional horizontal waterproofing was required. To carry out this work, PORR special civil engineering is installing a total of around 10,000 m² of DSV sealing slabs. In addition, the sheet pile boxes are being back-anchored using a total of around 4,870 m of temporary strand anchors. Together, the sealing slabs and back-anchorings form the basis for the subsequent civil engineering and structural works.
Work between water, subsoil and existing structures
The Ruhleben sewage treatment works will remain part of the existing infrastructure throughout the construction period. The construction works will therefore be carried out in stages within the plant site. The DSV sealing slabs are integrated into the excavation enclosure and create the conditions necessary for maintaining dry construction pits under the existing groundwater conditions. The work is being carried out in several construction phases, tailored to the respective plant sections and construction pits.
Construction whilst the plant remains in operation
The first two large construction pits have already been completed and handed over to the subsequent trades. Due to the tight construction schedule and the large number of parallel works, the sealing slabs were constructed at times in two-shift operation. Several DSV units were deployed, working in sections across the sewage treatment works site. Step by step, the foundation for the expansion of the sewage treatment works was laid amidst the existing infrastructure, construction pits and future plant structures.
Foundation for the next construction phases
Even before the filter and UV systems become visible, the foundation for their future structures is being laid beneath the ground surface. The construction of the DSV sealing slabs and rear anchors creates the conditions necessary for the subsequent structural engineering and high-building works. This marks the completion of a further section of the technical infrastructure of the Ruhleben sewage treatment works.
