BRIDGES TOWARDS A GREEN FUTURE

Our social and cultural engagement is strongly interwoven with the core values of the GRASSL brand: we connect people, pave ways and create Baukultur. Anywhere we can support these values in civil engineering, we take on this responsibility.

Sustainability is not just a buzzword for us – it is an integral part of our work at a holistic level, where we attach equal value to economic, environmental, socio-cultural and Baukultur aspects. We strive to handle natural resources responsibly, which ensures that the sensitive balance of the complex and dynamic system of the Earth is maintained.

Our vision? Creating lasting connections!

By designing and maintaining efficient transport infrastructure, we promote CO2-reduced mobility, economic growth, low transport costs and improved safety. It is imperative to reduce traffic interruptions due to construction or operation in order to improve traffic flow, reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and thus improve air quality.

Reliable and stable local and long-distance transport is the fundamental prerequisite for environmentally sustainable mobility. Our designs contribute to the optimisation of public local and long-distance transport and to making it aesthetically pleasing and inviting. For instance, upgrading metro tunnels and other public transport systems such as railway infrastructure increases the attractivity of public transport, which boosts the use of public transport and reduces private vehicle use. How do we do it? We follow various paths!

The highest priority: maintenance

It is exceptionally important to reach or even exceed the design service life of a structure and thus maintain the resources and materials inside the life cycle for as long as possible. Therefore, it is necessary to analyse the state of our infrastructure and follow its development, which is achieved by using intelligent monitoring methods, for example.

In the Altstadtring tunnel project in Munich, for example, we developed a monitoring concept which allows the analytical verification of the structural capacity of the structure and the detection of any structural reserves which would permit operation to continue until the required service life has been reached. This ensures a climate-friendly use of the resources over the entire service life of the structure and even beyond.

We continuously investigate how circular-economy principles in the construction industry can be used to prolong the service life of structures and achieve a clean separation of materials and reduction of waste after demolition and thus use the resources more efficiently.

BIM 6D for resource-saving designs

Sustainable, resource-saving design is not just one of the requirements during project implementation – it is a fundamental prerequisite for all our projects.

It starts in the early work phases, before the first line is drawn, when we check our design ideas against our Green Mindmap – our roadmap for the sustainable development of design options, developed by experts. The options are evaluated continuously and optimised iteratively, for example by using the German Federal Highway and Transport Research Institute’s guideline B125 (which is based on life-cycle analysis) or by calculating the resulting environmental costs.

We also use the BIM method in the sustainability assessment of our planned structures. Besides the well-known applications in 3D, 4D and 5D for geometry, construction scheduling and cost determination, we add the sixth dimension, BIM 6D, for sustainability. This allows us to know the environmental impact of the individual structural elements, depending on their materials and dimensions. The intensity of this connection and the resulting insights are particularly significant in the early planning stages, thus providing our clients with a holistic decision-making basis early on, so they can evaluate sustainability aspects.

Resource-saving planning is a central aspect of our projects and one we consider in every phase of the life cycle. We utilise environmentally friendly, innovative materials and durable construction methods without compromising structural integrity or safety. In new constructions, we ensure environmental sustainability by our high technical quality, the selection of suitable structural systems and the prevention of material wear and obsolescence. We use materials according to their advantages and employ systems that allow efficient and direct load transfer. We also strive to minimise traffic disruptions due to construction and the need for expensive and resource-intensive auxiliary structures.

In the bridge over the Rhine River at Leverkusen, for example, we changed the original structural system to a girder grillage system, which resulted in a reduction in steel volume per square metre bridge area of over 30% and thus a 30% decrease in CO₂.

The replacement of the Frankenbrücke  bridge in Regensburg is a further example of resource-saving design. This bridge stands out due to its many inclined areas and boasts air-tight welded box cross sections. The arrangement of the inclined steel areas at the bottom flanges of the box girders allows water to run off and avoids a build-up of dirt and bird droppings. The entire construction dries off rapidly after rain, which increases the durability of the corrosion-protected areas. The piers, recessed underneath the bridge, are protected from the weather by the superstructure. The semi-integral nature of the bridge dispenses with the need for high-wear components such as bearings, leading to high durability and low maintenance costs.

Protection of the ecosystem and promotion of the energy transition

In all our projects, we strive to develop measures that minimise environmental impact and protect sensitive ecosystems. This includes the consideration of animal habitats and migration corridors, the protection of natural resources such as water and the minimisation of soil sealing.

We also put a great deal of effort into promoting environmental protection within our company. Our investment in a solar park allows us to cover the entire power consumption of our seven offices, including our ever-growing electric vehicle fleet, with green power.

Our commitment to our employees

We value the safety and well-being of our employees. Through training and internal audits, we ensure that our employees can work in a safe working environment and receive the best possible support to protect and maintain their health.

We develop annually changing health programmes tailored to the needs of our employees. To help them lead a healthy lifestyle, we also offer the EGYM Wellpass, which gives our employees access to over 8,000 fitness and yoga studios, swimming pools, CrossFit and bouldering gyms throughout Germany.

Further to promoting the health and fitness of our employees, we offer them cost-effective and environmentally friendly mobility solutions in the form of JobRad bicycle leasing or subsidised Deutschlandticket transport tickets. With the Deutschlandticket transport ticket, we increase the attractivity of local and regional transport in Germany and thus support sustainable and flexible mobility.

Open company culture

We are committed to diversity, equal opportunities and mutual respect. We value and foster tolerant and respectful interaction which enriches the diversity of our employees and has a positive influence on our working environment. By creating a framework that promotes diversity and equal opportunities, we make every employee feel valued and respected.

A fundamental part of our company culture is the promotion of equal rights for women in the construction industry. In workshops such as ‘Women in the construction industry’, we discuss the challenges with our female employees in Munich, with the aim of strengthening women’s rights.

The fostering of new talent and tomorrow’s education are also very important to us. As we are convinced that the future of our industry lies in the promotion of young talents, we train drafters, dual students and interns at our Hamburg office. Through practical training, we not only provide them with the necessary expertise but also with the values and quality our company stands for. We also value close cooperation with universities to allow students to gain practical insights. We are a sponsor of the Deutschlandstipendium scholarship and support talented students in their academic and personal development.

Attractive conditions and long-term prospects

As a family-run company with over 75 years of experience, we pursue a sustainable human resources strategy aimed at ensuring job security and creating attractive conditions and long-term prospects for our employees.

We have a special management and corporate culture, characterised by mutual respect, trust and teamwork. We also offer our own training and development programmes to further the personal and professional development of our employees and provide them with optimal support on their career path.

In addition to various soft-skills training courses, we have a cross-office sustainability team which develops innovative methods such as the previously mentioned Green Mindmap and trains other team members as part of our internal training programme, the GRASSL Academy.