An additional component of the 51-kilometer-long Emscher wastewater canal that stretches from Dortmund to Dinslaken, the third pumping station of the project of the century, was built in Oberhausen. Not only is it the largest of the three structures of the wastewater canal, but it is also one of the largest in the whole of Europe. Wastewater is fed into the pumping station via two sewage pipes measuring 2.80 meters in diameter, where it is pumped upward by up to 10 high-performance pumps at a rate of 16,500 liters per second to a height of approximately 46 meters. It then continues to flow in a rectangular channel, close to the ground, in the direction of the sewage treatment plant located at the mouth of the Emscher River.

HOCHTIEF ViCon has been involved in this project as part of the Emscher Cooperative’s strategic goal to introduce BIM since 2014. The pilot project at the Oberhausen pumping station served to define the initial BIM use cases and processes and to gain experience using BIM. It comprised requirements relating to the planning, construction, and operation phases with the aim of maximizing the benefit of digitization.

HOCHTIEF ViCon was in charge of BIM Management on this project. All required implementation steps were summarized in a BIM Execution Plan (BEP) and were coordinated with all stakeholders. Prior to commencement of construction, HOCHTIEF ViCon installed a building information system in which, among others, the results of digital inspection processes and construction site acceptances were stored and evaluated