BREEAM Infrastructure Very Good – Construction Only Assessment
Version 6, 2022 | Norway
Assessed by: Simen Lycke Kjøllmoen, Andreas Olaus Harstad, Maria Zakharova, Skanska Norge AS
Verified by: Caroline Hutson, Caroline Hutson – Environmental Consultancy
Client: Statens Vegvesen, Utbyggingsområde Sørøst
Contractor: Skanska Norge AS
Project Summary
The E02 Åsbygda-Olum was a Design-Build contract placed in the market in 2019 by The Norwegian public Roads Administration. The contract was signed by Skanska December 20th, 2019, and physical work started March 2020.
The contract includes building 10.4 km of new two-lane E16 with central crash barrier and overtaking lanes. The construction works also included the construction of: 1 km of county road, 4.9 km forest road/operating route as well as emergency areas along the new E16.
Building and construction of two large grade-separated junction areas and a total of 15 bridge constructions along the new E16: 11 concrete constructions and 4 wooden bridges was also part of the project.
The Earthworks included handling of 1 million m3 bedrock, 300 000 m3 Soil as well as ca. 32 000 m3 of potential acid producing Black Shales (Alum Shale). The project included 19 000 m3 of Concrete used in construction and 160 000 m2 of Asphalt works. Open ditch-drainage through infiltration, as well as LED streetlights, were built and installed along the entire project. The project was opened for traffic on December 21st, 2021, six months ahead of the scheduled opening.
Metrics
| Embodied carbon emissions | 37 094 000 kgCO2 equivalent | 39% reduction achieved |
| Re-used excavated material | 2,975,826 m3 | 99.9% of total material used |
| Potable water usage in construction | 36,641 m3 | 43% of total water usage |
| Waste diverted from landfill | 1,710 tonnes | 99.2% of total waste |
Financial Benefits
Did the use of BREEAM Infrastructure deliver any financial benefits?
Motivated by the BREEAM Infrastructure scheme the project carefully planned the excavation of potential acid producing black shales (Alum Shale). The resulting plan and implemented excavation techniques reduced the volume of hazardous rock to special landfill by nearly 30%. In addition to reducing carbon emissions related to transport, shielding the local Society of heavy transport and securing optimised utilisation of local geological resources, this also resulted in significant cost reductions related to landfill tax and transportation cost. In general, securing full utilisation of all geo-resources in the project, reduced cost for purchasing produced rock-products,gravel, soil and other earthwork materials. Planning for temporary construction roads as part of the final constructions saved time and cost.
Estimated savings that can be attributed to BREEAM Infrastructure.
We estimate that the total sum of all BREEAM Infrastructure related cost savings for the project amounts to 5% of the original contract (ca. 1.1 billion NOK).
In your view, has BREEAM Infrastructure represented value for money?
Yes, for Skanska Norge and our Client the use of BREEAM Infrastructure has represented a significant value for money – both in terms direct of cost savings but also as a tool for raising the general sustainability awareness in both organizations.
Achievements
Resources
- Reduced volumes and bespoke, CO2 reduced, recipes for concrete and asphalt.
- Use of System-formworks for concrete constructions significantly reduced the amount of wood waste from the project.
- Optimised the earthworks to secure 100% utilisation of all masses and fractions in the project.
Land Contamination and remediation
Detailed excavation plans reduced the volume of potentially acid producing black shale (Alum Shale) from the project. Accompanying this topic was also planning for surface water handling to avoid future run-off water getting in contact with exposed black shales.
Communities and Stakeholders
In collaboration with the Client the project achieved excellent communication with neighbours. This secured the possibility of restoring farmland outside the original scope of the contract.
Further Information
What were the main challenges for the project / contract and how were these overcome?
A significant challenge for the project was that all access routes to the project were through densely inhabited areas. This represented a significant risk with respect to conflicts between man and machine, but also HSE in general. Through close collaboration with our client and the local community we established a plan for information as well as physical barriers to secure the traffic from the Civil works. As an example, the project allocated resources, as traffic guards, during school hours in periods with planned heavy traffic. No incidents occurred.
What were the drivers and perceived benefits for undertaking a BREEAM Infrastructure assessment on this project / contract?
The main driver in our project was to secure a common framework with transparent communication and documentation, as well as generating an environment for the project the provide a strong focus on Climate, Environment and Sustainability. We achieved this both in our own organisation and in our Clients local organisation.
How did the use of BREEAM Infrastructure influence the outcomes of the project / contract? What was done differently because of the BREEAM Infrastructure process?
In our experience a more thorough process was undertaken in cost/benefit discussion on topics related to sustainability in the project. It is our sincere belief that several of the discussed and implemented measures in the project would not have been realised without the use of the BREEAM Infrastructure framework.
What elements of this project / contract highlight best practice and innovation?
The carefully planned excavation of potential acid producing black shales (Alum Shale) highlights, in the best way, the use of best available practice and innovation in our project. Similarly, the fact that the project succeeded in utilizing 100% of the available geo-resources is proof of best practice for earthworks in Civil construction projects.
Quotes
BREEAM Infrastructure enabled us, as entrepreneurs, to fully unlock our creative potential and evaluate and implement our most innovative solutions in the project. The projects handling of the potential acid producing black shale is a true example of this. BREEAM Infrastructure provides a solid framework for delivering on Skanska’s vision: “Building for a better Society”.
Ole-Petter Jensen
Project manager, E16 E02 Åsbygda-Olum, Skanska Norge AS
The E16 E02 Åsbygda-Olum project, was this local organizations first encounter with BREEAM Infrastructure. The use of this Sustainability scheme for Civil construction projects has been an interesting learning process and left us with highly valuable knowledge on how we as a public authority can improve on sustainability in our future projects. Understanding how key strategic decision made in the planning and tendering process affect the sustainability potential in the project execution has been eye-opening to us. Further, we have learned that by actively supporting, collaborating and challenging our supplier, we can make a positive and more sustainable impact not only in the project, but also for the surrounding environment and people.
Pål Steinar Karlsen
Project Manager E16 E02 Åsbygda-Olum, Statens vegvesen, Utbyggingsområde Sørøst
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