Opel Manufacturing Plant – a New Future for the Revitalised Area

December 2014 saw the last Opel leave the production line in Bochum. The Bochum Perspektive commis­sioned CDM Smith with surface treatment to make the site attractive for new investors. As part of a joint-venture we are providing the complete services for the site preparation, site reac­ti­va­tion and development after the successful completion of the 1., 2. and 3. construction phase. This includes dismantling and demolition design including construc­tion site supervision, mine stabil­i­sa­tion, site preparation for new construc­tion and remediation efforts for all phases of the German engineering and archi­tec­ture fee schedule (HOAI).

We have been entrusted with the remediation design for hazardous materials such as asbestos, artificial mineral fibres, poly­chlo­ri­nated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydro­car­bons (PAHs), and construc­tion site supervision for the site revi­tal­i­sa­tion of the 1., 2. and 3. construction phase. We have contin­u­ously secured remaining evidence of mining in the area by exploring and securing around 20 km of seams, thirty-four surface openings, three main adit level systems and five air-raid bunkers. Our site preparation for the rede­vel­op­ment includes design and supervision of demolishing foundations and unsealing of surfaces, soil compaction, terrain modelling, and construct­ing of stabilised embankments.

One of the major constraints of this project is the tight schedule, as the investors are already waiting. This requires structured coor­di­na­tion and management of all construc­tion disciplines and contractors involved – not an everyday challenge given the size of the area and magnitude of demolition materials to be handled.