Technical map view of the Darmstadt administrative district with Darmstadt marked for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying in Rüsselsheim am Main

Ground works for access roads, site facilities or demolition may be needed before the main excavation begins. These areas should be included in explosive ordnance assessment for your project in Rüsselsheim. What matters is which work and depths the existing evidence actually covers.

Preparation

Record early ground works on the plan.

Construction sections

Identify the different investigation areas.

Handover

Relate results to the next work stage.

Discuss the project's technical requirementsExplosive ordnance assessment in Hesse
Assess the construction project

Treating early ground works as a separate investigation task

For your project in Rüsselsheim, we also consider access roads, site facilities and demolition preparation in terms of their actual ground disturbance. The findings needed are assigned to the respective sections and construction stages. Existing results retain an identifiable scope so that the next activity can be prepared specifically.

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Schematic map with a coat of arms, alongside a tablet, safety helmet, notebook and pen.

Identifying the project location and construction stage

The Eselswiese notice of 4 September 2026 distinguishes an area for site facilities from other areas to be investigated later. For your project, corresponding areas are recorded with their own tasks and results. An announced period is distinguished from documented completion, so that the next construction stage can build on the technical evidence actually available. Rüsselsheim am Main is a special-status town within the Groß-Gerau district and belongs to the Darmstadt administrative district in Hessen. The project address identifies the specific construction site, for example in Rüsselsheim, Bauschheim, Königstädten or Haßloch. For the enquiry, access roads, storage areas and preparatory ground works are also marked on the current plan. Local responsibilities and the technical investigation scope are agreed for this location and the proposed ground works.

Hesse
Local context

Interpreting the city’s history and construction stages in Rüsselsheim

Relating industrial history to the present construction site

The municipal city chronicle describes severe air raids in 1944 on Rüsselsheim. Numerous Opel factory buildings and large parts of the city were hit. The chronicle places the production of aircraft components for the Wehrmacht at the time in the local industrial context. For a present-day construction project, this historical information is related to existing records, wartime aerial photographs and technical analyses for the specific site. Former buildings, documented earth movements and later uses are checked against the location and proposed ground works. This establishes the questions to resolve and investigation steps required for each construction stage. The technical assessment relies on spatially assigned evidence and actual investigations.

Reading the announced Eselswiese measures by section

On 4 September 2026, the City of Rüsselsheim announced separate investigation stages for Eselswiese: first, an area of around 10,000 square metres for site facilities for demolition of the Rosenhof, followed later by three further municipal sections totalling around 144,000 square metres. The notice gives different periods for these stages. It describes announced work and is not a completion report.

Identifying your own area needs for each construction stage

This distinction helps when preparing your own project. An investigated storage or access area says nothing in itself about the whole later development. Similarly, a report for an excavation does not automatically cover other work outside its area. Establish early which areas are needed in which stage and where ground disturbance is actually proposed.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The project owner describes the project and provides existing project documents. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact agrees the tasks assigned to them with those responsible. Before commissioning, the missing information, who obtains it and the decision the result is intended to prepare are recorded clearly.

Planning and construction management

The specialist designers describe areas, depths, construction methods and changes. Site management coordinates the planned sequence with the construction contractors and agreed specialist works. Results are assigned to the respective intervention. A technical plan change is communicated early enough for its effect on the survey task to be assessed before construction. Organisational construction stage boundaries remain distinguishable from technical survey boundaries.

Specialist company and competent bodies

The private explosive ordnance contractor carries out the agreed investigation and documentation work. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the responsible authorities. The documents required for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the specialist work performed; its conclusions are not presented without review as general authorisation for further groundworks or as an official decision. The explosive ordnance clearance service at Darmstadt Regional Council, responsible for all of Hesse, explains the property-specific aerial photograph enquiry and notification of clearance work. It arranges removal and, where necessary, defusing and destruction of explosive ordnance. These state duties are considered in preparation and reporting procedures. Required notifications and handover of results are assigned to the specific activity and responsible parties.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Tailoring the method to the respective ground works

Investigation needs are determined for the specific section and the work proposed there. Ground conditions, installations and interference inform method selection. A shared site organisation does not prescribe an identical method for every area. What matters is the finding required in each case and what can be established technically.

Comparing methods for the specific section

Checking relocated facilities before construction

A moved access road or additional technical facility is added to the ground works plan. Its new location and depth are compared with the existing results. This assessment establishes any additional work needed. A small change on the drawing may lie outside the previous evidence’s spatial coverage and therefore needs a clear assessment.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Planning site preparation separately from later construction areas

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

Showing preparatory ground works in full

Record where access roads, site facilities or other preparatory work will actually disturb the ground. The proposed building footprint does not fully describe these tasks. Add known depths and the intended sequence. This allows the explosive ordnance clarification needed for the areas used first to be determined.

Documenting preparatory ground works and their scope
Illustration: two people with a tablet beside a drawing table and a survey trolley on a construction site.

Comparing demolition and new foundations spatially

Work on existing structures and later ground works may affect different areas. Show both stages on the current plan. Existing results are assigned to the scope actually investigated. A report for demolition preparation does not automatically provide sufficient findings for the whole subsequent new construction area.

Compare specialist services
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Recording other sections with their own status

A common project overview shows which investigations are planned, commissioned or already interpreted. Each section receives an unambiguous name. Its actual state of knowledge thus remains traceable. Earlier completion in one area is not extended to later construction stages solely because they share a project name.

Document findings and their limitations
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

First establish which decision the commission needs to support. Is the task an initial assessment of existing documents, an investigation of a specific area or examination of an anomaly that has already been assessed? These tasks require different evidence. A general wish for safety does not define an investigation that can be carried out. The enquiry therefore specifies the groundworks, location, depth and available findings. Suitable specialist work and the required reporting are then agreed on that basis.

Define the specialist task

Coordinate preparatory work with the investigation

Required access and survey conditions are clarified before the site visit. This may include keeping areas clear, obtaining service information and coordinating with other trades. The method and site determine which preparations are actually needed. Changes to the surface or additional groundworks are not undertaken unilaterally simply to prepare for a survey. Their sequence is agreed with the specialist designers and responsible parties.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

A sound workflow distinguishes work already clarified technically from outstanding prerequisites. If an area will be accessible only in part, commissioning must take this into account. Handover and assessment of results also need time in the construction sequence. An enquiry therefore does not imply a blanket commitment on dates or cost. Specific coordination connects the described scope with access, documents, execution conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Including early ground works fully in the plans

01

Describing site facilities as a separate task

Record more than the future building footprint. Preparatory work may also matter for explosive ordnance assessment, for example where ground is moved for access or technical facilities. The investigation needed depends on the proposed ground works and existing findings. The term site facilities alone determines neither scope nor method. For the initial discussion, identify the first planned ground works with their location, depth and construction stage. State which access routes, facilities or demolition areas are being prepared. The specialist contractor can then relate the findings needed to the actual ground works area and existing knowledge.

02

Distinguishing demolition from new foundations

For a project involving demolition, make clear which work affects only existing structures and which disturbs the ground. Later foundations may occupy different areas or depths. Evidence for a preparatory stage should therefore not be incorporated into the brief for the new construction stage without assessment. As-built plans and demolition records show which elements will be removed and which ground areas will subsequently be affected anew. The brief, work boundaries and necessary preparation are agreed for these volumes. Revised depths or additional ground works are compared with the existing results before the affected work.

03

Passing on intervening plan changes

If an access road moves or a storage area is extended, specialist planners need the new site plan. Also mark changes to the proposed ground works depths. A small change to the site plan may lie outside the previous investigation. Only a comparison shows whether existing results are sufficient or additional clarification is needed. Mark which routes, standing areas and connections will be created or changed first. Existing reports are assigned to these areas with their location and depth references. For scheduling, communicate access, ongoing operations, known installations and the findings required.

04

Distinguishing different specialist tasks

Species protection, existing utilities and explosive ordnance assessment may concern the same construction stage, but answer different questions. The Eselswiese notice explicitly distinguishes ecological supervision from explosive ordnance investigations. The term construction supervision should therefore clearly identify the specialist task intended. Evidence from another discipline does not replace findings about explosive ordnance contamination. Identify the responsible parties and required results documentation for each discipline. A joint site meeting assigns outstanding tasks, plan changes and handover points. The explosive ordnance assessment needed for the ground works retains an identifiable brief and investigation area.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Distinguishing announced work from completed work

An announced schedule initially describes an intended programme. The investigation report, by contrast, documents the scope actually completed and the result. These are kept separately in the project file. The next ground works rely on the evidence available, rather than merely the date of a previously planned measure. The results file relates the current site plan to the areas and depths covered, method used, survey conditions and technical assessment. Limitations caused by interference or lack of access are assigned to the respective section. For commissioned clearance work, the evidence file includes the clearance record with the associated location and results information. Planners and site management compare the forthcoming work with this documented status.

Documenting the transition to the next construction stage

Hand over results with the current area plan and outstanding tasks. The next construction stage is compared with the status achieved. Changes to access roads or facilities are explicitly considered. This keeps clear which findings can be reused and which additional areas need specialist clarification. The responsible project participants receive the report, associated plans and outstanding tasks together with the relevant plan revision. When a contractor changes or another construction stage begins, the ground volumes actually covered and further clarification required remain traceable. Commissioned supplementary work relates to the new or previously unresolved investigation question.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Organising the required areas before the first ground works

Bring together the construction stages, their ground works and existing findings. Clearly identify the areas needed first. Later areas also remain visible in the overview. The investigation brief, access and results handover can then be coordinated so that each activity is prepared on the appropriate documented basis. The project enquiry includes the address, current site plan, ground works depths and first activities. Existing statements, historical analyses and technical reports are provided with their appendices. The parties agree who will obtain missing information and when the technical finding is needed.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Checking again before the construction stage changes

Compare the following activity with the area actually investigated. Add new results while retaining the identification of outstanding tasks. Pass planning changes to the specialist planners. A common construction schedule supports organisation, but does not replace specialist assessment of coverage for the next ground works. Scheduling considers access, necessary preparation, operational conditions and technical handover of results. Sections are identified with their intended work sequence. New conditions or revised depths are passed to the responsible contacts before the affected work.

Coordinate the construction phase with us
Method selection

Select methods according to the task and survey conditions

Historical records and aerial photographs

Historical aerial photograph assessment and other old records help place the basis for suspicion in its spatial context. The available images, their evidential value and the limits of the area considered matter. The absence of an identifiable indication must be distinguished from a technically surveyed ground area. The assessment is considered together with the planned intervention and other available findings. It can support the choice of a survey, but is not a measurement of the present-day subsurface or confirmation for all future works.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Magnetometric methods detect magnetic anomalies. Whether they can address the specific survey task depends, among other things, on the expected objects, ground conditions, interference and required survey area. Fences, utilities or existing structures may affect interpretation. A measurement signal is therefore not described as ordnance solely because of its strength. Method, interpretation and any further investigation are planned as a connected specialist task.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Electromagnetic investigations can be suitable for particular metallic targets and site conditions. Their suitability must be explained for the task, rather than inferred simply from the availability of equipment. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the findings required must also be considered. Results are documented with their location and survey conditions. The specialist assessment determines whether a supplementary method is needed; this remains a project-specific decision.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can provide information about subsurface structures and reflections. Ground conditions, moisture, installations and the particular survey task affect interpretability. An anomaly is not automatically ordnance, and an area with no apparent anomalies is not general evidence for arbitrary depths. The specialist interpretation and its limits are documented with the instruction. A survey for another purpose is not adopted without checking as ordnance evidence.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For deeper groundworks, it may be necessary to establish whether a surface investigation can provide the required findings or another approach is needed. Preparation includes the location, depth, borehole layout and existing services. Creating access for the investigation must also be properly planned by specialists. A general depth figure or standard grid cannot replace that work. Findings remain limited to the areas actually investigated and the method used.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

If a necessary preliminary investigation cannot be completed, the specialists assess whether a planned approach during construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the intended work sequence. Visual observation of excavated material is not an interchangeable substitute for a necessary survey. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work will take place, how new findings will be handled and which areas remain unresolved.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Justifying the investigation scope for each area

Relating existing findings to the individual sections

The aerial-photo analysis and existing statements form part of the basis for further planning. Check which area they cover. The state of knowledge may differ between sections. Do not extend a finding to every future work area solely because it shares the same project or street name.

Consider measurement conditions on site

For a survey the investigation objective and local conditions must match. Utilities, structural remains or other interference may limit the findings. These limitations belong in the planning and later in the results. Neither a large investigated area nor a particular equipment name establishes on its own that every later ground works depth was covered.

Limiting further measures to the outstanding tasks

If additional work is found to be necessary, the clearance plan should identify the affected areas and required services. Professional explosive ordnance clearance during construction must be distinguished from merely observing excavation. An area whose survey data cannot be interpreted, or a tight schedule, is not in itself a reason to adopt a technically unsuitable substitute.

Next steps

Handing over each construction stage with the appropriate evidence

01

Compare the project enquiry and documents

Give each investigation area a clear name and use it in the reports too. A site plan should show the boundaries. Subsequent site management can then assign a result to the correct section without inferring a larger investigated area from the overall project name. For the initial contact, provide the project address, construction stage and forthcoming ground works. Existing official information and technical reports, with their appendices, are checked against the current plan version, spatial coverage and outstanding questions. The initial discussion establishes the findings needed for the next ground works and the documents still missing.

02

Supplement historical information

Where supporting information is missing, the necessary historical research or aerial photograph analysis is carried out for the specific construction area. Available records, wartime aerial photographs and earlier maps are connected to today's location and the investigation question. Recorded war impacts, changes of use and documented ground changes are located spatially. The findings are analysed for further investigation planning; existing information that is already sufficient may continue to be used.

03

Agree the investigation objective and method

The original brief and the area actually covered may differ. Record which areas could be investigated and which were omitted or had only limited interpretation. A general completion notice is insufficient. The documented status for the respective ground works is decisive. The suitable method is determined from the investigation objective, ground works plan, existing findings and local conditions. Access, installations and possible interference are taken into account. The specialist contractor, planners and site management agree preparation, scope of services and the required handover date. Necessary official notifications are assigned to the specific activity.

04

Compare design changes and carry out the investigation

If a question remains unresolved during preparation, it must be passed on at the transition to the next construction stage. Describe whether a supplementary investigation, plan or technical assessment is missing. Only on this basis can the parties decide which further work can be prepared and which prerequisites remain unmet. Specialist personnel carry out the agreed survey or professionally specified supervision using the agreed method. Data and findings are recorded with their location and actual work scope. Access limitations or interference remain documented. Unexpected conditions are communicated through the agreed contacts and assessed professionally before the approach is changed.

05

Have recorded data and findings assessed by specialists

The specialist contractor assesses recorded data and findings according to the investigation objective, method and actual conditions. A measurement anomaly is interpreted without identifying it as a particular object solely because it occurs. The stage reached, interference, outstanding areas and additions required are documented in the report with associated plans. The assessment describes the technical conclusions reached and questions needing further clarification.

06

Hand over the results file and clarify the next decision

Deeper ground works planned later may extend beyond the findings in the existing report. Have the coverage and resulting additional needs assessed. Such a plan change does not automatically require the same investigation for every area. The previous evidence and supplementary assessment should remain clearly linked. The report and site plans relate methods, assessed findings, ground volumes covered and limitations to each other. Planners and site management compare the next ground works with this record. Necessary additions or further consultation with the authorities are clarified before the affected works. The documentation remains available for later plan changes and newly involved contractors.

Documentation

A common plan with clearly distinct evidence

Findings and their scope

For further construction planning, site plans, investigation reports and outstanding tasks should form a traceable record. Also identify where an investigation for a section has only been announced or commissioned. That differs from an interpreted result. The documentation must show what was actually completed and under which conditions its findings apply to the proposed work.

Project responsibilities

The explosive ordnance clearance service at the Darmstadt regional administration is the responsible state body for Hessen. Official information and measures must be distinguished from the specialist services agreed with FONTANA-EOD. An enquiry concerning possible contamination requires an accurate plan with marked site boundaries. The BFR KMR apply directly to federal properties; their principles are used here as technical guidance for other projects.

Working approach

How FONTANA-EOD works

Document the agreed specialist service clearly

We assess the planned groundworks against the available documents and their design revision. Before attending site, we agree with you what needs to be investigated, which areas are accessible and what findings are required. If the design or site conditions change, we check whether the agreed scope remains appropriate. The report states what was actually investigated and the limits of the findings. This allows designers and site management to see which findings they can use and where questions remain.

Discuss the investigation task

The task before the equipment

We first establish the investigation objective: which question must it answer? We then select a technically suitable method. The availability of a particular device or experience on a similar neighbouring site is not enough to justify the choice of method on its own.

Keep limitations visible

Inaccessible areas and limited conclusions are identified. They do not disappear into a total area figure. Designers and site management can then decide specifically which areas still need attention and when a suitable survey becomes possible.

Clarify changes before intervening in the ground

A new location, additional depth or different construction method is compared with previous results. A familiar project name does not replace this comparison. Feedback is provided before the affected work so that an outstanding question can be included in the sequence.

Hand over the report and plan together

The technical conclusion remains connected to its location references and appendices. A brief summary helps orientation but does not replace the documented survey scope. This basis is retained even if site management or contractors change.

Understand the results

Use technical statements for the next decision

Construction supervision needs a specific specialist task

Ecological supervision and explosive ordnance investigation may be needed in the same project, but answer different questions. In coordination, identify the purpose, area and responsible parties for each. A shared schedule helps coordinate them. A result from another discipline does not thereby replace technical findings about explosive ordnance.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

A large project site contains several results areas

Use clear section names in plans, briefs and reports. Keep differences in task and depth visible. A summary can then present progress understandably. The total size of a development area establishes neither the area already investigated nor the suitability of a result for all future ground works.

Understand the service scope
Design and findings

Documents for the next construction decision

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Historical evidence and the current design

Aerial photograph interpretation is related to the actual groundworks. Its purpose and geographical scope remain distinct from a technical investigation of the ground as it is today.

Understand aerial photograph assessment
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Specialist reports for site management

The findings, their locations and limitations are handed over together. This makes clear to those carrying out the work which area has been investigated and which task remains outstanding.

Assess investigation reports
Person in an orange high-visibility vest with a MALÅ survey cart on a meadow.
Person in a high-visibility vest in front of a marked construction area with piles of soil.
Questions from planning

Questions about construction stages in Rüsselsheim

Does the Eselswiese announcement establish that the investigations are complete?

No. The municipal notice of 4 September 2026 announces different measures and periods. It is not a results report and does not establish the investigation status actually reached later.

Does an investigated area for site facilities cover the whole development site?

No. The documented area, investigation task and limitations are decisive. For further construction areas and different ground works depths, the needs must be assessed against the site’s own evidence.

Must a moved access road be investigated again?

First compare the new location with the existing evidence. Whether additional investigation is needed depends on its spatial and technical coverage and the proposed ground works. The change should be passed to the specialist planners before construction.

Which documents does FONTANA-EOD need for several construction stages?

Send a site plan showing the sections, proposed ground works and known depths, together with existing statements and reports. State which section is needed first and which tasks remain outstanding for later stages.

What should I do if possible explosive ordnance is found?

Stop work in the affected area, do not touch or move the object and keep your distance. Keep others away and notify the police on 110 from a safe distance. Further handling is reserved for the responsible specialists.

Why are preparatory access roads shown on the ground works plan?

Their ground works may lie outside the later building footprint. Their relationship to the existing findings must also be traceable.

What distinguishes a schedule announcement from an investigation report?

The announcement describes proposed work. The report records what was actually completed and which results are available, with their limitations.

How are specialist tasks, schedules and costs coordinated?

By identifying the specific specialist task, area and responsibilities for each. Services can be coordinated while retaining their own results and limitations. For the explosive ordnance service, provide the area or number of points, ground works depth, available records, access and survey conditions. Necessary preparatory work, results documentation and coordination between disciplines determine the scope of services to be agreed. Work and costs relate to that scope. Scheduling identifies the findings needed first and prerequisites to be met before construction.

Project enquiry

Prepare the first technical discussion

Show early ground works on the plan

Record access roads, site facilities and demolition preparation. Are you preparing several construction stages in Rüsselsheim? Send us the area plan and available investigation status. Describe which ground works are next. We can discuss the specialist clarification needed for them.

Identify sections with their status

Distinguish planned investigations, commissioned investigations and interpreted results. Also tell us which earthworks are to begin first and which areas are not yet accessible. Necessary preparatory work and handover of results can then be coordinated in good time.

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.

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