Hamburg HafenCity

Campus Tower

Turnkey construction pits and pile foundations

Partial displacement bored piles for the foundations

The foundation piles for the building complex were constructed between April and November 2016. Structural test loads were carried out on the partial displacement bored piles prior to the start of construction. The pile foundation forms the basis for load transfer from the buildings and the underground car park, taking into account the site-specific ground conditions in HafenCity, Hamburg.

Four shoring systems for different boundary conditions

The site boundaries were characterised by various existing structures and infrastructure. Consequently, several shoring systems were employed. To the west, in the area of the abutment of the Baakenhafen Bridge, existing old foundations were drilled through. Subsequently, a discontinuous, two-layer, back-anchored bored pile wall with inserted beams was constructed. In the eastern part of the site, a back-anchored beam-sheet pile retaining wall was constructed adjacent to neighbouring buildings. To separate water-bearing soil layers, a concrete seal was also installed in the lower part of the excavation.

Work in the area of historic harbour facilities

In the south-eastern section, there was a historic quay dating from 1888. To extend the drainage channel from the harbour basin, a sheet pile wall was installed there. The shoring measures were adapted to the existing structures as well as the local groundwater conditions.

Excavation pit stabilisation in the vicinity of the U4 underground line

On the northern side of the construction site, the tunnel of the U4 underground line runs immediately behind the construction pit. Due to this boundary condition, the dispersed bored pile walls in this area could not be constructed using a conventional back-anchoring system. Instead, stabilisation was achieved via diagonal bracing against the future base slab. Consequently, work on the base slab began in parallel with the excavation in order to provide the necessary supports for the bracing in good time. Once the bracing had been installed, further soil excavation took place between and beneath the bracing elements. The dismantling of the bracing was scheduled to take place once the floor slab above the second basement level had been completed.

The foundation for the Campus Tower in HafenCity

By constructing the excavation enclosure and the pile foundations, PORR special civil engineering laid the groundwork for the construction of the Campus Tower at Baakenhafen. The combination of bored pile walls, beam sheet piling, sheet pile walls, concrete infill and diagonal bracing was adapted to the varying site conditions of this inner-city location.