"Water ... & build" - challenges and opportunities for the construction industry: NordBau provides orientation

(Neumünster) An unusually wet spring followed by a dry early summer. This is what we are currently experiencing in Germany. What would it be like to increasingly direct rainwater in such a way that water stored during dry phases can be used? And that too much water does not turn into regional disasters? So far, this is happening here and there. But in order to be able to react appropriately to changes in weather and climate, a wide variety of solutions are needed, covering almost the entire region. All this entails immense tasks for the construction industry.

This year, NordBau has taken up the theme of "Water... & build": heavy rain, flood protection, water supply, environment are the fields that are in focus. Committed partners have helped to develop the special theme and will be presenting the resilience of the water industry throughout Hall 6. These include universities such as the Helmut-Schmidt-University of Hamburg with its hydraulic engineering laboratory, the Kiel University of Applied Sciences Department of Hydraulic Engineering, the Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, the implementing authorities of the ministries (for coastal protection, for road construction and for the environment), the SH Professional Association for Gardening, Landscaping and Sports Ground Construction, the State Guild of Well Builders, the globally active company Hamburg Wasser, as well as renowned manufacturers of suitable products. Municipalities, construction companies, planning institutions and all interested parties will receive answers on risk assessment, how to minimize impacts and how to take advantage of opportunities.

"It is important to us to demonstrate and further develop the resilience of the water industry. We see it as the responsibility of the major supply and disposal management companies to drive forward solutions for efficient water management. To this end, we want to bring the North German municipalities and communities on board and use the days at NordBau to inform and exchange ideas accordingly," says Marco Sievers, Head of Group Sales & Business Development at Hamburg Wasser.

Ideas, solutions and models will be presented that are intended to stimulate or can also be implemented directly: nature-orientated hydraulic engineering, fishways, rainwater retention basins, energy self-sufficient waterworks, green roofs with delayed water runoff for further water supply, models for dike construction and coastal protection, water hazard management, safeguarding drinking water quality - to name just a few examples.

Mario Oertel, Professor of Hydraulic Engineering at Helmut-Schmidt-University in Hamburg, explains: "We research the ecological continuity of flowing waters in a very practical way in our hydraulic engineering laboratory. Due to the laboratory size and the available discharge capacity of 1500 liters per second, we can build large-scale models to analyse flow conditions in detail. We will present a small-scale model of a fish ladder at NordBau to explain its operation to visitors.

Various lecture events will also be held within the framework of the NordBau on the special theme of "Water... & build":

• 20th North German Sewer Rehabilitation Day: aspect "Financing of preventive heavy rainfall events and practical examples", 06.09., 09.30-14.30 hrs. 07.09. 09.30-12.30 hrs.
• Practical Forum Municipal and Environmental Engineering: aspect "Heavy rain hazards", 06.09./07.09., 10-13 hrs. each.
• SH Public Infrastructure Forum: Aspect "Sustainable water management", 06.09., 14-17 hrs.

Sustainable water management - a special topic of current and urgent importance, which holds challenging and enormous implementation projects for the construction industry.

Construction machinery, equipment and commercial vehicles –

a wide range for all purposes

In order to be able to carry out these considerable construction projects, among other things, the right equipment is needed. The outdoor area is directly adjacent to Hall 6, with its numerous construction machines and construction equipment for a wide variety of purposes: from road construction to recycling to processing technology, from attachments for building construction to crane technology and construction site equipment. But also the digitalization of construction sites and engine development are topics of the exhibitors and their products. The exhibitors will present innovations, trends and further developments that visitors can examine, touch and test.

This also applies to the commercial vehicles, municipal technology, tools and energy technology sections in the south outdoor area. The exhibition grounds will also increasingly feature the conversion of the drive system. More and more craft businesses are turning to e-mobility for company and service vehicles. The range offered by manufacturers in the segment is growing and this will be shown at NordBau.