Europe’s largest canal building project

34 million litres of water stored in underground canal system
The largest canal building project in Europe is keeping the consortium busy in Simmering, near the Austrian capital of Vienna. Two large reservoirs and a network of canals are being built to hold back rain water during heavy rains and release it into the water purification plant in Simmering when capacities are free again. The storage volume underground will exceed a total of 34 million litres. The two new canals will hold a total of 6 million litres each. They measure 2 m in diameter and 1.9 km in length. 28 million litres of rain water will be kept back in the reservoir basin which will be 90 m long, 45 m wide and 7 m deep.

A special task force was formed at nearby MEVA Austria headquarters to master the complex concrete works and formwork challenges. 

Top concrete finish demanded in tight schedule
The biggest challenge facing the engineers was achieving the superior concrete finish demanded by the architects in the tight time budget allocated for concrete pours. In addition, an even finish had to be delivered in large, fast pours covering 4.300 m² of concrete surface in the basin. Once again, it was the wall formwork Mammut 350 that proved the best choice for the job.

It takes 100 kN/m² of fresh concrete pressure throughout the system. Moreover, its standard all-plastic facing alkus is known to deliver a top concrete finish first time, every time. 

Slanted foundation slabs
The foundation slabs are slanted by up to 42° and were completed in single-sided pours using Mammut 350 panels, stabilised against uplift using steel beams and concrete blocks. 

Concrete columns and pump house
The 40 concrete columns on the inside of the basin as well as the pump house are being poured using the Mammut 350 inventory. The pump house and pump shaft also saw the support frames STB 300 and STB 450 in action for single-sided pours. Worker safety was ensured during concrete works with foldable working platforms BKB which are particularly fast and easy to attach to the formwork panels.

A smooth workflow and on-schedule completion of such complex concrete works can only be achieved if the necessary efforts and know-how are invested in planning both logistics and technical details beforehand. Once the site is running, it is important to keep constant consultation going, for instance by conducting weekly meetings in order to clarify any technical and logistical questions.