Ecological construction monitoring in the course of various building projects

Ecological construction supervision (ÖBB) generally ensures the implementation of a construction measure in compliance with the relevant environmental and nature conservation regulations as well as subordinate guidelines, standards, etc.

Other synonyms used for ecological construction supervision - there is currently a wide variety of terms - are environmental construction supervision (UBB), ecological construction supervision (ÖkoBÜ), ecological construction supervision or, especially for Deutsche Bahn projects, environmental construction supervision (UBÜ).

The tasks and focal points of ÖBB/UBB are primarily the environmental coordination, control and monitoring of those involved in the construction project, with the aim of ensuring compliance with the legal provisions, the requirements for environmental protection/nature conservation and the conditions from the building permits for the respective construction project. This is ultimately intended to ensure unhindered construction progress and the avoidance/minimisation of construction-related impairments of environmental assets. Environmental damage can thus be avoided at best, e.g. as a result of inadequate or inappropriate preliminary planning or a change in the actual situation in the meantime.

Further focal points of this work are the clarification and instruction of those involved in the construction as well as continuous documentation (reporting) and preservation of evidence. Ideally, ÖBB / UBB accompanies the project developer already in the planning phase and throughout the construction period and, optimally or if necessary, also maintains close contact with the approval and technical authorities.

However, a distinction must be made between tasks and responsibilities. The ÖBB/UBB accompanies the construction work, but does not provide any technical supervision of the construction work. The ÖBB/UBB advises in the execution of the construction, but does not act in the sense of the execution of the construction.

Due to the technical requirements and the extensive range of tasks, ÖBB/UBB therefore normally consists of a Team of specialists. Only in the case of small projects with low and definable environmental relevance can a single person cover all ÖBB/UBB tasks.

On the basis of a few example projects, our practical focus lies here in particular:

• Monitoring of the implementation of avoidance and mitigation measures specified in the landscape conservation plan (LBP), for example, for the avoidance of prohibited acts within the meaning of Article 44 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG),
• Monitoring of protective measures for adjacent existing trees incl. their components (crown, trunk and root zone) by means of generally recognised regulations and technical standards for tree protection,
• Ensure that felling and clearing of construction sites is carried out outside of the breeding and sowing season, i.e. in accordance with the legal closed season in the winter half-year,
• Exclusion of occupation of trees to be felled by bats or breeding birds prior to felling,
• Checking existing buildings for the presence of breeding birds and/or bats in advance of planned demolition, etc.

In this context, the clients of Mull und Partner Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH include, in addition to Deutsche Bahn, primarily private clients, e.g. from the logistics development sector.