Our neighbors and partners

8 Energie Europas größtes Braunkohlekraftwerk wird modernisiert | 22 Fußball Facility Management fürdas Bernsteinstadion in Danzig | 28 Straßenbau Polen holt auf | 42 Spitze! Dessous aus den Karpaten

Auf in die Mitte Europas!

Bilfinger Berger Magazine02 2012

8 Energy Modernizing Europe’s largest lignite power plant | 22 Football Managing one of Europe’sfinest stadiums | 28 Road construction Poland is catching up | 42 Whole lotta lace Sexy doilies

Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 32 \\ IMPRINT

Bilfinger Berger Magazinewww.magazine.bilfinger.com

Published byBilfinger Berger SECarl-Reiss-Platz 1–5 68165 MannheimGermanyTel. + 49 (0) 621 459-0Fax + 49 (0) 621 459-2366www.bilfinger.com

Editorial director:Michael Weber, Bilfinger BergerProject management:Dr. Daniela Simpson, Bilfinger BergerBernd Hauser, agentur.zsContact:magazine@bilfinger.comDesign and layout:Steven Dohn, Theo Nonnen,Bohm und Nonnen, Büro für GestaltungPhoto editing: Barbara Bylek, agentur.zs

Cover design: Steven DohnLitho: Goldbeck ArtPrinting: ColorDruck LeimenTranslation:Baker & Harrison, Bruce MacPhersonCirculation coordination:Business Service Weber

Bilfinger Berger Magazine is published in German and English. All rights are reserved.Items by named contributors do not neces -sarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. The reprinting or electronic distribution ofarticles or excerpts of articles is prohibitedwithout the express permission of the pub -lisher. Bilfinger Berger Magazine is printed on FSC certified paper.

ROLAND KOCHChairman of the Executive Board of Bilfinger Berger SE

In this issue we invite you to join us on a trip to Po -land, and at the same time on a trip through the worldof Bilfinger Berger. Our report about jazz enthusiastsin the city of Krakow shows how a concert arises fromthe intuitive cooperation among musicians. In jazz,excellence can only be achieved through years of de-dicated effort and experience. The situation is no dif-ferent when it comes to the complex tasks carried outby Bilfinger Berger. Success depends, on the one hand,on the knowledge of employees and, on the otherhand, on how their skills are combined.

Our exemplary modernization of the lignite-burning power plant in Belchatow, for which we havereceived accolades through out Europe, is a good ex-ample: A half-dozen Bilfinger Berger Group compa-nies are contributing their specialist competences tomaking the giant plant more environmentallyfriendly and thus sustainable. The project in Belcha-tow has become a blueprint for the role BilfingerBerger visualizes for itself. We have summarized itwith a simple formula: “excellence in action — excel-lence in interaction.” Results arise from the actions of each and every individual and from the interactionwithin the Group.

Yours truly,

Dear Reader,

BIOMASS POWERPLANT IN POŁANIEC.

// 54 \\ CONTENTS

22 gdansk football stadiumMany fans regard the new arena inGdansk as Europe’s finest. Its ambercolor certainly makes it one of themost unique. Bilfinger Berger makessure that everything runs smoothlyduring the games played there.

25 the importance of being imperfectEast of the river Oder, Steffen Mölleris second only to the Pope as thebest known German. For BilfingerBerger magazine he takes a look atthe Polish soul.

28 a ring for gdanskThe expansion of the motorwayaround Gdansk is one of Poland’sprestige projects. Rundown Polishroads will soon be a thing of thepast. Bilfinger Berger is building an18-kilometer section of the road.

42 whole lotta lace!In a small village in the Carpathians,lace doilies have been crocheted formany generations. A few years ago,a new product was introduced: lingerie.

46 a perfect stormPołaniec in southeast Poland ishome to the world’s largest biomasspower station. Bilfinger Berger is fireproofing the environmentallyneutral facility.

50 inside story: witold nyczAround 60,000 people work at Bilfinger Berger. Each of them has their own story to tell.

32 poland is catching upThere is tremendous growth in theeconomy, but Poland’s transport in-frastructure still lags behind. A mas-sive upgrade program is setting thestage for the future.

34 polish jazzJazz music knows no age in Poland,it is more popular here than any other European country. A strollthrough Krakow’s underground music scene.

38 art or technology?With the help of thermal imaging,Bilfinger Berger subsidiary BIS Izo-mar analyzes temperature loss inpower plants. The images are remi-niscent of works of modern art.

02 2012Bilfinger Berger Magazine

2 Imprint3 Editorial6 Kaleidoscope

28

COVER STORY /// POLAND

RING ROAD FOR GDANSK JAZZ CELLAR IN KRAKOWGERMAN-POLISH ENCOUNTER THERMAL ARTWORKS TABLECLOTHS AND TANGAS

8 joining forcesBilfinger Berger is modernizingEurope’s largest lignite power plant.Hundreds of specialists from allparts of the Group are contributingtheir expertise.

16 couchsurfingThe best way to get to know a coun-try is by spending time in the livingrooms of its inhabitants: Young pho-tographer Katharina Dubno spenttwo months couchsurfing throughPoland and Eastern Europe.

3834 4225

/// NEWS

48 acquisition of tebodin / Consulting and engineeringentry into indian market / Industrial servicesjoint venture with tyazhmash / Opportunities in the Russian power plant marketfair particle accelerator / Magnets for heavy ion researchproduction in poland / Offshore foundations

49 new berlin urban rail line / Major orders for Bilfinger Berger contribution to climate protection / Power plant modern -ization in Eastern Europepolice facilities in the uk / Public private partnership new name, new logo / Bilfinger Berger to become Bilfinger

6 \\ KALEIDOSCOPE Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 7

These are the opening words of a marching song composed by the ex -iled Polish politician Józef Wybicki in 1797 after Russia, Austria and Prus-sia had divided the country among themselves. The song was sung byPolish volunteers who fought for Napoleon in the hope that he wouldsupport them in the liberation of Poland. But it was not until after WorldWar I that the country regained its independence. Since 1927 the songhas been Poland’s official national anthem.

EASTERN EUROPE’S WOODSTOCK

The legendary hippy festival has been reinvented in Po -land. “Przystanek Woodstock” is Europe’s biggest rock fes-tival — and it’s free. Summer after summer, hundreds ofthousands of people descend on the small Polish town ofKostrzyn for a celebration of “love, friendship and music.”The festival is organized by the WOSP Foundation, origi-nally as a way of saying thanks to the volunteers whowork their way across Poland collecting donations for sickchildren. Last year, the Woodstock festival attractedaround 700,000 visitors from across Europe.www.en.wosp.org.pl

JET-SET PRIESTS

In Catholic Poland, the priesthood isaccepted as a popular career choice.Polish clergy often step in wherepriests are in short supply. Currentlythere are 4,451 Polish priests workingabroad — an increase of 600 over thepast ten years. Some even jet over toEngland for a day to hold Sundayservices.

JOHN PAUL II

It is nearly impossible to find a commu-nity in Poland that does not have aportrait of the late Pope. There arearound 440 memorials to John Paul IIthroughout the country.

THE BEETLE IN THE REEDS

One of the biggest challenges for foreigners is getting theirtongue around the sibilants in the Polish language. If youcan manage this tongue twister, you’re sure to make animpression:

W Szczebrzeszyniechrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie.“It’s pronounced like this: Sch-t sche-b sche-schynje ch-schong-sch-tsch bschmi w tch-tschinje. The translation: In Szczebrzeszyn you can hear a beetle in the reeds.

POLAND IN THE PERIODIC TABLE

Marie Curie grew up in Warsaw before movingto Paris, where she rose to fame. In 1898 she dis-covered a new element that she named afterher homeland: she called it Polonium.

HOLLYWOOD IN POLISH

Foreign films and TV series are usually dubbed to make them under-standable to Polish ears, with just one speaker voicing every actor’swords. The original voices can be heard murmuring in the back -ground. When a couple declares their affection, it’s not uncommon tohear the same monotonous voice pronounce the words “I love you”two times in a row.

84

Po210

“POLAND IS NOTYET LOST”

HARD WORKERS

Average numbers of workinghours per year

Poland 1,856Austria 1,736Spain 1,729Netherlands 1,725Great Britain 1,706Italy 1,695 Sweden 1,681Germany 1,659Denmark 1,628France 1,602

Source: European Industrial Relations Observatory

GASTARBEJTER

is not just a common Germanword (“Gastarbeiter”) that hasbeen absorbed into the Polishlanguage. It is also a way of lifechosen by almost two millionPoles. That’s five percent of thetotal population. The mostpopular destinations for mi-grant workers are Great Britainand Ireland (685,000), followedby Germany (455,000).

TWO SIDES

The Poles are particularly proudof their talent for improvisation.Nowhere is this better ex -pressed than in the saying“Polak potrafi” — “Trust a Poleto do it.” The other side of thecoin is reflected in the equallycommon, self-deprecating“Polak kombinuje” — “A Pole willcobble it together, get it donesomehow”: No one distrusts aPole more than the Poles do.

„Ph

oto

/ Jan

ek K

loss

Phot

o / R

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rs

8 \\ ENERGY SUPPLY Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 9

IN THE POLISH TOWN OF BELCHATOW, THE LARGEST LIGNITE-BURNING POWER PLANTIN EUROPE IS BEING MODERNIZED. BABCOCK BORSIG STEINMÜLLER, A SUBSIDIARY OFBILFINGER BERGER, IS WORKING WITH SEVERAL HUNDRED EXPERTS FROM THROUGH -OUT THE GROUP ON SIX OF THE THIRTEEN POWER PLANT BLOCKS.

T E X T / J E S P E R W I T H / / / P H OTO S / C H R I STO P H P Ü S C H N E R

OPERATION MEGA POWERPLANT

AFTER 92,000 WELDED SEAMS, THE BOILER’S NEW PRESSURE PART HAS BEEN ASSEMBLED.

STEAM CAN NOW BE ROUTED TO THE TURBINEWITH IMPROVED PARAMETERS, THUS

INCREASING PERFORMANCE AND EFFICIENCY.

10 \\ ENERGY SUPPLY Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 11

/// Wolfgang Miatke slaps his hand down on a thick yellow folder onhis desk. “This is my bible!” says the engineer, “the basis for the entiremodernization project.” Inside the folder are dozens of color charts. “I can always see whether we are on schedule, and what the challengesare. The critical areas are marked in red,” explains Miatke with a smile.“But as you can see, there are very few red areas.” The engineer has beenbuilding power plants for 35 years — most of that time he has spent atBabcock Borsig Steinmüller (BBS), a subsidiary of Bilfinger Berger Pow-er Services. For this job as Erection Project Manager, the sixty-year-oldhas even learned Polish. “I was born in Lusatia, on the border to Poland,”Miatke explains, “but I am only now getting to know the Poles a littlebetter.” On behalf of BBS, five other Bilfinger Berger Group companiesare also on site in Belchatow, all from Poland and Croatia. And all of themanagers have learned German. Several hundred specialists from all

BILFINGER BERGER COMPANIES FROM POLAND, GERMANYAND CROATIA ARE WORKING TOGETHER AS PART OF THE PROJECT. THE SCOPE OF SERVICES INCLUDES SPECIALCOMPONENTS FROM INTERNATIONAL SUPPLIERS.

APPETITE FOR EN ERGY

POLAND IS COUNTING ON COAL

Poland is developing at a rapid pace, achievinggrowth rates of up to seven percent in recent years. Itshuge demand for energy is met almost exclusively bycoal, mainly lignite. Nuclear power should also play arole in the future. Poland is making efforts to meet itscommitments to the EU, under which renewable ener-gy sources must account for at least 15 percent of theenergy mix by the year 2020. Wind power will play aleading role in meeting these requirements.

A LOOK INSIDE THE BOILER: AT 108METERS, IT IS HIGHER THAN THE

STANISLAUS KOSTKA CATHEDRAL INNEARBY ŁÓD Ź.

12 \\ ENERGY SUPPLY Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 13

parts of the Group are involved in modernizing Europe’s largest lignite-fired power plant.

The Belchatow power plant in the heart of Poland is adjacent to avast opencast mine. The twelve boilers, each nearly three decades old,along with one newly constructed boiler, stretch toward the sky as giant blocks. At over 100 meters in height they stand taller than theStanislaus Kostka cathedral, the tallest church in Łódź, 60 kilometersaway. The plant has a combined output of around 5,300 megawatts.From the window of his container office, Wolfgang Miatke overlooks theproject storage yard. Components weighing a total of 4,500 tons aredeposited here, arranged according to the firms that will install them.For boiler 7 alone, steel elements weighing 3,300 tons must be removed.

The new pressure part for the boiler requires an incredible 92,000 high-pressure welded seams and 46,000 square meters of rock wool for theinsulation of the boiler and piping. “It’s a challenging job, because ithas to be finished in just 225 days,” says Wolfgang Miatke.

MORE EFFICIENT BURNINGAs a result of the modernization, the steam temperature will be in-creased from 540 to 570 degrees, thereby improving the plant’s efficien-cy: Using less coal to produce the same amount of energy will mean few-er greenhouse gases. “It’s the wide range of individual measures takentogether that yields positive results,” stresses Dr. Ralf Peter, Project Man-ager for BBS. For Bilfinger Berger, one of the central tasks in moderniz-

THE MANAGEMENT TEAM FROM BABCOCK BORSIG STEINMÜLLER: WOLFGANG MIATKE (PICTURE ON THE LEFT) AS WELL AS RALF PETER AND DIRK NEUHAUS (PICTURE ON THE RIGHT).

BELCHATOW

THE MEGA POWER PLANT

Back in the 1970s, a power plant was built inthe small town of Belchatow to exploit theregion’s vast lignite deposits. The plantsoon became the driving force for the entireregion. The number of inhabitants in Bel-chatow grew from 17,000 to 64,000. Thepower plant itself employs about 4,000people. With an output of around 5,000megawatts, it generates 20 percent ofPoland’s electricity.

A LOOK INSIDE THE GIANT TURBINE HALL.

14 \\ ENERGY SUPPLY Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 15

ing boiler 7 is to reduce the output of nitrogen oxides: In future, thepower plant will have to meet EU emissions standards. The former out-put of 380 milligrams per cubic meter of flue gas will drop to less than200 milligrams. The new burners and air inlet systems will play a ma-jor role. “We are modifying the entire installation to optimize the air in-take. This makes the combustion process more efficient.”

Modernizing the power plant will extend its service life by about 30more years. “That’s how long the lignite deposits in the local opencastmines will last,” explains Rafał Smejda, Chief Project Manager at oper-ator PGE. He works closely with Ralf Peter and the other colleagues fromBilfinger Berger: “We meet at least once each week to keep each other

up to date and discuss longer-term targets,” says Smejda. “This is howwe have come to trust each other.” The reliability of the firms involvedis also a contributing factor, Ralf Peter believes: “We are able to meetour deadlines because we are a practiced and experienced team.” Between 2006 and 2011, Bilfinger Berger modernized boilers 3, 4 and 5.In the public tender for the modernization of boilers 7 to 12, the com-pany won out against the international competition it faced.

The employees of the six Bilfinger Berger companies are engagedin erecting scaffolds, welding, installing burners, air inlet systems, heat-ing surfaces and ducts. They are also responsible for the extensive in-sulation. BIS Izomar and BIS Multiserwis and BIS OKI have divided the

work between them: Izomar is responsible for dismantlingthe old insulation, as well as for re-cladding the boiler andthe huge flue gas and air ducts; Multiserwis is insulatingall of the pipework to and from the boiler. The work is be-ing coordinated by OKI. BIS Plettac is erecting scaffolding,much of it in confined and difficult to access spaces. Thespecialists at Đuro Đaković Montaža have manufactured allof the ducting back home in Croatia and are now replac-ing the components onsite in Belchatow.

Up to 800 Bilfinger Berger employees can be foundworking on boiler 7 at any one time. The biggest challenge

will come in the summer of 2012, when the completion ofboiler 7 overlaps with the start of work on boiler 8. Thatmeans that, for a short time, Bilfinger Berger will have todouble its workforce. BBS will temporarily have 1,600 work-ers under its command in Belchatow. “We’ll manage,” saysDirk Neuhaus, currently Deputy Project Manager for boil-er 7 and, at the same time, in charge of the upcoming workon boiler 8. He sees Belchatow as a milestone project for Bilfinger Berger. “We are making a name for ourselves notonly in Poland, but throughout the Eastern European mar-ket for further power plant modernization projects.” //

THE STORAGE AREA LOOKS LIKE A GIANT SET OF BUILDING BLOCKS. COMPONENTS WEIGHINGA TOTAL OF 4,500 TONS WAIT HERE BEFORE THEY ARE INSTALLED IN THE POWER PLANT.

EMPLOYEES FROM SEVERAL BILFINGER BERGER GROUP COMPANIES ARE INVOLVED IN THEMODERNIZATION OF THE POWER PLANT: “OUR SHARED EXPERTISE IS GROWING BY THE DAY.”

16 \\ COUCHSURFING Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 17

I PL

/// Katharina Dubno was studying communication design in Mainzwhen she first heard of the online network “CouchSurfing”: no matterwhere one travels, the locals offer a place to stay free of charge. Nostrings attached, a simple gesture of hospitality. And therefore the per-fect way to genuinely get to know a country. Suddenly, the 26-year-oldknew what the focus of her diploma project would be: a photograph-ic journey to document the lives of her Eastern neighbors. The routewas to begin in Poland, then continue through Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria and conclude at the Bosporus.

Here, Bilfinger Berger Magazine presents the photographic results ofthe first leg of Katharina Dubno’s journey: Poland is the country inwhich she was born, and where she lived until she was seven. The pho-tographer sometimes slept in a luxurious bed, sometimes on a mat-tress on the floor — and sometimes on an actual couch. After twomonths, she returned to Mainz with thousands of photos. Her diplo-ma project was honored with the Dr. Berthold Roland Photo Prize. Thephotographer dedicated the project to all travelers who “do not lookat the world as a museum, but who wish to truly get to know them-selves and others firsthand.”

Katharina Dubno waits for over an hour at the bus station in Gdansk intemperatures of minus 26 degrees Celsius: her host, Agnieszka, has overs-lept. When Agnieszka finally arrives, Katharina’s welcome to Poland wasall the more heartfelt. The 19-year-old art student greeted her guest witha glass of homemade schnapps, while her mother served up a feast. Later,the two went over to the art college where Agnieszka showed her guesther work.

The January wind freezes her eyelasheswhen Katharina Dubno arrives in Gdansk. Afew hardy souls out for a winter stroll arefeeding the swans near the Baltic Sea.Dubno removes her digital camera from itscase, but with temperatures of minus 30degrees Celsius, it won’t do what she wantsit to. Luckily, she has also taken her old ana-log camera along and now presses it intoservice for the first photo of her trip: “It wasas if they had all come together just forme.”

FOR TWO MONTHS THE YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER KATHARINADUBNO COUCHSURFED HER WAY THROUGH POLAND AND EASTERNEUROPE. THE EXPERIENCE GAVE HER A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ONTHE REGION’S CULTURE AND MENTALITY.

T E X T / A N N E M E Y E R / / / P H OTO S / K AT H A R I N A D U B N O

18 \\ COUCHSURFING Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012

Wherever a figure of the Madonna is found,it is adorned with flowers and candles.With vivid colors, this street-side altar illu-minates an alleyway in Praga, a neighbor-hood in Warsaw that is quickly becoming atrendy district as a result of affordablerents and charming character. Catholicismplays a major role: “Many Polish people arevery religious, even the young people. Theyparty until six in the morning, but threehours later can be found sitting in church,neatly groomed,” says Katharina Dubno.

Such intimate domestic scenes,such as the one here in Karolina’sand Marius’ bathroom in Katowice,are routine with CouchSurfing. “Theliving quarters are often very small,so that on the very first day, there’sa good chance you’ll see each otherin pajamas,” relates KatharinaDubno. She even occasionallysleeps in the same bed as herhosts, simply because there is noother place available.

It’s six in the morning whenKatharina Dubno is awakened byher host in a village on theSlovakian border. The temperatureoutside is minus 20 degreesCelsius and the whole family hasgathered for the celebratoryslaughter. Everyone has a job todo. While one person rinses thepigs’ intestines with hot water,another stirs the blood or prepa-res the sausage meat. Cake andvodka are passed around forrefreshment and reinforcement:“The slaughter is a social occasionwith lots of laughter.”

20 \\ COUCHSURFING Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 21

Every host receives a photo as a parting gift.Normally, Katharina Dubno holds the camerain her hand while the host holds the flash. Inthis photo, it’s the other way around: theyoung man also happens to be a photogra-pher. What’s more, he gave up his own bed forher for that night, as a matter of course.Katharina Dubno still has contact with manyof her CouchSurfing partners. “A few havebecome good friends.”

A fern is the most Polish of allhouse plants: It graces so manyapartments between Gdansk andKatowice that it just had to beincluded in a photo. Sitting next tothis plant in Bytom in southernPoland is a woman who shares herapartment with her granddaughter.Since having one’s own apartmentis so expensive, many young peoplestill live with their families. Thismeans that they have a very dif -ferent set of responsibilities thanpeople of the same age inGermany: “In addition to their stu-dies, they take care of their grand-parents, shop for them, and evencook.”

A view from Katowice: The usualheart symbol in the logo on themural has been replaced with a bar.For Katharina Dubno this hints atthe contradictory feelings that herone-time home country evoke inher: not only love, but melancholyas well. “Poland is the country ofmy childhood,” the photographerexplains. “I search for rememberedthings that no longer exist. For thePolish, I am no longer a Polishwoman, but a German woman.”

22 \\ FACILITY MANAGEMENT Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 23

MANY FANS REGARD THE NEW FOOTBALL STADIUM INGDANSK AS EUROPE’S FINEST. BILFINGER BERGERMAKES SURE THAT NOTHING GETS IN THE WAY OF THEGAMES THAT ARE PLAYED THERE.

T E X T / B E R N D H AU S E R / / / P H OTO S / M I C H A E L R E I S C H / R K W

BALTICGOLD

/// Günter Grass, in one of his poems, referred to the BalticSea as a puddle. And yet the shallow sea can be a wild placewhere raging winds drive endless waves against itsshores. At such times, men dressed in oilskins can be foundstanding in the surf clutching long-handled nets. Theireyes scour the breaking waves in search of a flash of gold.Their quarry was once the most important commoditytraded in the Baltic, translucent honey-yeIlow stones, solight that the waves toss them and for a split second theyappear on the surface: amber, the gold of the Baltic Sea.

The new stadium’s architect is Polish-born Wojtek Gra-bianowski from the Düsseldorf firm of RKW. He is clearlyfamiliar with the history of Gdansk as a member of theHanseatic League and center of the amber trade: The truss-es that support the roof are reminiscent of the frames ofa ship’s hull, while the outer mantle looks like a giant pieceof amber. Around 18,000 translucent polycarbonate pan-els tinted in shades of brass, brown and bronze imitate thegleam of Baltic Sea gold.

Bilfinger Berger Magazine \\ 02 2012 \\ INTERVIEW // 2524 \\ FACILITY MANAGEMENT Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012

When the first international game was played at the Gdansk stadium in September 2011 — a friendly match be-tween Germany and Poland in which both sides scoredtwice — the new venue was welcomed with great enthu-siasm: “Here in this arena, I feel proud to be Polish,” de-clared host team captain Jakub Blaszczykowski. LukasPodolski, a German national team member with Polishroots, was equally enthusiastic: “Super! It’s really impres-sive!” For Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, the €193million venue is “Europe’s finest football stadium.”

Responsibility for the smooth running of the interna-tional matches during the 2012 European Champion ships,as well as local side Lechia Gdansk’s games in the first Pol-ish division, lies with HSG Zander Polska. As a facility man-agement specialist and member of the Bilfinger BergerGroup, the company has a team of electricians and tech-

nicians permanently on-site to look after the technical sys-tems. Their tasks include maintaining the ultramodernheating, ventilation and cooling systems in the lounges,changing areas, restaurants and offices. They tend to thesprinklers that keep the field in perfect condition, and re-place any of the 42,000 seats that fall victim to the spec-tators’ exuberance. “Safety is our highest priority,” explains40-year-old engineer and Site Manager Piotr Arendt. “Thefire prevention measures are particularly important andmust function perfectly at all times.”

Initially, the stadium was called the Baltic Arena. ThenPolish utility company PGE purchased the right to give itsname to the sports venue, which is now officially the PGEArena. Nevertheless, most people in Gdansk refer to it sim-ply as the “Bursztynowy stadion,” the “Amber Stadium.” //

EURO 2012 STADIUM I N KI EV, UKRAI N E

SANITATION SYSTEMS SAVE WATER

The Euro 2012 final will be played on July 1 in Kiev’sOlympic Stadium, which has been modernized on thebasis of plans drafted by German architects Gerkan,Marg and Partner. The stadium can accommodate over70,000 people. Bilfinger Berger subsidiary Roediger Va-cuum has contributed some particularly innovativetechnology for the sanitation systems. In the basementof the stadium is a vacuum plant that uses negativepressure rather than water to dispose of the sewagewaste. Whereas comparable large-scale events normal-ly see between seven and twelve liters per visitor flush-

ed away through wash basins and toilets, in Kiev the fig ureis just 1.3 liters.

The technology installed by Roediger Vacuum relieves theburden on the city of Kiev, whose drainage system is veryoutdated and in need of modernization: The city couldn’t have coped with the stadium’s huge water needs. (si)

/// Mr. Möller, as a German what do you absolutely haveto know when you visit Poland?Firstly, don’t confuse Poland with Russia. Never call the fa-mous beet soup “Borscht,” that’s Russian. In Polish it’s“Barscht.” And secondly, don’t criticize Polish sausages orPolish women. The Poles believe that both are the best inthe world. It’s also very important to be polite — nowadays,politeness to women is equated in Germany with sexual

harassment. Whereas in Poland you let the ladies exit theelevator first and help them with their coats. They appre-ciate that.And if you’re invited to someone’s home?Let me say a few words about the Polish tea culture: Whenguests enter the house, they are automatically given a cupof tea. It’s very important never to leave the little spoon inthe cup. That is an absolute no-no; it would be like eating

EAST OF THE RIVER ODER, STEFFEN MÖLLER IS SECOND ONLY TO THE POPE AS THE BEST KNOWNGERMAN. HE ROSE TO POPULARITY PLAYING A GERMAN FARMER IN A POPULAR TV SERIES. NOW HEENTERTAINS POLISH AUDIENCES AS A CABARET ARTIST. FOR BILFINGER BERGER MAGAZINE HETAKES A LOOK AT THE POLISH SOUL.

I N T E RV I E W / A S M U S S H E S S / / / P H OTO S / H E I N Z H E I S S

with your hands in Germany. Polish mothers warn theirchildren: “If you leave the teaspoon in the cup when youdrink, it will poke your eye out!”Are there any typical clichés about the Germans?The main one of course is the idea of Germans as Nazis:Nazi jokes in Poland are similar to Polish jokes in Germany.The Poles also think we are all selfish and terribly stingy.There is a joke that goes, when you are invited to a Germanhousehold, they’ll put out two pretzel sticks to last allevening. One each. Oh, and we Germans have no sense ofhumor.I hope you try to correct that image in your performances.Naturally, I prove that none of this is true. Germans havea great sense of humor. Once they’ve paid for their ticketand sat down to watch the show, they know that it is thenpermissible to laugh.Do Poles really have a stronger appreciation for comedy?In Poland, in entirely ordinary situations and out of the

blue, you can suddenly crack jokes with total strangers.Whereas in Germany, if you go to buy a train ticket and paywith a brand new note, and you say to the woman behindthe counter “Careful the ink’s still wet,” she’s likely to takeyou seriously and check it. No joke, it’s happened to me.What about the clichés that Germans associate with Poland?Of course I address these stereotypes as well in my act. I liketo quote the Polish car theft statistics. In the last ten years,car thefts in Poland have fallen by 75 percent. If this trendcontinues, visitors will soon be given a free car every timethey cross the Polish border.You’ve lived in Poland since 1994. How has the countrychanged since then?When I first arrived in Warsaw, coal was still delivered byhorse and cart. But Poland has now become an incrediblyWestern and also a very capitalist country. It’s just that noone in Germany has noticed. The Poles are even building

26 \\ INTERVIEW Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 27

bicycle paths! To me that’s always a sign that they’ve al-ready got everything else: Once all the pipes have been re-placed, all the houses renovated and low-floor buses are inuse, the only thing left is to build bicycle paths.Why don’t we have a realistic image of our Easternneighbor?I don’t believe we have a realistic picture of any of ourneighbors. Even political contacts present a false image. Wesee former French President Sarkozy on television everyother day, and because of that we think we know theFrench. Whereas, fundamentally, the Poles are closer to us.They like beer, just like we do. They have more allotmentgardens than anywhere else in Europe apart from Ger-many. Both countries have the same geography: The sea inthe north, mountains to the south, the capital in the east.And apart from Dutch, the Polish language has more wordsborrowed from German than any other in Europe.You describe yourself as being very Polish. How does thatmanifest itself?Well, for example, when my Polish superstitions arearoused. Never put a bag on the ground — the money willrun out and you’ll be poor. I never shake hands across thethreshold any more. It’s bad luck, because once upon a timeancestral bones were buried beneath the threshold. It’sbest not to disturb them. When your left nostril itches,you’ll soon meet someone you don’t like. I’m not sure I be-lieve that yet. But give me another ten years. Like it or not,it’s a habit you slip into when you live in Poland.In your show you attribute fatalist tendencies to the Poles. Aren’t they capable of thinking optimistically?Pessimism is fashionable in Poland: “Oh, the European Soc-cer Championship 2012 will never happen, the stadiumswon’t be ready on time! And what are the tourists going

to look at here? There’s nothing here!” On the other hand,this mood strongly reveals their strong sense of humor.Poles are self-deprecating, and they have a taste for the ab-surd. My plumber has a business card that says: “Slow, ex-pensive and reliable.” It’s his advertising slogan. In Ger-many no one would appreciate the irony; people justwouldn’t call him any more. Whereas in Poland he hasmore business than he can handle.Are there things in Poland you really don’t like?The traffic. Driving in Poland is a health hazard. Poland hastwice as many traffic fatalities as Germany. On the average,

the cars are fairly old, and the Poles have an anarchic ap-proach to driving. There is only one country I know were thetraffic is worse — Tanzania.If you watch Polish drivers on German highways, theydon’t necessarily look like anarchistic drivers.Poles pull themselves together when they come to Ger-many. They have a German part of their soul that yearnsfor order. So they are delighted to escape from the land ofthe crazies. Because that’s what they think their fellowcountrymen are, crazy. Which brings us to one last, veryloveable characteristic of the Poles — their masochism.They criticize everything about their country, but reallythink it’s great. Simply because it’s not perfect. //

“My plumber has a business card thatsays: ‘Slow, expensive and reliable.’ It’s his advertising slogan. He has more business than he can handle.”

RINGAROUNDGDANSK

28 \\ INFRASTRUCTURE Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 29

THE EXPANSION OF THE EXPRESSWAY AROUNDGDANSK IS ONE OF POLAND’S PRESTIGE PROJECTS.RUNDOWN POLISH ROADS WILL SOON BE A THINGOF THE PAST.

T E X T / JA N R Ü B E L / / / P H OTO S / PAU L H A H N

ELASTICITY AND STABILITY: THE M1 BRIDGE IS THE CENTERPIECEOF THE NEW EXPRESSWAY.

/// The 40-meter long arm of a concretepump swings silently overhead. Like the con-ductor of an orchestra, bridge engineer Mar-iusz Urbanski gestures to the workman guid-ing the arm by remote control.

The concrete will soon pour down into theformwork that Urbanski’s team has erectedovernight. “Sebastian, hurry up!” he calls to a young man still screwing down one final board with a rechargeable drill. “Just aminute, I’m almost done,” comes the reply.

The M1 bridge is the crowning glory ofGdansk’s southern ring road, an 18-kilometerexpressway with two lanes in each direction,constructed by Bilfinger Berger Budownictwotogether with a Polish company. The southernring road project, with a volume of just under€270 million, links the most important high-ways in the Gdansk area, the S6 expresswayfrom the north, the A1 motorway to Łódź andthe national road to Warsaw. The ring road willease traffic in Gdansk’s inner city.

TENSE SITUATIONWhen it is completed, the M1 bridge will be thejewel in the crown. The “extradosed” technol-ogy used in its construction is reminiscent ofa cable-stayed design, but the pylons are low-er and inclined. The bridge is not simply “sus-pended” from the steel cables, they also passthrough the hollow box section beneath theroadway and back to the pylon. They hold thebridge in place, giving it both elasticity andstability. The pylons, which here on the M1 arecurrently being cast in concrete, are the key tothis method of construction. Embedded insidethem are steel tubes the thickness of a man’sforearm, through which 19 cables, each com-prised of 42 strands, will later be threaded. Alleight bridge pylons will have seven suchtubes on each side. A hydraulic press will tight-en the cables, achieving a tension of 5,700 kilo-newtons.

30 \\ INFRASTRUCTURE Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012

pean Football Championship. With a length of292 meters, the bridge spans the Motława

River as it flows towards Gdansk. Apart from the bridge, the southern ring al-

so boasts another sophisticated piece of engi-neering: Poland’s longest elevated roadway.Some 2,750 meters of the ring road are raisedon stilts above an area known to locals as “Little Holland.” For centuries, a ridge ofdunes stood between the Vistula River and the Baltic Sea, creating a delta of fertile

Beneath the Estakada section, demolitionequipment is now at work. Excavators are de-molishing the temporary supports that wereneeded while heavy construction machineswere still operating on the road above. “We usethe rubble to build temporary tracks elsewhereon site,” explains Tomasz Winiecki.

Bilfinger Berger Budownictwo is workingon the bridge together with BBV Systems, a Bil-

finger Berger Group company specialized inprestressing technology. BBV delivers thesteel cable for the construction and trainedcolleagues from Budownictwo in the assembly.“Cooperation within the Group creates effi-ciency,” says Krzysztof Lewandowski, Manag-ing Director of BBV Systems in Gdansk. “We aresharing our knowledge and experience andcan therefore work in an economically opti-

mized manner.”The construction of the southern ring road

is part of a significant national effort. “ Beforeour very eyes, a huge civilization gap is beingclosed,” said Polish President Bronisław Ko-morowski when he visited the site in Septem-ber 2011. “The bad reputation of Poland’s roadsis slowly becoming a thing of the past.” //

marshland. Here, the Vistula splits into sever-al channels — forming an area of great impor-tance for the city of nearly 500,000 inhabi-tants. “Even today, there are boreholes herethat supply drinking water for Gdansk,” saysProject Construction Manager Tomasz Wini -ecki, 38, as he supervises the surfacing work onthe “Estakada” elevated section.

SOLID FOUNDATIONThe southern ring crosses the damp marsh-land. Before the road could be built, engineers had to find a way to deal with thisground. The foundations for the Estakada andthe M1 bridge are built on 40-centimetersquare reinforced concrete piles. To supportthe elevated section, 6,731 piles were driven 14 meters into the ground to reach a sufficient-ly stable layer of soil. The M1 bridge required907 piles which were driven almost 19 metersdeep into the ground.

The rest of the road called for extensivedrainage work. “First of all, we poured downover a million cubic meters of sand,” saysTomasz Winiecki, gazing across the broad ex-panse of reeds. The sand was laid to a depth ofup to four meters on top of the damp marsh.Over the following five months, the groundsank by between one and two meters. The engineers employed a vertical drainage tech-nique to accelerate the soil compaction pro-cess: Special machines installed countlessstrip drains, extremely absorbent strips of woven fabric, vertically into the soil. Watersoaks into the material and is drawn upwardsvia capillary action.

Mariusz Urbanski looks tired. The 31-year-oldconstruction engineer was at the mixingplant before sunrise, checking the tempera-ture of the C50/60 concrete. “The bridge is likea baby,” he says with a smile. “As you watch itgrow, your heart skips a beat.” Urbanski hasbeen working on the bridge for over twoyears. For the past twelve months he and hismen have worked shifts around the clock, seven days a week, to keep to their timetable:They aim to be finished in time for the Euro-

THE MEN ARE WORKING 7 DAYS A WEEK, 24 HOURS A DAY TO ENSURE THAT EVERYTHING IS FINISHED IN TIME FOR THE EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP.

REINFORCING A PYLON ON THE M1: “THE BRIDGE IS LIKE A BABY: WATCHING IT GROWGIVES US AN INCREDIBLE SENSE OF PRIDE.”

Estakada

A1

S6

M1Bridge

BALTIC SEA

GDANSK

SOUTHERNRING

THE LOCALS CALL THESE WET-LANDS “LITTLE HOLLAND.” THE“ESTAKADA,” POLAND’S LONGESTELEVATED ROADWAY, WILL SOONRUN THROUGH THEM.

S7

32 \\ INFRASTRUCTURE Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 33

/// Driving from Berlin to Gdansk, the worst of the jolts are felt inBrandenburg. Every few meters, the concrete slabs on the A 11 au-tobahn send a rumbling greeting to the interior of the car. In con-trast, the A 6 is smoothness itself when we cross the border intoPoland! Our car quietly glides across the asphalt surface. The peaceand quiet come to a halt after a mere 30 kilometers, however: themotorway ends. The remaining 350 kilometers are driven on na-tional roads: the trip takes us eight hours.

Poland is booming. The analysts at “Business Monitor Interna-tional” rank Poland ahead of every other country in Central andEastern Europe: The growth prospects and the excellent invest-ment climate make all the difference. The road network, however,is groaning under the weight of economic development. Today, al-most half of the population owns a car — ten years ago it was onein four. Within the EU, only Germany and Spain transport moregoods by road. In terms of cross-border traffic, Poland holds the topposition.

SUPPORT PROGRAM FROM BRUSSELS“Our motorway network is still far below Western European stan-dards,” says Krzysztof Lewandowski, head of BBV Systems in Gdansk, a Bilfinger Berger Group company that is involved in anumber of infrastructure projects in Poland. To catch up, Poland,with the help of the EU, is stepping on the accelerator. The “Oper-ational Program for Infrastructure and Environment” (OPI/E),launched by the European Commission, is the largest funding proj-ect of its kind in the European Union. Between 2007 and 2013Poland is due to receive funds totaling almost €38 billion, prima-rily to aid the development of roads and transport infrastructure;Poland itself is contributing over €9 billion. 85 percent of the in-vestment in Gdansk’s southern ring road, for example (see reporton page 29), comes from the EU.

Poland’s road network currently covers some 382,000 kilome-ters, of which motorways account for just 1,000 and expresswaysfor only 750 kilometers. Most of the time, as on the trip from Berlinto Gdansk, the traffic is confined to single-lane national roads, andprogress is further impeded by local street traffic and traffic lights.

“By 2013, a further 810 kilometers of motorway will be complet-ed, along with 782 kilometers of expressways,” promises MikoajKarpiski, spokesman for Poland’s Transport Ministry. Bilfinger Ber -ger Budownictwo is playing a major role in this development. Thecompany, which specializes in major infrastructure projects, is in-volved in building not just the Gdansk southern ring road, but al-so the southern ring around Warsaw, as well as modernizing thenational road 8 and the Zambrów bypass in the northeast of thecountry. Other projects include a 1,100-meter tram tunnel in Poz-nan and full-scale renovation of Warsaw’s Stadium train station.

( jr)

MOTORWAY INFRASTRUCTURE STILL LAGS BEHIND THE COUNTRY’S NEEDS. A MASSIVE UPGRADE PROGRAM, HOWEVER, IS POINTING THE WAY TO THE FUTURE.

POLAND IS CATCHING UP

BILFINGER BERGER ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECTSLocation ProjectCompletion

KONIN Bridge 2007 over the Warta River

GOLDAP Construction of a 5.6-kilometer 2009 ring road

RADZYMIN-WYSKOW Construction of an 11-kilometer 2009 motorway section

with 15 bridge structures

GDANSK Southern ring road, 2012 nearly 18-kilometer motorway

(see report on page 28)

ZAMBROW Construction of a 15-kilometer 2012 motorway section and

15 bridge structures for a bypass of Zambrow

TORUN Bridges over the Drwęca 2011 and the Weichsel

WARSAW Southern ring road 2012 with 20 viaducts and

two tunnels

RAWA MAZOWIECKA 23-kilometer section 2012 of National Road 8

KĘDZIERZYN-KOŹLE Bridge construction 2010 for a ring road project

BILFINGER BERGER RAIL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

WARSAW Construction of a 2-kilometer 2012 railway tunnel to the airport

WARSAW Modernization of the 2012 Warsaw Stadium train station

POZNAN Construction of a 2.5-kilometer 2012 tram line with a 1.1-kilometer

tunnel

Construction of motorways and expressways Completed

Under construction

Planned

GDANSK

GOLDAP

ZAMBROWRADZYMIN-WYSKOW

RAWA MAZOWIECKA

KONIN

TORUN

POZNAN

KĘDZIERZYN-KOŹLE

KRAKOW

BRESLAU

SZCZECIN

ŁÓDŹ

WARSAW

34 \\ CULTURE Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 35

THE JAZZ SCENE IN POLAND IS LIVELIER THAN IN ANY OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRY: A STROLL THROUGHKRAKOW, THE CAPITAL OF OFFBEAT.

T E X T / U S C H I E N T E N M A N N / / /P H OTO S / P I OT R K Ł O S E K / I VO S AG L I E T T I / B O G U S Ł AW M I E L E C

/// Friday evening in the Harris Piano Jazz Bar. Eighty guestsfill the cellar vault: Grey heads next to younger fans, even afew teenagers are on hand, moving in tempo to the music,the braces on their teeth gleaming as they smile. Young andold alike, all are with it, clapping wildly when one of the mu-sicians on stage has finished a solo — especially Piotr Baron,whose saxophone practically sings and who produces reso-nant riffs that ascend to lofty heights. Modern jazz at its bestin front of an audience that really appreciates a kind of mu-sic that, amidst all this virtuosity, has a particular hue of emo-tive and playful twists and turns. Even the percussion instru-ments seem to croon in a particular way when PrzemekJarosz, with sticks, felt-covered mallets and soft brushes,strokes, rubs and beats surprising melodies from the cymbalsand drums. “That’s Polish jazz,” says Marek Michalak.“Melodic and romantic — like we are.”

Marek sits at the very front of the stage, his trombone be-tween his knees, maintaining eye contact with Piotr, whonods to him. Marek puffs his cheeks, carefully feeling his wayinto the piece, softly playing a mere two bars; then he’s onhis feet, no longer able to stay seated, playing his solo in themidst of the audience, and finally jumping back on to thestage where he joins in with the rest of the group and theirmusic.

MUSIC FROM THE UNDERGROUNDDuring the course of the evening, Marek will involve himselfagain with a couple of other bands. If there’s one thing thatMarek loves more than women and vodka, it’s jam sessions.Until the wee hours of the morning, he’ll hop from one to theother jazz joint in Krakow’s historic district, looking for anyopportunity to jump in — no matter if it’s Benny Goodman-style swing or bebop, klezmer or New Orleans à la Louis Arm-strong. Everyone knows the 62-year-old music veteran whohas been on the scene since his early teens and, in the mean-time, is considered to be Poland’s best trombonist. He man-ages bands, rents out music equipment, organizes jazzevenings and is therefore always on tour — a musical hall-mark of the city between the old cloth halls of the market-place, Wawel Castle and the narrow streets of Kazimierz, theformer Jewish quarter.

POLITICS HAVE THE UPPER HAND IN WARSAW,BUT MUSIC RULES IN KRAKOW.POLSKI

JAZZ

A CONCERT AT THE DRUKARINIA CLUB: HANKA WÓJCIAK MIXES FOLKMUSIC FROM UPPER TATRA WITH JAZZ IMPROVISATIONS.

36 \\ CULTURE Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 37

“Krakow is the liveliest jazz city in Europe,” says Marek withenthusiasm. “The concentration of clubs, restaurants andcafés is even higher than that of New York or New Orleans!”The internationally unique attractions include the two hundred jazz clubs in the historic district whose venues are located in multistory vaulted cellars from the MiddleAges — here, down below, is where the music making takesplace in countless variations, dimly-lit with candlelight, as inU Muniaks, smartly styled and air conditioned as in Piec Art,or cool as in Harris Piano Jazz Bar. Taken all together, the con-tinuation of a highly diversified tradition that has its rootsin the roaring 1920s. Back then, the first music cafés anddance clubs appeared, modeled on Paris and Berlin, andswing that embodied a modern American cosmopolitanlifestyle.

During the Stalin era, jazz was forbidden, having been con-sidered a decadent way of making music that mirrored West-ern capitalism, and something that was even compared withpornography. However, state repression had the opposite ef-fect: It marked the real beginning of Polski Jazz, which con-tinued to flourish in the underground catacombs, bringingwith it a yearning for a freer world. Around 1954, the regimeadopted a somewhat more liberal attitude: In Poland, jazzwas finally publically allowed.

THE CROWD EATS, DRINKS AND DANCESMarek Michalak played, as early as the 1960s, in various jazzbands; during the 1970s, he was a star who helped loosen theconstraints on the people’s republic. He was permitted togive concerts abroad, played in almost all Western Europeancountries, was famed for his appearances at the celebratedSacramento jazz festival, and was paid well: “With what Iearned on one evening in the West, I could take care of myfamily for a whole month,” he relates, taking a sip of beer andchasing it with a vodka. “I was even able to buy a house. Andcould have afforded a couple more. Unfortunately, I drank themoney away.” Thankfully, one house is enough — most im-portantly, it’s located in Krakow: Warsaw is where politics isplayed out; Krakow is where the music plays — even if mostmusicians in Krakow earn, at best, 25 euros per evening.

On this evening, Gościniec’s cellar is jammed, and smellsstrongly of barscht and bigos, of sauerkraut and sausages.While the band plays old-time melodies, the crowd eats,drinks and dances. A short time later, Marek, in a bright redjacket, stands alongside the band and begins a solo that au-dibly fires up the musicians. Swing is, in any event, the thingnow, but the band can also bring the dancers to their feetwith boogie-woogie and then, to the gentle strains ofGershwin’s classic “Summertime,” bring them back to a slow,close dance. “Jazz isn’t simply jazz,” says Jarek Smietana, whoenjoys the hubbub in Gościniec. “In France, jazz is hip and

chic, in Germany it’s straightforward, but no matter where,you can sense blindly if it was written by a white or black mu-sician.”

“CHOPIN WAS A JAZZMAN”Smietana, a guitar player, has accompanied, over the pastforty years, practically every jazz legend the world over. He re-cently returned from a three week tour through China andJapan, during which he accompanied star violinist NigelKennedy, with whom he was able to display the full gamutof his virtuosity. Like Kennedy, who has no problem mixing

classical and rock music, Jarek Smietana dismantles the bar-rier between old and new music. One of his musical gems isan adaptation of the theme from the Revolutionary Etude byPolish national hero Frederic Chopin, embedded in the dis-sonant sounds of rock star Jimi Hendrix. Would Chopin haveapproved? Smietana’s answer comes swiftly and clearly: “Nodoubt about it: Chopin was a jazz musician!”

It’s shortly after midnight. On the next side street, Marekenters the cellar of Janusz Muniak, an older musician whohas also played with numerous great jazz names and, for

around twenty years now, has been appearing every weekendin his own cellar. At this late hour, only ten guests are still sit-ting around, beer glasses on the table in front of them. Onstage, the musicians have begun to pack up their instru-ments. No chance here of joining in a number. Time to gohome? Marek moves on: Maybe it’s not too late to stop by fora quick nightcap in Club Plastika, where the veterans from theOld Metropolitan Band, who he knows since his days at themusic academy, are appearing. “The average age in the groupis around seventy,” he says, sighing, “and they play mostly Dix-ieland, which is a bit too banal for me.” However, recently a

young female singer has been stirring up the old boys. “Elz-bieta Kulpa, an amazingly hot number!” says Marek, as hewalks into the club. Lo and behold, the place is full, even thedance floor, and on stage, in the middle of the old hands, Elz-bieta’s black hair whips about while she sings like a bluesgoddess on high heels, all the while swaying her hips.

Directly below her, near the edge of the stage, Marek takesa seat. When she begins to sing “Sweet Georgia Brown,” heorders a bottle of vodka. And puts his trombone to his lips.

//

AGE IS IRRELEVANT IN KRAKOW’S JAZZ SCENE: MAREKMICHALAK WAITS TO GO ON STAGE WITH THE BOBA JAZZ BAND(PICTURE ABOVE).

THE JAZZ PLAYED BY THE PRZEMEK KLECZKOWSKI BAND IS INSPIRED BY ROCK AND WORLD MUSIC.

38 \\ THERMOGRAPHY Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012

IMAGES BY BILFINGER BERGER SUBSIDIARYBIS IZOMAR.T E X T / TA N JA K R Ä M E R / / /

/// When it comes to thermal imaging, the experts at BISIzomar are true artists. Not content with capturing theworld as we see it with our eyes, the technical wizards atthis Polish subsidiary of Bilfinger Berger reveal the truthhidden beneath the surface. The fact is, though, that in theirappetite for color they are more like detectives thanartists.

The staff at BIS Izomar knows all about insulation andfireproofing. But they also have another extremely usefulservice to offer: thermographic diagnostics.

All surfaces emit electromagnetic radiation in the in-frared range of the spectrum, which can be rendered visi-ble with the aid of special cameras. Since the intensity ofthe radiation depends on the temperature of the object, theresulting images exhibit varying colors that are determinedby the degree of heat. This allows weak points to be iden-tified that could otherwise lead to long-term damage.

“This method enables us to take measurements even inplaces that are hard to reach,” explains Adam Lisowski, oneof the experts at BIS Izomar. For power stations and high-voltage cable installations in particular, thermography is anideal way to ascertain the need for repairs and identify wearand tear before it’s too late.

The technique produces fascinating images with a dif-ferent perspective on reality. Is it art or is it science? Well,yes to both. After all, every scientist has an artistic side.

// 39

BOILING BRIGHTLYThe violet areas in this image of apower station boiler indicate goodinsulation. The white spots on theright-hand side are uninsulatedpressure vessels. However, thecrescent-shaped red and yellowpatches on the left reveal exces -sively high temperatures. Aninvestigation showed that theaccess shaft into the boiler hadbeen incorrectly installed: themanhole was repaired and theproblem was solved.

ART OF TECHNOLOGY

// 4140 \\ THERMOGRAPHY Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012

GREEN TECHNOLOGYThe number of thermalbridges — visible as red, yellowand white patches — is a sign ofpoor insulation. This image con-vinced the operator of a com -bined heat and power station inWarsaw to upgrade the thermalinsulation as part of the sched -uled repair program.

FILTERING ERRORSThis image was taken after anelectrostatic filter had been insu-lated. Warm areas show up clear-ly in white, yellow and red. Oneof these (the round patch) is caused by a built-in measuringprobe. However, the horizontalarea shows that the insulatingmineral wool mats were wronglystitched together at this point.They were replaced.

42 \\ ECONOMY IN THE COUNTRYSIDE Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 43

SEXY DOILIESIN A SMALL VILAGE IN THE CARPATHIANS, LACE DOILIES HAVE BEEN CROCHETED FOR MANY GENERATIONS.

A FEW YEARS AGO, A NEW PRODUCT WAS INTRODUCED: CROCHETED SEXY LINGERIE. BUT THIS DIDN’T NECESSARILY CONTRIBUTE TO PEACE IN THE VILLAGE.

T E X T / A N N A H U N G E R / / / P H OTO S / U L I R E I N H A R DT

PIONEER MAŁGOR Z ATA STANSZEK (LEFT) WITH ONE OF HER COLLEAGUES.

/// Colorful houses on a steep, deep-green hillside, connectedby a single, curvy road: This is Koniakow in the Carpathianmountains. The village boasts a gleaming white church, a postoffice that also serves as a grocery store and three lace muse-ums. The museum devoted to Helena Kamieniarz can be foundin the fourth curve; it has several rooms whose walls are wall-papered with examples of the extremely fine needlework.

Helena Kamieniarz, who died five years ago, was the “Iron Lady” of the Koniakow lace works. In her role as chairperson ofthe crocheting commission, the diminutive woman with herhorn-rimmed glasses kept watch over who was able to provide

the kind of handcrafted quality fine enough to carry the Koni-akow lace label. In a photo she can be seen wearing a seriousface next to a huge tablecloth that she crocheted for Pope JohnPaul II. In another photo, in which she is even more serious, sheis standing next to a scarf, two meters long, that she made forQueen Elizabeth II.

In 2003, during a visit to France — where exactly, no oneknows for sure — Helena Kamieniarz was addressed by the lo-cal mayor with the words: “Ah, you come from Koniakow! Isn’tthat the place with the g-strings and thongs?” HelenaKamieniarz was appalled. Apparently, a few women had cro-

44 \\ ECONOMY IN THE COUNTRYSIDE Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 45

PROPONENT OF THE OLD SCHOOL: MIE CZ YSŁAW KAMIENIARZ

THE WORK IS MORE ENJOYABLE WHEN DONE COLLECTIVELY.

ness and just the right length had to be found. Initially, Małgorzata Stanszek crocheted only for herself, and a shorttime later for her neighbors and friends. And since they all likedthe thongs so much, they too began to crochet them. When thecrochet queen herself, Helena Kamieniarz, returned from hertrip to France and started her search for the thong culprits, theguilty women had already ascertained that the sexy pantieshad begun to generate respectable sales. The group had also setup a marketing homepage that transformed their crochetedworks into provocative lingerie worn by models.

CULTURAL CLASH IN KONIAKOWA terrible disagreement broke out between MałgorzataStanaszek and Helena Kamieniarz, between the young Koni-akow and the old Koniakow, concerning the question whethersuch a respectful and untainted cultural artifact like Koniakowlace should be allowed to “vanish” between butt cheeks. Thethong makers remained steadfast and continued to crochet.

The situation attracted TV reporters to the area to whom Helena Kamieniarz poured out her heart about just how cul-turally subversive she found the g-strings to be — traditional-ly, only white was used for crocheting, eggshell on the rare oc-casion! — and, moreover, how utterly impertinent it was todare and call them Koniakow lace. Małgorzata Stanaszek, on the

cheted, in a manner of speaking behind her back, and thus wil-fully dared to threaten a 150-year-old tradition. After all, thewomen of Koniakow, with their tiny needles, had crocheted forthe Vatican, royalty and even for Lech Walesa. And now thongs!

IT STARTED AS A JOKEAt some point during the 1990s, the lace doily business was nolonger profitable; many in modern Poland considered them tobe old-fashioned. On a Saturday afternoon in 2003, lacemakerMałgorzata Stanaszek, in her late-twenties at the time, a slen-der, robust woman with a long ponytail, sat with her girlfriendsin the local pub and complained about the dwindling generalinterest in doilies, and the dwindling income of the lacemak-ers in the area, which itself wasn’t exactly a hot-spot of theeconomy. Suddenly, someone at the table spoke up, saying, well,if doilies are a thing of the past, why not crochet thongs? A joke,of course. And they all had a good laugh.

The next day, however, Małgorzata Stanaszek, while sittingon her mother’s brown sofa, surrounded by pistachio-greenwallpaper and under the watchful gaze of the Madonna in hergolden frame, crocheted her first thong. It was red and wasformed from dozens of shapes that looked like mini wagonwheels. The narrow string for the fanny was especially challeng-ing, relates Małgorzata Stanaszek: After all, a comfortable thick-

other hand, presented the same reporters with a range of col-orful lingerie with artistic floral ornamentation.

Overnight, women from Germany, the Netherlands, the USand even the United Arab Emirates sent in their orders. In a vainattempt to divert attention, the (female!) mayor pointed outthe village’s traditional logging contest, the folk dance groups,the talented village choir, that attracted so many tourists. Eventhe pastor himself did his best before the TV cameras, since He-lena Kamieniarz had publically demanded that the g-string crochet rebels be banned from the church. At the time the pas-tor said, in a conciliatory gesture, that if the work provided thewomen with a chance to earn some money, then their handi-craft was okay. Today, he prefers to say no more about it all, ex-cept: “No matter what I say about it, it will always be the wrongthing.”

Especially the elderly women in the village, where everyhousehold has a portrait of the pope, were happy that the pas-tor had given his consent, and that the act of crocheting thethongs didn’t represent an obstacle to their holy salvation. Andso Małgorzata Stanaszek was able to attract more and morelacemakers, currently up to one hundred, who earn more withthongs than they would with eggshell-colored doilies. Untilthey began with lingerie, the crocheting women needed up totwo weeks for a single tablecloth, for which they received

around €60. Now they earn €70 and more per dainty panty andpetite bikini, which are created from a combination of tradi-tional and new patterns. Business is flourishing. And becausethey have become so well known through their lingerie, therehas also been an increase in doily sales.

Mieczysław Kamieniarz, 76 years old, who devotedly tends to the treasured mementos dedicated to his wife HelenaKamieniarz, stands amidst an array of doilies in the small mu-seum. He points to a collection of orders of merit that his wifewas awarded — two for the preservation of folk culture and one,he claims, for having so valiantly fought against the thongs. Hetells the story of how his wife traveled to England to personal-ly present the Queen with the scarf in Buckingham Palace, andhow he learned to wash, cook and clean, because his wife didnothing but crochet and prevent the spread of lingerie in Ko-niakow.

But wait, what’s that? At the very back of the shelf, hiddenbetween lace tablecloths and bed spreads, a small lilac-coloredpanty is barely discernible. His granddaughter’s friend cro-cheted it, explains Mieczysław Kamieniarz gruffly, stuffing hishands into his pockets and looking moodily to the floor. How-ever, on closer look, his expression suggests a slight smile at thecorners of his mouth. After all, Mieczysław Kamieniarz says ina gruff voice, they’re not that ugly. //

Exhaust

CycloneCyclone

FuelSand

IS HOME TO THE WORLD’S LARGEST BIOMASS POWER STATION. BILFINGER BERGER IS MAKING THE BOILER FIRE-RESISTANT.

T E X T / B E R N D H AU S E R / / / P H OTO S / A DA M PA Ń CZ U K

/// Imagine a roaring sandstorm accompa-nied by a huge fire blazing at 850 degrees Cel-sius, both raging inside a boiler as tall as acathedral. This is the perfect storm that willsoon be incessantly battering the walls of the combustion chamber in Połaniec. By theend of 2012 the “green unit” at this power station in southeast Poland will be generating190 megawatts of power — enough to supply400,000 households with electricity. The con-flagration will be fed exclusively with woodchips and pellets derived from agriculturalwaste. The French utility company GDF Suezwill thus be operating the largest biomasspower plant in the world.

For a long time, the complexities of usingwood chips and pelletized straw, fruit peelingsand other organic material to generate elec-tricity on this scale were regarded as too great.Now, however, boiler manufacturer FosterWheeler has found a way to harness these fuels with its circulating fluidized bed technol-ogy. In the CFB process, quartz sand trapped inside the boiler makes a decisive difference.Propelled by a blast of air, the sand swirls in-side the boiler. As the fuel is added, it is carriedupward and the chips and pellets are con-sumed in a firestorm — not at the base of the boiler, but while it is rising up through the chamber.

REDUCING CALCIUM PARTICLESWhen the sand and any unburned biomassreaches the top of the boiler, a cyclone effectcauses it to fall back to the bottom — only to beswept up again as the action repeats itself. This process guarantees complete combustionwith low emissions: Chalk particles bind thesulfur and the constant, comparatively lowcombustion temperature makes for a corre-spondingly low level of nitrogen oxide exhaust.

The heat is transferred to the wall of theboiler, the inside of which is lined with closelypacked tubes about as thick as an arm. Thesteam carried inside the pipes is heated to over500 degrees Celsius before it is routed to theturbine.

Fluidization air

Boiler

Fuel syphon

PRINCIPLE OF FLUIDIZED BED COMBUSTION

Experts from BIS Izomar, a Polish subsidiary ofBilfinger Berger, have made the principle of thecirculating fluidized bed a reality by claddingthe boiler with fireproof material. The specialconcrete with a high aluminum oxide contentcan withstand temperatures of up to 1,500 de-grees Celsius. However, it is not just a matterof the heat. The concrete is mainly intended toprotect against abrasion: The CFB pro cess actslike a huge sand blaster ceaselessly fir ing myr-iads of quartz grains against the walls.

AS CAREFUL AS CARPENTERSThe boiler has multiple inlets and outlets, andthe cladding must accommodate each com-plex shape. For the most part, the protectivelayer can only be between 2.5 and 4 centime-ters thick, and is nevertheless expected to con-serve the membrane wall for decades. If thelayer is too thin, it will wear away too quickly.If it is too thick, the transfer of heat to thesteam pipes will be impaired.

Refractoring work like this requires maxi-mum precision: The three dozen specialistsfrom BIS Izomar, many of them trained carpen-ters, create the formwork with the care nor-mally reserved for fine furniture. The walls ofthe boiler are divided up into sections around70 centimeters square. Forms are made indi-vidually for each section and the special con-crete packed in by hand. It will take 6 monthsbefore the thousands of sections and all the in-lets and outlets in the boiler are fire and abra-sion-proof.

Once the power station is operational, theboiler will consume 890,000 tons of woodchips and 220,000 tons of pelletized agricul-tural waste per year. Half of the constructioncosts, estimated at €240 million, is being fi-nanced by the European Investment Bank, giv-en the potential of the project to safeguardboth energy supplies and the environment. Atpresent, around 90 percent of Poland’s electric-ity needs are being met by coal, which is moreharmful to the environment. The new climate-neutral biomass power station will avert 1.2million tons of CO2 emissions otherwise re-leased by burning fossil fuels. //

Ash re -circulation

46 \\ TECHNOLOGY Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 47

A PERFECT STORM

A LOOK INSIDE THE COMBUSTIONCHAMBER: THE NEW “GREEN UNIT”HAS A CAPACITY OF 190MW.

ALL MATERIALS — AND THE WORKERS THEMSELVES — MUST PASS THROUGH A SMALL ENTRANCE TO THE CHAMBER.

// 49

OFFSHORE FOUN DATIONS

PRODUCTION PLANTS IN POLANDBilfinger Berger Civil, together with Polish partners, has estab -lish ed a joint venture for the production of steel foundations foroffshore wind turbines. The foundations will be manufactured ata plant near Stettin. Joint venture partners are steel constructionspecialists Crist and the state-owned investment fund MARS.

Bilfinger Berger is thus not only in a position to install steelfound ations on the open seas, but can now also produce them it-self in advance. As a result of the deeper vertical integration, thecompany intends to solidify its leading market position in the con-struction of offshore wind turbines over the long term.

OPPORTUN ITI ES I N TH E RUSSIAN POWER PLANT MARKET

JOINT VENTURE WITH TYAZHMASHUnder the name Bilfinger Babcock Tyazhmash, Bilfinger Berger hasentered a joint venture with Tyazhmash, the Russian power plantoutfitter. “Russia will be investing substantially in the moderniza - tion of its energy supply in order to further expand its economy. Together with our partner we want to seize the opportunities thatarise from this,” explains Roland Koch. The main focus is on signifi-cantly improving both efficiency and environmental compatibilityin the modernization of generally decades-old power plants. Bilfin-ger Berger is contributing its expertise in firing and boiler techno-logy to the joint venture.

N EW NAME, N EW LOGO

BILFINGER BERGER TO BECOME BILFINGER Bilfinger Berger has undergone a significant transformation in re-cent years. In addition to the construction business, acquisitions have helped develop a services business which now accounts for 80percent of the Group’s output volume. But most of the services com-panies that have been acquired continue to operate under their oldnames — the fact that they are a part of the Bilfinger Berger Groupis not visible on the market.

This is about to change. The company name will be shortened toBilfinger and will precede all Group brands in the future. BilfingerBerger’s brand awareness will increase noticeably as a result. On thestock exchange, the company will switch from the constructionsector to the services sector. A new logo underscores thereposition ing.

CONSULTI NG AN D ENGI N EERI NG

ACQUISITION OF TEBODINBilfinger Berger has acquired the Dutch firmTebodin B.V. with headquarters in The Hague.Tebodin is a leading European provider of con-sulting and engineering services. The compa-ny has a workforce of 3,200 and an annualoutput volume of €225 million.

Tebodin offers a broad range of engineer -ing services in various markets. These includegeneral and detailed planning of plants as

well as project management, procurementand construction supervision. The company’sclient list includes international companies inthe process industry as well as clients in thechemicals industry, the energy productionsector and in environmental technology. Theregional focus is on Europe, the Middle Eastand Asia-Pacific.

I N DUSTRIAL SERVICES

ENTRY INTO INDIAN MARKETWith the acquisition of the Indian company Neo Structo in Surat,Bilfinger Berger has positioned itself in the Asian growth market forindustrial services.

With 1,600 employees and an annual output volume of €60 mil-lion, Neo Structo is among the up and coming providers of main-tenance, manufacturing and installation services for facilities in theprocess industry. Its customers include a number of major interna-tional conglomerates in the process industry which Bilfinger Ber-ger also serves in other countries as well as large Indian companiesin the sector. Neo Structo is highly profitable.

Neo Structo will serve as a springboard for the further expan si-on of Bilfinger Berger’s business activities in India. The company isactive in all of the country’s most important industrial regions andhas a geographic focus on the State of Gujarat, the center of the pro-cess industry.

MAGN ETS FOR H EAVY ION RESEARCH

FAIR PARTICLE ACCELERATOR Babcock Noell, subsidiary of Bilfinger Berger, will manufacture 113non-planar supra conducting magnets for the accelerator centerFAIR in Darmstadt, a research facility at the GSI Helmholtz Centerfor Heavy Ion Research. The magnets keep atoms that are accelera-ted by electrical fields on a fixed path. The experiments are de -signed to provide insight into the structure of matter and the ori-gin of the universe.

POWER PLANT MODERN IZATION I N EASTERN EUROPE

CONTRIBUTION TO CLIMATE PROTECTIONBilfinger Berger Power Services will modernize all three boilers atthe lignite-burning power plant TPP Bitola for JSC MacedonianPower Plants. The order has a volume of about €90 million and also covers long-term repair and maintenance of the facility. TPPBitola is the most important power plant in Macedonia and pro-vides more than three-quarters of the country’s electricity needs.

Bilfinger Berger has also received an order from Romania’s stateutility CEN Craiova to equip the lignite-burning power plant Isal-nita with modern flue gas desulfurization systems. The project,with a total volume of €75 million and a contract period of abouttwo years, is to be carried out together with a regional partner.

In the countries of Eastern Europe, great efforts are being un-dertaken to fulfill established climate protection requirements. Inthe next five years, up to 30 conventional power plants in EasternEuropean countries are to be modernized. Bilfinger Berger seesgood prospects to benefit from these developments.

PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTN ERSH I P

POLICE FACILITIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOMA consortium led by Bilfinger Berger Project Investments has been cho-sen as preferred bidder for four privately-financed police properties inthe United Kingdom. The project company, in which Bilfinger Bergerholds a 70 percent stake, will design, finance, build and operate thefacilities. These will comprise a police operations base, a firearms train -ing center, three separate custody and crime investigation centers pro-viding 132 cells as well as two police stations in southwest England.The concession is for a period of 25 years. The investment volumeamounts to around €95 million.

MA JOR ORDERS FOR BI LFI NGER BERGER

NEW BERLIN URBAN RAIL LINEBilfinger Berger will construct a new underground rail line and a linkbetween the main station and the urban rail ring. The projects have a combined volume of approximately €230 million.

The new U5 line will link the Alexanderplatz with the main sta -ti-on and connect the Brandenburg Gate to the U55. The project, on be-half of Berlin’s transportation authority, comprises the constructionof two tunnel tubes approximately 1.6 kilometers in length along withframework construction work for a track-switching system and thetwo new stations “Museum Island” and “Unter den Linden.”

For the new stretch of the S21 which connects the main stationto Berlin’s ring line in a north-south direction, a joint venture underthe leadership of Bilfinger Berger will construct, on behalf of Deut-sche Bahn, a trough structure and several tunnel sections.

U6

parliament

CENTER

tiergarten

main station

branden-burg gate

unter den lindenmuseumisland

U8

U8

cityhall

U

UU U

U

U2

Ualexander-platz

U

U5 UUU

U

U55

U

48 \\ NEWS Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012

50 \\ PORTRAIT Bilfinger Berger Magazine // 02 2012 // 51// 51

/// Do you ever get homesick?Ten years ago I was in Berlin for a month. During this time,I didn’t speak or hear a word of Polish. That was the firsttime in my life that I missed my mother tongue and myfriends. Before that time, it wasn’t clear to me howstrongly I need my native country.During your childhood, what was your greatest joy?Those who grew up in the former Eastern Bloc will proba-bly be able to relate to my feelings: When, after standingin line for four hours, I managed to buy two kilos ofsausages — that was a great feeling. I was so proud whenI was asked on my way home how I was able to get so manysausages!Do you have a favorite memory?The birth of each of my three children. Today, Maja is nine,Adam is seven and Maksymilian is five.In what way should your children follow in your footsteps?They should do what they really want to do.Can you imagine living the way an animal does?Yes, as a black martin. Because it spends its whole life in theair. But as a human being, I at least have windsurfing. Are you on friendly footing with nature?Yes. My contact with nature takes place mostly throughsports, while windsurfing, skiing and mountain biking. Na-ture helps me recognize my personal limits. What do you fear?That I might actually become fearful.What could you do without?Everything, if it were to help my family.Do you have a role model?People who exhibit strong sensitivity towards others, andwho have a sense of purpose. What do you like best about your work?Thinking.What can you only tolerate with humor?The differing attitude that I and my wife have when itcomes to tidiness and messiness.

Is there anything you regret not having finished?First I played the piano, then the church organ: The factthat I stopped my musical training is something I regret tothis day.Do you sometimes sing?My daughter says that I always sing. Mostly melodies thatI practice with her on the flute. What trait do you find admirable in a man?When he has understanding for women. But I have rarelymet a man who is worth admiring in this respect.What trait do you find admirable in a woman?Many. For example, their intuition. Sometimes, when a cou-ple has mutual plans, the “woman” changes her mind, sim-ply on the basis of a feeling, a premonition — and, after awhile, it turns out she was right. Your favorite word?Tatu. The Polish word for papa. In your opinion, what is overrated?The verbal influence that parents have on their children.They are more influential through their actions.Is there a poem that you recite by heart? Which one?Yes. Pani Twardowska by Adam Mickiewicz. It’s about a no-bleman who sells his soul to the devil in order to be ableto do magic for two years. When the devil comes to take hissoul after his time is up, the nobleman has three challengesfor him. The first: The devil must bring a horse in a paint-ing to life. Second: The devil must jump into a basin of holywater. Third: The devil must spend a year with the noble-man’s wife — a challenge that is obviously too difficult forthe devil who jumps through the keyhole, freeing the no-bleman from his time in hell. Your motto?Don’t hesitate to get together with people and experiencethings, because soon it might be too late.When was the last time you did a somersault?That’s something I do almost every day. //

WITOLD NYCZ COULD HAVE BECOME A MUSICIAN, BUT THINGS TURNED OUTDIFFERENTLY FOR HIM: FOR 18 YEARS NOW, THE ENGINEER HAS BEEN WORK -ING FOR BIS IZOMAR, A BILFINGER BERGER GROUP COMPANY. THE 41-YEAR-OLD IS HEAD OF THE REFRACTORY WORKS DIVISION.

I N T E RV I E W / C H R I ST I N E S KOW R O N OW S K I / / / P H OTO / C H R I STO P H P Ü S C H N E R

AROUND 60,000 PEOPLE WORLDWIDEWORK FOR BILFINGER BERGER. EACH OF

THEM HAS THEIR OWN STORY TO TELL.

WITOLDNYCZ

www.magazine.bilfinger.com