Two people wearing safety helmets, with a tablet and a plan, on a marked construction area in front of a drilling rig.

Explosive ordnance survey for brownfield development

When a previously used site is to be redeveloped, buildings, foundations and construction phases are often not yet fully defined. FONTANA-EOD works with you to check what the existing explosive ordnance documents already cover and which information is missing for the next planned groundworks. If the location or depth changes later, these changes are compared with the previous results.

Development objective

Describe the proposed new use and initial groundworks.

Available knowledge

Record reports together with their survey scope.

Further definition

Compare changed areas and depths.

Environment, contaminated land and geotechnics

Connect the next development decision with existing findings

For brownfield development, the first step is to establish which explosive ordnance documents are available for the intended initial ground interventions. Investigation, demolition and later construction may concern different survey volumes. FONTANA-EOD defines the explosive ordnance assignment according to the specific construction task and keeps outstanding areas identifiable for later planning phases.

Investigation task

Align the explosive ordnance task with the next development phase

Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Separate early investigation from later construction

Brownfield development often begins with individual ground investigations while the later structural design remains open. Describe the groundworks currently intended in specific terms. Possible later options remain separately identifiable. This allows the survey scope to be related to the next decision without presenting an overall development that has not yet been defined as fully assessed.

Select services for the next groundworks
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Relate existing conditions to the plan

Known foundations, utilities and made ground are assigned using the available documents. Unclear areas remain identified. The specialist planning takes these conditions into account when selecting the survey. A site that appears clear above ground does not by itself establish either undisturbed ground or a particular capability of the measurements.

Coordinate methods according to the actual existing conditions
Two people discussing plans at a table beside a vehicle on a construction site.

Record demolition and new groundworks

The ground volume actually affected may change during the transition from demolition to infrastructure works. Show additional trenches, working areas and foundations in the new plan. Existing results are checked in relation to them. A shared project designation does not replace the comparison of location, depth and documented survey scope.

Compare new groundworks with existing reports

Prepare initial ground interventions and later construction separately

At the start of site development, not all structures or uses are usually defined. Nevertheless, drilling, demolition or individual infrastructure works may already be imminent. Work is organised around these specific decisions, rather than treating an overall design that remains open as a ready-to-execute survey assignment.

Two monitors displaying aerial photographs and maps; further aerial photograph printouts lie on the desk.

Establishing the planning basis

Historical information, previous uses and existing surveys are brought together. Missing documents remain identifiable as gaps. The brownfield designation alone establishes neither suspected explosive ordnance nor any particular contamination of the site.

Historical aerial photograph analysis for areas with suspected ordnance
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Investigation and demolition

Planned ground investigations and demolition involving ground intervention are described by location and depth. Site conditions may change during this work. Which survey is appropriate before or after a demolition stage is agreed according to the actual task.

Select services for investigation and demolition
Two people discussing plans at a table beside a vehicle on a construction site.

Infrastructure works and new construction

Later roads, utilities and foundations may affect ground volumes not previously covered. Early surveys are compared with the updated design. This keeps it clear which findings can continue to be used and what needs further clarification.

Compare earlier surveys with the new plan

Limit an early enquiry to the next decision

The entire development project does not need to be fully designed for an initial discussion. However, the immediate reason should be specified: assessing documents, preparing initial ground investigations or surveying a defined construction phase.

Documents before an investment decision

The existing explosive ordnance reports are collected together with their appendices and spatial limits. This shows which findings are already available. Outstanding questions are identified and assigned to the development decision that requires them. Initial investigation, a demolition phase and later new construction may concern different survey volumes. For each phase, the findings needed before it begins and the areas that will only become accessible later are described. Existing results remain linked to their processing stage and appendices. This allows planners and the client to commission the necessary additions in a targeted way. Uses that have not yet been decided are identified as options; they are not mixed with planning that is already ready for execution. State whether interim uses are intended that could restrict access to later survey areas.

Demolition changes the site

Planning distinguishes the conditions before and after demolition. Removed installations may change accessibility; new ground interventions may raise additional questions. An earlier survey remains limited to its actual scope. Document changes relevant to the survey, such as removed foundations, remaining underground structures, opened-up hard surfaces or newly placed materials. After demolition, some sources of interference may disappear while other components continue to affect measurements. Before deployment, the specialist contractor receives information about the actual conditions. Where previously inaccessible areas become available, the appropriate and commissioned survey is clarified. A demolition notification and an explosive ordnance results report answer different questions; each is assigned to the relevant work phase.

Planning becomes more detailed

The new design is compared with earlier results. The affected areas and depths are considered, rather than automatically repeating work on every unchanged part of the project. Additional services address the actual gaps.

A changed construction design may involve additional working volumes, utility connections and temporary ground interventions. Identify these together with the final structures. The review compares the new spatial task with existing results and describes remaining gaps. Even for areas where the plan is unchanged, it must remain clear which report supports further planning.

Record which additional specialist works have been agreed and when the results are needed for the next construction phase. This connects the planning change, survey assignment and subsequent execution. When plans change, also identify the planning contact so that questions about the geometry can be clearly resolved before the affected work.

Context

Which explosive ordnance documents are available for the next construction phase

At an early development stage, the initial question may be which explosive ordnance documents are available and which spatial gaps they leave. Later, investigation points, demolition areas or foundations, for example, become defined. These tasks require different information. An early assessment must remain assigned to the planning stage on which it was based. For later groundworks, check whether their areas and depths fall within the documented scope.

The German Environment Agency's 2026 report on brownfield redevelopment considers information-related, technical, legal and economic issues together. Explosive ordnance planning is coordinated with these other tasks. The brownfield designation alone says nothing about specific explosive ordnance contamination or the suitability of a particular survey.

Person wearing an orange high-visibility vest on an open area of ground with small soil heaps and pink ground markings; residential buildings stand in the background.
Project-specific tasks

Clarify survey requirements before the first groundworks

01

Review existing documents against the planned use

State which decision is next and how precisely the future ground interventions have already been defined. Compile existing aerial photographic assessments, explosive ordnance reports and site plans. Identify use options that remain open. The survey scope is defined according to the agreed task and checked again when plans become more detailed.

02

Show ground investigations and preparatory earthworks on the plan

As soon as ground investigations, demolition or preparatory earthworks are planned, their locations and intervention depths must be specified. Even a measure intended to support further planning may already intervene in the ground. Assign the available findings to it and clarify with the responsible specialists which requirements remain to be met before that step.

03

Compare changed buildings and foundations again

An earlier plan may be superseded by new building shapes, changed foundations or different connections to ground levels. Check which changes actually create new or deeper ground interventions. A report remains usable insofar as its survey scope covers the planned intervention. Filing it in a new project record does not extend its scope.

Link the survey and construction task in the project records

When redeveloping previously used sites, it must remain traceable which ground interventions a result concerns. The documentation brings together the initial data, the survey actually carried out and its conclusions. A property designation or brief completion note is insufficient to assess later changes to the construction project.

Retain documents with their scope

Existing site plans, historical assessments and earlier survey reports are provided with their dates and appendices. Location and elevation references are important for initial investigation points, demolition areas and later construction areas. Undocumented assumptions are recorded as outstanding information. This makes it clear when selecting methods which statements are based on documents and which conditions still need clarification.

Record the work actually carried out

The areas surveyed, methods used and departures identified are assigned to the construction revision implemented. An inaccessible area or an area where data cannot be evaluated is not summarised as completed. Changes during fieldwork also belong in the result documents. This distinguishes the report's assessment from a survey originally planned but not carried out.

Hand over results for the next construction phase

The handover identifies the surveyed volume, the applicable conditions and outstanding questions. A changed development plan or an additional ground intervention after demolition must then be compared with this scope. Those involved must be able to recognise whether existing findings still apply or supplementary work is needed. A statement about the surveyed area must not be extended to further areas or greater intervention depths without checking.

Retain findings through changes in planning and ownership

A development site may pass through several parties and work phases. Complete documents are more helpful for later decisions than a single summary sentence from an earlier discussion.

Complete reports

Reports are handed over with site plans, appendices and limitations. Without these parts, a spatial statement may be misunderstood. The original survey question remains identifiable.

Open development options

Undecided options are recorded as such. An area merely considered must not appear to be a scheme that was actually surveyed. The plan version belongs with each specific conclusion.

Handover to new parties

When planning or project responsibility changes, completed and outstanding areas are handed over together. The next party does not then need to reconstruct the technical limits from scattered individual communications. Required follow-up surveys and exposure works are assigned to the affected areas. Recovery of confirmed explosive ordnance is coordinated with the permitted scope of activities and local responsibilities. After actual exposure or clearance work, the corresponding findings and clearance records are included.

Next steps

Hand over documents and prepare the next survey

01

Send the current plan and complete reports

Send the current overview plan and a brief description of the intended new use. Mark ground interventions already defined and options still open. Pass on existing specialist reports in full, including their appendices, so that findings and spatial references can actually be traced. Historical documents and existing aerial photograph assessments are also part of the initial discussion. Their assessment area and any further assessments required feed into subsequent survey planning. If historical questions remain open, supplementary records of site use are researched and suitable wartime aerial photographs are assessed where available. The findings and limits of the assessment are assigned to the ground intervention now planned.

02

Clarify the information needed for the next ground intervention

Not every outstanding question has the same significance for the immediately forthcoming construction activity. Seek specialist clarification of which information is needed first and which task can only be meaningfully described once plans become more detailed. Whether a survey is necessary is clarified by specialists for the particular ground intervention.

03

Record results and outstanding areas for handover

After each agreed step, record the results and areas that remain outstanding. If the planning team or owner changes, the corresponding original reports should remain available. A brief overview helps with orientation but does not replace the specialist findings and their limits.

Update explosive ordnance work as planning becomes more detailed

Early establishment of the baseline and later technical work complement each other. Each work step is documented with its task, plan version and survey volume.

1

Describe the initial task

The project developer and planners identify the next ground intervention or the decision required. Existing documents are read in relation to this task.

2

Take site conditions into account

Demolition, accessibility and technical installations are considered when choosing the method. The actual conditions must be established for fieldwork.

3

Agree the survey method

The method is selected according to the basis for suspicion, ground composition, intervention depth, interference and accessible areas. The planners and explosive ordnance specialist contractor align the survey scope with the actual site conditions and the next development step.

4

Carry out the investigation

The commissioned survey is carried out in the agreed investigation, demolition or construction phases. Measurement data, findings and limitations are recorded with location, depth and plan references.

5

Compare the new plan

After evaluation, the results are handed over with their limits. Later planning changes are compared with this documented survey scope. Specialist-evaluated measurement data and findings, outstanding areas and required follow-up measures form the basis for the next project decision.

Technical assessment

Check document provenance and current measurement conditions

Record the sources and plan versions behind the information

Historical documents, information about deposited fill and earlier surveys may come from different phases. Identify whether information comes from an original source, a later report or an assumption that has not yet been clarified. The BFR KMR provide for existing baseline information to be brought together and gaps relevant to further planning to be identified. Required surveys and protective measures are defined before preparatory ground interventions such as vegetation clearance, demolition, breaking up surfaces or creating access routes and working areas. Subareas that become accessible later are surveyed before the respective subsequent ground interventions.

Recheck measurement conditions after demolition

A site may become more accessible at a later stage, for example after demolition works prepared and coordinated by the relevant specialists. Then check how access and measurement conditions have changed and whether the existing explosive ordnance documentation still covers the planned ground intervention. The suitability of the method must relate to the actual conditions. For the measurability of a brownfield site remaining installations and made ground, for example, are relevant.

Commission explosive ordnance, geotechnical and contamination tasks separately

Ground conditions, contamination and explosive ordnance may concern the same development site. Nevertheless, they address different questions. State the explosive ordnance survey required and the specialist consultancies involved in your enquiry. Contaminated land remediation, ground investigation reports and the rest of the project development are independent tasks and must be commissioned separately.

Select methods according to the ground intervention and ground conditions

On previously used sites, installations, made ground and changing accessibility may affect the work. The choice of method follows the current construction task. Available site information, the survey objective and actual measurement conditions are considered together when making that choice.

Historical aerial photographs and documents

Assessment of historical aerial photographs and other documents helps establish suspected explosive ordnance hazards. It considers previous uses and identifiable indications in the investigation area. This provides a basis for deciding on further measures. It does not replace a technical survey of the ground and cannot describe every later fill or subsequent change.

Historical aerial photograph assessment for the construction area

Magnetometry and TDEM

Magnetic and electromagnetic surveys detect different physical properties. Utilities, steel parts, reinforcement and metal-bearing made ground can affect data evaluation. A signal is initially a survey finding, not a confirmed object identification. Method selection must therefore consider expected target objects, surroundings and actual data interpretability together. Magnetometry detects magnetic anomalies; TDEM detects time-dependent electromagnetic responses from electrically conductive objects.

Magnetometry and site conditions Assess electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Ground-penetrating radar adds information where the question and ground conditions are suitable. The discernible depth and distinguishability of structures depend, among other things, on ground conditions and existing installations. It is not a universal replacement for other survey methods. Whether a combination adds useful information is decided using the specific survey objective.

Ground-penetrating radar and its limitations

Downhole and deep-ground survey

For deeper interventions, an investigation from suitable borehole or survey points may be considered. The position, depth and technical execution of these points must be planned. A conclusion about one point or a limited area cannot be transferred to the next excavation merely because it is nearby. The report must identify the volume actually investigated. For individual borehole or foundation points, the volume of ground to be checked and the achievable measurement coverage are compared before defining a borehole grid. Necessary investigations and protective measures are determined before drilling. Casing, drilling depth and documentation are coordinated with the task and local conditions.

Coordinate deep-ground and borehole surveys

Excavation supervision and investigation of findings

Its use is defined in relation to the preceding investigations, the suspected hazard and the construction sequence. Unresolved areas, interfering installations and intended intervention depths must be discussed before work starts. Any necessary investigation of findings must be planned separately. Each working layer is technically surveyed and assessed before controlled removal in layers with supplementary visual inspection. The steps are repeated down to the agreed formation level. Excavation layers, stop signal, authority to give instructions, reporting routes and documentation are agreed with site management and specialist personnel before work starts.

Excavation supervision for the planned section Explosive ordnance recovery following technical clarification

A traceable basis for the next construction phase

For the development of previously used sites, traceable work on the specific ground interventions is what matters. FONTANA-EOD describes the agreed survey scope and the limits of the methods used. The conclusion is derived from the documents and results actually available. Unresolved information and restricted measurement conditions are assigned to the affected survey area.

The same design revision for planning and fieldwork

The planned ground interventions are maintained on an agreed site plan. Where changes occur, the revision replaced is recorded. This prevents the specialist contractor inadvertently working to older geometry while construction is already preparing a different ground intervention.

Distinguish survey findings from assessments

An anomalous signal is initially a finding requiring technical assessment. Conversely, difficult or unreliable data evaluation cannot be treated as a negative result. Useful further investigation is decided in view of the survey question and site conditions.

Agree handovers explicitly

The project developer and appointed planners receive the results and limitations needed for the next decision. For outstanding subareas, the information or measures still needed are clarified. This gives the project parties an identifiable handover point between survey, assessment and further execution.

Project sequence and coordination

Define the boundaries between development, specialist planning and the explosive ordnance assignment

Project development connects commercial and construction decisions. FONTANA-EOD surveys and documents the agreed explosive ordnance task. Overall development and its commercial assessment are the responsibility of the parties designated for them.

Project development

It identifies planning objectives, forthcoming decisions and available documents. During handovers or changes, it ensures that the information available remains traceable.

Planners and specialist consultancies

They describe investigation, demolition and new ground interventions. Environmental and geotechnical questions remain technically separate and are coordinated with the respective specialists.

Ordnance specialist contractor and responsible authorities

FONTANA-EOD surveys the agreed explosive ordnance scope and documents the limits of the findings. The responsibilities of authorities and for ordnance finds at the project location are taken into account.

In Germany, state ordnance disposal services and locally competent authorities carry out hazard response and find management. Their involvement and public-order or building-control tasks are established for the project location. Outside Germany, local responsibilities apply. Contacts, requirements and reporting are assigned to the specific works.

Documentation

Retain explosive ordnance documents with their corresponding plan versions

Assign each explosive ordnance document to the planning objective at that time and the areas actually worked on. This chronological assignment shows whether ground interventions added later had already been considered. Distinguish between an early review of documents, surveys carried out and tasks still outstanding.

For the next assignment, describe which questions remain to be investigated and which areas and depths are affected. Existing results establish what is already known and what a subsequent assignment can build on. On this basis, you can discuss the scope of services, costs and schedule with us.

Technical sources: BFR KMR: clearance planning with a clearance concept – introduction · BFR KMR: geophysics · BFR KMR: documentation · German Environment Agency: brownfield redevelopment, 2026 report

The Baufachliche Richtlinien Kampfmittelräumung contain requirements for historical and technical investigation, clearance concepts, procurement and documentation within their defined federal remit. Their application to the particular brownfield construction project, together with locally applicable requirements and responsibilities, is clarified separately.

Consider adjacent work tasks

Early investigation and later construction works require different information. Planned ground interventions are assigned to the corresponding findings with their location, depth and plan version.

Four people in orange high-visibility vests in front of two excavators on a construction site.
Construction phases

Carry specialist documents through the development stages

Basis for the next decision

Existing reports and the current state of knowledge are provided for the initial discussion. Unconfirmed assumptions remain identified. The parties specify the decision immediately ahead. This establishes which specialist question needs to be addressed now and which information is still missing for later construction activities.

Prepare the selected construction phase

Once a phase is defined, its ground interventions and depths are compared with existing documents. Access and working areas are coordinated. A traceable survey scope is established. Results are documented so that the next project phase can recognise the stage actually reached.

Hand over a project or subarea

When the planners or ownership change, reports remain linked to their original appendices. The handover distinguishes areas already worked on, outstanding questions and later options. A brief project summary does not replace the specialist documents. Subsequent work can then be focused on what is needed in relation to existing findings.

Project site

Clearly relate the former site to new construction phases

Illustrated map of Germany with location markers on a construction site.

Connect historical and current designations

State the property, subarea and current project designation. Different names in older reports are assigned to the current plan. Add the contacts responsible for development and specialist planning. The regional overview helps with orientation; a specialist survey needs the precise spatial reference.

Two people discussing plans at a table beside a vehicle on a construction site.

Retain documents through planning changes

Reports and information are passed on with their dates, appendices and original scope. Not every statement about a former industrial site applies to a new construction lot. Differences remain identifiable. The specialist parties compare existing findings with the current development stage.

Understand the results

Keep the findings reached understandable for subsequent phases

Distinguish the survey status from the plan

The project record shows what has already been investigated by specialists and what is only planned. Result plans retain their spatial limits. A future construction area shown on an overview plan does not become a surveyed area merely by being included in that plan. The next construction decision uses the findings actually documented.

Explore results and terminology

Compare the new use with existing results

Different structures or changed infrastructure routes may lead to additional ground interventions. Their current locations and depths are compared with the existing documentation. Usable findings are retained. Further requirements are described as specific additions and assigned to the responsible parties.

Compare the changed use with the documentation

Technical information

Environment, contaminated land and geotechnics: brochure

Ordnance checks, contaminated-land investigations and ground investigations serve different purposes. The brochure describes their interfaces and shows how drilling and other ground interventions are coordinated.

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Environment, contaminated land and geotechnics: brochure – page 1

German · 8 pages

Questions from planning

Questions about the phased development of a brownfield site

Does the later construction project need to be fully defined before the first contact?

No. However, the current planning stage and the next decision should be described clearly. The initial review relates to these details. Once ground interventions are planned in detail, further information or surveys may be required.

Is a brownfield site automatically suspected of containing explosive ordnance?

No. Relevant evidence must be established to support suspected explosive ordnance. Previous use or the designation as a brownfield site does not replace this technical basis.

Can an early assessment be reused for later buildings?

This must be checked against its content and spatial scope. If the location, depth or type of ground intervention changes, the new planning stage must be compared with the existing findings.

Which documents should be handed over when responsibility for a project changes?

These include the complete reports and result plans, the corresponding plan versions and an overview of outstanding tasks. An abbreviated summary alone may omit important limits to the findings.

How are responsibilities divided during site development?

FONTANA-EOD undertakes the agreed explosive ordnance task. Urban planning, ground investigation and contamination reports, and commercial development decisions are separate tasks for the parties appointed to carry them out.

Which details help with an early estimate of the work involved?

Existing reports, the next specific construction task, provisional areas and depths, and known installations and access arrangements are helpful. Options that remain open are identified. The scope of services and costs takes account of the actual areas and depths to be surveyed, suitable methods, measurement conditions, access, evaluation and documentation.

Can the same method be used unchanged after demolition?

This must be checked against the new site conditions. Accessibility and sources of interference may change, as may the planned ground interventions. The choice of method is therefore checked against the actual conditions and the findings required.

What applies if a suspicious object is encountered during initial earthworks?

If an unexpected suspicious object is found, stop work in the affected area immediately. Do not touch, move or uncover it further. Leave the immediate area, keep your distance and keep others away without putting yourself at risk. In Germany, notify the police immediately on 110; outside Germany, use the local emergency procedure. The authorities determine what happens next. Inform the operator, site management and the client; internal reporting must not delay the emergency call.

Relate the enquiry to the ground intervention actually planned

Initial contact is possible with provisional documents. Mark which details are confirmed and which are still planned or unclear. Describe the next project decision needed; the suitable method is agreed together according to the intervention and survey conditions.

Location, depth and construction details

Send the address or region and a site plan showing initial investigation points, demolition areas and later construction areas. Add the planned ground intervention depths, reference elevations where applicable, and the intended construction method. Working volumes and additional ground interventions outside the actual structure footprint should also be identifiable. If there are variants, it must be clear which has already been selected and which is only being considered as a possible alternative.

Existing findings and constraints

Send complete explosive ordnance documents with attachments and relevant existing asset and utility plans. Information on made ground, metal installations or restricted access helps the assessment. An extract without a site plan may obscure a report's spatial scope. Known gaps or conflicting details should therefore be stated in the initial enquiry.

Timing and specialist contacts

State the planned execution period and the contacts responsible for project development and the appointed planning work. Describe whether you are preparing a tender, coordinating a specific ground intervention or relating an existing report to a change. This information is used to develop the next specialist step. A firm statement about the work involved or the schedule requires a sufficiently defined task.

Documents for the planned ground intervention

Describe the next decision in your site development and include the current planning stage and existing explosive ordnance documents. Identify use options that remain open and ground interventions already intended. We work with you to check which explosive ordnance documents cover the intended intervention and which information is still needed for the survey assignment.

To help us assign your enquiry: Sectors and applications. Project region.

Project enquiry

Have your project assessed

Whether historical aerial photograph analysis, explosive ordnance surveying, surface surveying using GPR, magnetometry or TDEM, deep-ground surveys, downhole surveys, excavation supervision, area clearance or ordnance recovery is needed depends on the location, ground disturbance, depth, ground and existing documents. An early ordnance assessment provides clarity for tendering, programming, occupational safety and construction.

FONTANA-EOD combines its Section 7 SprengG licence, specialists holding Section 20 SprengG certificates of competence, suitable survey and clearance methods, and traceable documentation. Send the site plan, depth of ground disturbance, construction phase and existing documents for an initial technical assessment.