Meticulous on-site organisation

Implenia is testing out the construction site of the future at its Pont-Rouge project. A whole series of new approaches designed to make construction more efficient are being given a thorough workout in Geneva.

“Pont-Rouge” is currently rising up next to the train station in the Lancy district of Geneva. The SBB Immobilien AG project, one of the largest construction projects the region, is creating a mixed-use development featuring offices, shops and restaurants. The building, which is aiming for the DGNB “Gold” sustainability standard, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2019.

Implenia is deploying various new sustainability approaches at Pont-Rouge: alongside DGNB, the company is trying out a pioneering logistics concept and implements the new environmental concept that should in future be used on all its construction sites.

The first big environmentally friendly decision was the one to remove spoil by train. By getting rid of the excavated material in this way, Implenia removed the need for around 9,000 lorry journeys and massively reduced the project’s CO₂ footprint. Meanwhile, two water purification plants ensured that no contaminated water reached the soil or the sewage system.

The way Implenia centralised logistics on site was something of a small revolution. Usually all the construction firms involved in a project bring all the building materials they need to the site themselves. For the Pont-Rouge project, Implenia put together a special team devoted solely to materials transportation and disposal within the site.

Suppliers bring the material to the site entrance, where the team uses an online tool to help manage the receipt, checking and onward transportation of materials. Meanwhile, Implenia workers collect waste material and take it after sorting to the appropriate skip. The system ensures that everything on this complex construction site gets to the right place. So far 2,200 tonnes of waste has been sorted on site, and 72 percent of this has been recycled.