Digital collaboration at Wiesbaden

Above: CAD image of the new Wiesbaden waste-to-energy cogeneration plant, to be owned and operated by MHKW Wiesbaden GmbH (image Doosan Lentjes/ARIKON)

The planning and execution phase of the Wiesbaden WtE facility is being centrally managed using Newforma Project Center project information management (PIM) software.

The growing amount of data associated with construction projects makes efficient project information management increasingly important says Ingo Habig, managing director of ARIKON Hoch- und Ingenieurbau GmbH.

In terms of collaboration with external partners, increasing numbers of data silos can represent major hurdles. Intelligent filesharing systems are needed that offer high usability due to ease of handling for both internal users and external project partners.

Newforma supports work in existing IT infrastructures, provides effective integration of external partners and can be implemented rapidly.

Unlike cloud-based systems, the Newforma software can be operated within premises, employing ARIKON’s IT infrastructure, so no new data silos are created. The construction file data can simply be synchronised back to the project based on the Microsoft file server structure without migration.

“The project information system is particularly user-friendly,” says Falk Huneke, CDO of the ARIKON Group. “All major file formats are supported and the software also offers extended integration capabilities (Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Revit, AutoCAD) and – particularly important for complex construction projects – the possibility of email integration in the form of plug-ins with optional automatic filing of project emails. By avoiding data redundancies, we expect an overall improvement in communication between all those involved in the project.”

“The internal support effort during the implementation phase was minimal from our side and did not affect our day-to-day business”, said Sebastian Hoffmann, CIO of the ARIKON Group.

Michal Korte, managing director of ARIKON Digitale Baukunst GmbH, added: “With the introduction of the Newforma Info Exchange platform, we were already able to offer external partners, such as specialist planners, an easy way to exchange extensive planning data with us via the web portal during the proof of concept in the planning phase of the project. The central consolidation in Newforma Project Center offers transparent traceability of all information flows. This saves valuable time in the co-ordination and planning process.”

Michael Oberla¨nder, engineering manager at Doosan Lentjes GmbH, is also enthusiastic about the system’s possibilities: “We are very pleased to be breaking new ground in co-operation with ARIKON in the field of project information management. Newforma Project Center enables us to easily and securely exchange large amounts of data, such as those generated by 3D modelling of the entire plant. The software also allows us to share structured project information. Messages are automatically indexed via the e-mail management feature, and required information is available in seconds via the exceptional keyword search. We access the project platform via the web portal which is intuitive and easy to use. This usability increases the project participants’ acceptance of the tool.”

Once completed, the Wiesbaden WtE plant will treat around 240 000 tonnes of municipal and commercial waste from the greater Wiesbaden area annually. The plant will generate power and provide district heating.

Doosan Lentjes and ARIKON, operating as a consortium, were awarded the contract for provision of the WtE plant on a turnkey basis.

Doosan Lentjes is general contractor for the turnkey planning, delivery, assembly, and commissioning of the entire plant. ARIKON is responsible for the civil works.

Commissioning of the new plant is expected to start early 2024.

The new power plant will comprise one process line, including grate, boiler, and dry flue gas cleaning system as well as water– steam cycle.

The owner and operator of the WtE plant is MHKW Wiesbaden GmbH.

Gerhard Lohe, director of thermal waste treatment at Doosan Lentjes, noted that the new plant “can be flexibly adapted to changing fuel properties” and therefore, “changes in the composition of the waste will not prevent the plant from reliably operating over its lifetime.”

The Wiesbaden WtE facility is the first project of this kind that Doosan Lentjes and ARIKON are delivering jointly, although the two companies have a long history of working together on various power plant projects outside the field of waste incineration.