Our assignment
The Fredriksdal bus depot in Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm, is a construction partnership between Skanska and SL (Stockholm Public Transport). This form of contract means that both parties operate a joint organization and shared financial resources in respect of the project.
Skanska has won a large share of the project, since the units Skanska Hus Stockholm Syd, Skanska Stora Projekt and Skanska Väg och Anläggning Stockholm have run it as a consortium. Also the units Skanska Grundläggning, Skanska Stomsystem, Skanska Betong and Skanska Maskin have major assignments within the project. Working as a joint organization is a key factor in ensuring that the final result is a success.
Spaces for 140 buses
When the bus depot is completed in 2017, it will house 140 parking spaces for Stockholm’s inner city buses. Also, here will be workshops, wash halls, garages and offices, where the buses can be fueled, washed, charged and serviced when they are not in traffic.
Challenging foundation work
The first sod was turned in August 2012. The land site was previously used as a passenger car assembly facility by General Motors. This meant that the ground had to be decontaminated from the remains of old buildings and environmental contaminants.
In an effort to optimize the site, the bus depot is being built on seven floors, the first floor which is completely subsurface, while the second is a semi-basement. As a result, we needed to excavate eight meters under the hill, which meant we were now below sea level. This entailed challenging foundation work.
The land was highly waterlogged, which meant the excavated material was also very soggy. Consequently, the excavation work was very heavy going and a problem arose in trying to find a landfill site that was willing to accept the soggy excavated material. The sheet piling we put in place was also technologically advanced.
3-D model reduces errors
Within the project, we are working with BIM (Building Information Modeling) as part of efforts to organize and coordinate information. The project is projected in 3-D and all 2-D blueprints are exported from the 3-D model. A new, updated version of the model is uploaded each week, which permits us to be confident that, for instance, the material amounts involved are correct.
Working with 3-D offers the potential to visualize tricky aspects and geometrics. This has proved to be a tremendous benefit. Among other aspects, we have used the model for reinforcement blueprints. This offered us the possibility of foreseeing inconsistencies, which we have been able to prevent. We have also used the model for an overall review of the various technological aspects of project engineering. The aim is that 3-D project engineering will reduce the number of errors in the data underlying project engineering, thereby raising productivity in construction activities.
Safety work: a key aspect of everyday operations
Safety is a key issue in this project. Thus, work safety programs commenced already at the project engineering stage. All project functions are assessed in an effort to identify safety risks.
All project components are planned in detail to identify the safest work procedures. Among other actions, we have worked with prefab solutions to minimize work input and thus reduce accidents. We also use tower cranes to hoist all materials to the designated place, thus avoiding excessive traffic at the workplace.
The Fredriksdal bus depot is also a pilot project for Safe Behavior, a project aimed at highlighting the safety issue among employees. A group of employees are involved in the project and a check-off is performed each week with this group. Over the course of the week, the employees note safe and unsafe behavior at the workplace and then raise particular issues for discussion during the check-offs.
The bus depot’s floors are distributed as follows:
Floor 1 (basement): Bus parking garage
Floor 2 (semi-basement): Vehicle garage, service facilities
Floor 3 Fueling, bus-wash and service stations
Floors 4-7: Offices, which will be used partly by SL
