Berlin has experienced a few changes in the past 20 years—to put it mildly. For centuries, this European metropolis served as Germany’s capital, but that changed after the end of World War II, when both city and country divided. The split lasted for decades, until the Berlin Wall came crashing down in late 1989. The event brought about massive economic, social and political change that permeated every aspect of Berlin life.
Project management was no exception. Reunification prompted large-scale integration efforts of public transportation and waste management for the eastern and western parts of Berlin as well as the creation of a common database for the city’s residents, says Markus Vogel, partner at Deloitte & Touche’s Berlin office.
And the repercussions linger.
Even almost 20 years later, “Berlin is still growing and changing … and there are many large-scale infrastructure and construction projects recently finished,” says Daniel G. Glasow, PMP, a Berlin-based project manager at business technology provider Computer Sciences Corp.
Berlin is still growing and changing … and there are many large-scale infrastructure and construction projects recently finished.
—DANIEL G. GLASOW, PMP, COMPUTER SCIENCES CORP., BERLIN, GERMANY
That includes what’s being hailed as Europe’s largest train station, the Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Opened in May 2006, the station sees some 1,100 long-distance, regional and rapid transit trains call at 14 platforms on two different levels.
The changes in recent years have required not only putting up new buildings but razing them, too, as with the removal of the East German Parliament or Palast der Republik. But instead of demolishing the structure, workers are dismantling it, piece by piece. The move was designed to spare Berlin’s sensitive inner-city area—with its historical structures and streams of tourists—of the air and sound pollution to the greatest extent possible. It should also make it easier for the tons of materials removed from the palace to be sorted and then used, recycled or disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.
The process began in February 2006, with completion scheduled for 2007—until asbestos was discovered on the site. Now, the dismantling may lag on until the end of the year.
Not surprisingly, that glitch affected more than just the schedule. Because of the asbestos, the project’s estimated cost ballooned from €12 million to an anticipated €20 million, according to the Senate Department for Urban Development. The removal of the parliament building is financed by the State of Berlin and the German federal government.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The proliferation of mega-projects means project leaders must learn to contend with more intense public scrutiny. “Large projects are monitored by the press and people very carefully,” Mr. Vogel says. And the actions involved with such projects must be planned—or adjusted—with the public in mind, he says.
He points to the concern over noise at the city’s new international airport. After citizens filed several lawsuits, the court ruled the airport could only be open from 6 a.m. to midnight.
Public push-back isn’t the only pressure facing project managers. “Changes are also evident [in terms of] using project managers to report the status of projects to the financing parties,” Mr. Vogel says. “The financiers expect more just-in-time information to adjust their models.”
There’s also growing demand for project managers in civil construction to understand the business climate, says Arnd Wittchen, a project manager at Berlin-based Intertec, a project management and construction management firm.
Increasingly, project leaders are expected to be well-versed in a wide range of factors that can influence outcomes. And that has led to shifts in education and training. New post-graduate studies “combine classic project management fields with training in the legal field, as well as training in the understanding of the needs of developers and investors,” says Mr. Wittchen.
There’s also an emphasis on international affairs. “Project management training in Germany is focusing not only on the needs of the German market,” he says, “but on opening itself to the global market.”
FINALLY IN THE STATION
It took more than a decade of construction, but in May 2006, Germany officially opened what it’s calling the largest train station in Europe. The Berlin Hauptbahnhof provides a bustling transportation hub—about 1,100 trains arrive each day at 14 platforms on two levels.
The €700 million project, designed by architects Gerkan, Marg & Partners, presented an array of logistic and construction challenges.
That included getting rid of Berlin’s previous railway hub, Lehrter Stadtbahnhof. And it was no easy task—the railway bridge alone was more than 31 meters long (about 101.7 feet). The project also required the removal of 1.5 million cubic meters (52.8 million cubic feet) of soil from the construction site. To transport it by land, a 1,300-kilometer (808-mile) convoy of trucks would have been needed. Instead, the soil was hauled away by barge.
The station also had to be finished by the time the city hosted the World Cup in 2006. That meant some creative scheduling—even as building work was carried out, railway operations continued.
Another concern was how to mitigate the noise and vibration that might affect surrounding businesses once the station opened. To address that problem, the station was designed using a “mass-spring system.” That means the track superstructure is mounted on a resilient-bearing plate, which helps reduce the vibrations created by railway activity. In addition, the tracks in the tunnel and station are embedded in concrete instead of ballast. The approach means reduced maintenance expense as well as improved track alignment and longevity, according to Hauptbahnhof officials.
500,000
cubic meters
(17,657,333 cubic feet)
Amount of concrete needed to form the station’s shell
70,000
square meters
(753,474 square feet)
Amount of the station’s floor space
Environmental concerns were a factor as well. Groundwater levels were checked hourly at about 100 spots in the center of Berlin, according to the Hauptbahnhof website. That information was transmitted automatically to a computer center, which compared the measured values to ensure they met the water standards specified by local authorities. The station’s roof was designed with a green approach, too. It includes a photovoltaic system that generates about 160,000 kilowatt hours each year, courtesy of the 780 solar modules with 78,000 solar cells integrated into glass panes.
PROJECTS ACROSS GERMANY
WINDS OF CHANGE IN ENERGY POLICY
In 1992, Germany joined forces with 177 countries to sign Agenda 21, a 300-page plan for sustainable development. Since then, officials have supported that approach with more than just talk. Last year, the German government spent more than €100 million on 177 research projects in the renewable-energy sector.
One of the most notable is Alpha Ventus, an offshore wind-energy test station. In February, contracts were signed for the planning and installation of the site with a German consortium of Bilfinger Berger, Hochtief Construction and Weserwind.
Slated for installation by mid-year, the massive undertaking will include a dozen 5-megawatt turbines and a three-level station. The top deck, 30 meters (98 feet) above sea level, will provide a helicopter landing base; the middle deck will contain the electrical plant; and the lower deck will provide space for the cabling and rooms for the technicians who service the station. By year’s end, electricity from the station should begin to reach Germany’s onshore grid. The process of connecting the grid requires laying and trenching a 60-kilometer (37-mile) subsea cable—and that alone will cost €10 million.
Located 45 kilometers (about 28 miles) north of Borkum (an island situated about 289 miles or 465 kilometers from Berlin), Alpha Ventus is owned by a joint venture of E.ON Energy Projects, Vattenfall Europe New Energy and regional utility EWE.
For Germany’s offshore wind farms, it’s just the beginning. As of March, nearly 20 North Sea projects had been approved, with a total of more than 1,200 turbines, according to Engineering News-Record.
HISTORIC LIBRARY RISES FROM ASHES
One of Germany’s most notable libraries has started a new chapter.
In September 2004, sparks from a defective cable in the attic led to a blaze that consumed the Anna Amalia library, located in Weimar (about 290 kilometers or 180 miles from Berlin). Germany enlisted search teams to track down replacement books, but learned that most were irreplaceable. The list included a 16th century book by astronomer Nicolas Copernicus valued at more than €1 million.
In late October 2007, the building reopened after a €14 million restoration project that included installation of a high-tech sprinkler system. Most of the work was funded by the German state of Thuringia and the federal government.
But that was just the first step in the Anna Amalia project.
As of October 2007, about 16,000 of the 62,000 books damaged by fire and water had been repaired and made readable again. It’s a painstaking process that isn’t expected to be completed until 2015. And it’s an expensive process, too. The budget for the manuscript-restoration project is estimated at €67 million; by late 2007, Germany and other countries had already donated nearly $30 million to help fund the effort.
The Anna Amalia blaze may provide impetus for additional library projects, if German President Horst Kohler has his way. “Libraries have to be put back on the political agenda,” he said at the library’s reopening, according to The Times. “Only 15 percent of our schools still have their own libraries, university libraries are struggling for funds for new acquisitions, we need urgent action on paper restoration and in many old libraries there are inadequate fire safeguards.”
THE MAIN EVENT
Most shifts in Germany’s project management environment apply to the country as a whole. One exception: Berlin’s popularity as a host city for festivals and conferences, says Markus Vogel, Deloitte & Touche.
“A lot of media festivals like the Berliner Filmfestspiele and large cultural festivals are taking place in Berlin,” he says. The International Congress Centre is the largest convention and entertainment center in Germany—pulling in nearly 10.8 million visitors as of January.
The result is that many smaller project management firms have discovered a new niche. “It has led to an increasing demand for project managers doing those jobs,” says Mr. Vogel.
AN INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION
Berlin’s project managers are logging more frequent-flier miles than ever before. “In industries like IT or engineering, project managers of Berlin-based companies are working abroad very often,” says Mr. Glasow. “The need for travel and intercultural experience is increasing.”
His career path certainly reflects that trend. Although he’s based in Berlin, the IT projects he has handled during the past five years have all been located beyond Germany’s borders, including Denmark, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The top skill for what Mr. Glasow dubs the “traveling project manager” is sensitivity to other behaviors and ways of thinking. “This is, of course, based on a thorough knowledge about other cultures and people.” Speaking the local language is ideal, but not really practical—the European Union alone has 23 official languages, he notes.
Mr. Glasow cites his work in Finland as a prime example.
“Finnish is not comparable to other major European languages like English, German, Spanish or even Swedish. It is a Uralic language only used in three countries on the world,” he explains. Mr. Glasow was able to communicate with most of his Finnish clients in English, but there were marked differences in project culture from his native Germany.
Before working in Finland, for example, Mr. Glasow had read that saunas play a significant part in project work there. He didn’t believe it—at first. “It is a fact. I was invited by the customer to a sauna,” he says. “Such an invitation usually indicates your behavior and the results in the project are appreciated.”
Mr. Glasow says his company provides some training to help prepare employees for international work, but he suspects many German companies underestimate the need for cross-cultural skills.
In the past, German companies mostly catered to local clients. “This changed substantially over the last couple of years,” he says. “I assume the value of this skill set is not seen as something of great worth due to this history.”
But much like the storied past of the city itself, that history is being transformed by Berlin’s project managers. PM