Sloping piles for renovated quay wall, Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany / 04.2022 - 07.2023
The Speicherstadt warehouse district in Hamburg is a popular attraction and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015. The quay walls now need extensive renovation to preserve the historic warehouse complex. The structure, which is more than a hundred years old in parts, shows deformations and cracks in many places. An essential measure in the ongoing rehabilitation, which is in keeping with the preservation order, is the anchoring of the quay walls back with inclined piles. For the 180-metre long sub-project section at Kehrwiederplatz, the Hanover branch manufactured 126 inclined piles with a diameter of 75 mm and lengths of up to 28 m on behalf of Fr. Holst GmbH. The fact that the team already had experience with the difficult work from the pontoon and under the influence of the tide was a decisive reason for the order. "Great experience and routine yes, everyday business no," is how branch manager Markus Wenke describes the project. "It is something very special every time to contribute to the preservation of this unique monument."
Projecting sheet pile walls to reinforce the old quay wall
The causes of the damage to the quay walls are manifold. An increased tidal range of the Elbe has led to increased pressure on the quay walls in recent decades. This was compounded by a deepening of the channels called "Fleet" in Hamburg. In the Kehrwiederplatz section,
Facts & Figures
Company
Type
Rehabilitation
Runtime
04.2022 - 07.2023
Back anchoring with inclined piles for UNESCO World Heritage Site
which consists of a historic gravity wall as well as various partially renovated cross-sections, there was also repeated subsidence in the traffic area. The quay wall showed deformations, leaks and other typical signs of age. The renovation concept provides for the construction of a sheet pile walls with tiebacks as well as a solid reinforced concrete spar with a facing clinker shell.
Water-side work with many challenges
The work from the pontoon was determined by the tides, limited space and strict regulations on occupational safety and environmental protection. For example, the team had to wear life jackets during all work on the water. The floating platform served as both a working area and a storage area. Drilling material and flushing water were also temporarily stored here for proper disposal, as no foreign substances were allowed to get into the Elbe. A large cable crane transported the support links, weighing up to 1.8 t, to the borehole opening. The anchors were surrounded with protective pipes in the upper area to "bridge" the cavities behind the old sheet pile walls. The protective tubes are then filled with cement slurry. The later extension of the support link (to connect to the chord of the new sheet pile walls) also receives a protective tube. This is to protect the pile during the backfilling work (insertion of sand between the new and old sheet pile walls).
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