Project pathway
The quickest route to the right decision.
Ordnance assessment in Luxembourg City
Investigating a construction site requires a clear description of where and how deeply work will later take place. Cadastral records, topographical surveys and construction designs provide different information. In Luxembourg City, we help you assess the available records and agree the investigation needed for the planned ground interventions.
Identify the version used.
Show positions and elevations clearly.
Describe the actual ground intervention.
Assess the construction project
How are cadastral records, topographical surveys and borehole positions related?
Show the proposed groundworks with their positions and elevation datum. Include excavations, shafts and preliminary borehole positions with their depths. Cadastral records help identify the property but do not replace technical designs for the ground intervention. Compare existing investigation reports with these specific details so the findings needed and unresolved areas are clearly identifiable.
Project site
Connect the site with the specific construction task
Identify Luxembourg City and the specific project location
Luxembourg City is the capital and a municipality of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The specific location within the city determines which municipal planning records apply. The PAP Lycée Kuebebierg example concerns Luxembourg-Kirchberg. Include the project address, cadastral reference and actual working area together in an enquiry. This identifies the municipal documents needed and the technical investigation required before the next ground intervention.
For the regional context of your construction project, the Central Luxembourg overview provides further local information.
Local context
Assess the planning status and local historical context
The notice published at the time for the PAP Lycée Kuebebierg
The City of Luxembourg published a notice concerning an amendment to the PAP “Lycée Kuebebierg”, with documents available for public inspection from 6 May 2026. Alongside written and graphical sections, the overview lists cadastral records and a topographical survey. According to the notice, the documents available for inspection at the municipality were authoritative.
Check records for their purpose and geographical relevance
These document types serve different purposes. A cadastral plan does not automatically show the depth of a proposed excavation; a topographical survey is not an ordnance report. For a technical enquiry, relate these records to the specific groundworks. The notice published at the time establishes neither an ongoing public inspection period today nor a completed investigation.
Luxembourg City was liberated from Nazi occupation by the US Army on 10 September 1944. A historical assessment relates local wartime history to the available property-specific records. This history alone establishes neither contamination of an individual construction site nor its current investigation status. Account for later development, changes to ground levels and documented investigations with their respective geographical and chronological relevance.
Requirements
Clarify technical requirements and responsibilities within the project
Relate requirements to the specialist task
For work in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the prerequisites for the specific activity are checked before work begins. Company qualifications and personal credentials are assigned to their respective purposes. The scope of services describes the technical tasks and coordination with the responsible parties. The records identify the notifications or documents required, who handles them and how the clarified status will be made available before work starts.
Link occupational safety to the construction sequence
Risk assessment, work areas and communication must suit the proposed activities. Ordnance specialist works are coordinated with the other construction activities. Operational organisation, traffic safety and other specialist technical inspections retain their own responsible parties. Joint coordination brings the information together without equating the different tasks.
Use technical findings correctly
A measurement anomaly first requires specialist assessment; its appearance alone does not identify it as explosive ordnance. If an object is genuinely suspected to be ordnance, the prescribed reporting procedures and the measures set by the responsible authorities apply. Investigation reports specify the work completed and its limitations, so that results are not extended to unexamined areas or later design changes.
Local procedure: Ville de Luxembourg: PAP Lycée Kuebebierg amendment, public inspection from 6 May 2026 · Police Grand-Ducale: Pont Buchler, operation of 7 September 2022 · Ville de Luxembourg: Service Urbanisme and planning documents.
Planning and documentation: BFR KMR: principles of clearance planning · BFR KMR: geophysics · BFR KMR: documentation · Luxembourg Army: SEDAL
The BFR KMR are used as technical guidance; locally applicable requirements and responsibilities must be clarified separately.
For work in Luxembourg, check the locally applicable requirements for the specific activity before carrying it out. Guidance on temporary cross-border services and the posting of employees is provided by Guichet.lu: service provision and Guichet.lu: posting of employees. The necessary notifications and evidence relate to the type of service and personnel deployment. German technical guidance does not replace these Luxembourg requirements.
Working together
Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor
Client and operator
The project owner describes the project and provides existing records. Operators add information on use, access and timing requirements. A coordinating contact brings the information together. The parties agree their respective tasks and decision responsibilities. Before commissioning, the records identify missing information, who will obtain it and which decision the result is intended to support.
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 specialist carries out the agreed investigation and documentation work within the permitted framework clarified for Luxembourg. The technical report identifies the task, areas actually covered and limitations of the findings. Required notifications and evidence relate to the activity and personnel deployment. The responsible Luxembourg bodies make the decisions assigned to them. The state SEDAL service carries out its responsibilities for found ammunition. The specialist contractor and project participants agree the necessary handovers with the responsible bodies.
Investigation task
Which specialist task comes next?
Consider the investigation objective and measurement conditions together
Deep individual points and a wider excavation may require different findings. Provide known installations, access restrictions and local conditions. Agree a suitable approach on technical grounds. Do not apply a method to every area solely because they appear on the same cadastral plan or within a shared planning application.
Compare suitable specialist servicesClarify local responsibilities and private services
Municipal planning, a private technical investigation and the handling of found ammunition involve different responsibilities. Identify existing requirements and contacts. Agree the permitted scope of services before commissioning. For a find, the official instructions to notify SEDAL or the police on 113 remain decisive; a project enquiry does not replace that report.
Compare investigation methodsProject types
Bring the different planning records together for a specific task
Establish which locations the findings cover
Provide existing ordnance reports with their maps and the drawing revision used at the time. Compare today's property boundary and actual working area with them. A topographical survey can help relate the records but answers a different question from an ordnance assessment. If names or boundaries differ, clarify which area was actually investigated and how it relates to the new design.
To compare records, organise them by purpose: which sheet describes the plot, which shows the existing ground surface and which shows the planned excavation? The responsible design team identifies the revision applicable to construction. Overlay a map from an earlier report on that version or establish how their locations relate. If it is unclear whether a map edge marks a property boundary, the former investigation limit or simply the edge of the extract, clarify that specific question using the complete report. This avoids extending results to additional working areas without justification.
Compare the geographical coverage of investigation reports
Show all technical ground interventions
An excavation drawing should also identify deeper individual points and exploratory works needed earlier. Specify their positions and planned depths. The technical planners determine the investigation needed from these details, existing findings and actual conditions. Neither a general property area nor a PAP alone determines the suitable method or geographical extent of a technical service.
Distinguish changes in planning regulations from changes to the actual ground intervention. A newly labelled drawing may show the same construction geometry; conversely, a small relocation may affect additional ground. For the technical enquiry, the relevant factors are therefore the changed areas and depths and the proposed construction stage. Identify earlier exploratory works for structural or geotechnical planning individually as well. If a suitable technical assessment already exists, include it with its appendices in the records. Keep missing findings visible as outstanding tasks rather than replacing them with the title of a newer drawing revision.
Compare specialist servicesDistinguish reopening to traffic from an investigation report
A notice that a road has reopened documents a particular operating status. Preparing new groundworks instead requires technical findings for the relevant area and depth. Check the purpose of existing records. Keep results from handling an individual find distinguishable from those of an area investigation, each within its actual documented scope.
Document findings and their limitationsPreparation
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 taskCoordinate 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 programmeAgree 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 scheduleTasks at the site
What makes the proposed investigation unambiguous
01
Mark the construction area on the drawing
Mark the area where work will actually take place. Alongside the building, this may include connections, working spaces and early ground interventions. A property address alone usually does not define this boundary. Record the drawing revision from which the marked extract was taken so technical planners and site management are considering the same working area.
02
Relate ground elevation to working depth
The description “three metres deep” needs a clear reference. State which ground surface or elevation the depth is measured from. Sections and a traceable topographical survey help comparison with earlier reports. Keep unknown elevations identifiable as unresolved information rather than substituting estimates.
03
Identify changes since the last report
If the building has moved, an excavation has grown or access has been added, show the differences on the drawing. Existing investigation results may remain usable. Whether they cover the revised intervention must be assessed against their geographical and technical scope. A new drawing date alone does not make an older report unusable.
In phased construction, a PAP may already show areas intended for later work. For the technical enquiry, mark the intervention actually approaching and its required working space on the corresponding construction drawing. Give unresolved alternatives their own identifiers. If an additional area is introduced during detailed construction design, report it as a change. This keeps the commission clear about what is to be investigated now, which information describes only later development and which question still needs technical clarification. An investigation can be defined on this traceable basis without automatically treating the entire planning area as equivalent.
04
Describe existing conditions and access
Paved areas, structures and existing utility lines may affect preparation and measurements. Describe the conditions using existing records and photographs. Do not independently remove unidentified installations in an attempt to make an investigation easier. Preparatory work that is appropriate and necessary must suit the specific investigation commission.
Project documents
Documents that establish the next step
Use a common elevation datum
State what the planned depths refer to and which ground surface each drawing shows. Changes in elevation can affect comparison with an older investigation. The technical planners need traceable details of the actual intervention. An unchanged property boundary does not automatically mean unchanged depths or investigation coverage.
Where clearance work has been carried out, a clearance record documents the commission, areas actually worked, methods, positional and depth references, findings, limitations and outstanding tasks. Include the accompanying drawings when comparing this with a later construction design. If the ground is subsequently altered, relate the old investigation datum to the new design in a traceable way. The tasks and responsibilities clarified for Luxembourg remain applicable when the results documentation is handed over.
Include early exploratory works in the same coordination
Geotechnical boreholes or preliminary openings may precede the later excavation. Record their proposed dates and responsible parties. Compare them with the existing findings before carrying out the interventions. The sequence should also cover activities commissioned by another contractor or technical planner before the main works.
For phased works, record which information the first contractor needs and which information must be available only for the later excavation. If, for example, an exploratory point is relocated first, the enquiry concerns that point and its planned depth. Do not silently use an investigation for another construction phase as evidence for it. Before each intervention starts, provide the parties with a coordinated record of the design, assessment and outstanding questions. Agree handover dates for records within the project; these do not replace technically necessary work.
Construction sequence
Coordinate investigation and construction sections
Provide an organised set of drawings for the enquiry
Send cadastral records, the current design for ground interventions and relevant elevation information with existing investigation reports. Note the date and purpose of each document. Mark the first proposed groundworks. Coordination can then establish which existing findings apply and which information is still needed to prepare the actual construction task.
Keep changes traceable up to the start of works
If an excavation becomes deeper or a borehole is relocated, provide the change with its positional reference. Review the existing investigation against it. Suitable results remain usable. Describe the additional work needed for the changed area and, before work starts, provide site management with the corresponding current drawing and complete technical appendices.
Method selection
Select methods according to the task and survey conditions
Historical records and aerial photographs
Geomagnetic surveying records disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field that may be caused by ferromagnetic objects, among other sources. First define the actual investigation area within the PAP. Buildings, utility lines, reinforcement and other metal installations can affect measurements. A suitable drawing boundary does not remove these effects; the usability of the data is assessed by specialists.
Understand aerial photograph assessmentMagnetometric survey
Electromagnetic methods can respond to metal objects. Which application suits an excavation, individual exploratory points or a utility section depends on the investigation objective and local conditions. Select it against the findings actually needed. A signal initially represents a finding that requires interpretation; the documentation identifies the areas investigated and remaining limitations.
Understand the scope of magnetometryElectromagnetic methods
Ground-penetrating radar records electromagnetic reflections underground. Soil structure, moisture and conductivity influence what can be investigated. A topographical survey and radar measurements therefore provide different information: one describes ground geometry, the other, under suitable conditions, underground structures. Whether radar can contribute to the specific ordnance question is determined by the investigation objective and actual conditions.
Understand electromagnetic surveyingGround-penetrating radar
Borehole methods may be considered for deeper investigation tasks. The design relates proposed investigation positions to the later interventions and their elevation datum. Planned geotechnical boreholes must themselves be considered as earlier ground interventions. Keep the position, depth and coverage of an investigation documented traceably; do not extend an assessment of neighbouring points to other interventions without technical grounds.
GPR and limitationsDeep-ground and downhole surveys
A properly planned investigation alongside construction records the sections and construction stages actually covered. The presence of a specialist alone does not replace a suitable investigation service. Before starting, clarify the task, whether it can be investigated, necessary protective measures and coordination when anomalies are found. If excavation differs from the agreed design, subsequent work must address the revised scope.
Prepare deep interventionsSurvey during construction
Specialist interpretation brings together measurement data, positional references and actual investigation conditions. To compare results with the construction drawing, the areas or points investigated and their elevation and depth references must be identifiable. Clearly mark areas not investigated and data that could not be interpreted. Site management and technical planners can then relate the findings to the planned stage and coordinate outstanding tasks specifically.
Agree the approach during constructionTechnical assessment
Use the records to define a suitable technical commission
Assess the historical evidence
A historical aerial photograph analysis can contribute to the assessment of the specific property alongside other records. Clarify which evidence is suitable and available for the project. A PAP or building permit does not perform this technical assessment. Nor can a particular suspicion for every construction site be inferred from general city history.
Define measurement methods and limitations
A survey depends on the question, ground conditions, existing interference and accessible area. Different methods answer different questions. Before commissioning, establish clearly which areas are to be investigated and what restrictions apply. Identify areas not yet assessable in the results.
Coordinate investigation and construction sequence
A clearance plan can assign the necessary measures to the proposed construction works. Include interventions that precede excavation of the main pit. The sequence must account for Luxembourg's requirements and responsibilities. A general service description does not replace coordination for the specific project.
Next steps
Clarify the design, agree the investigation and hand over results
Obtain the applicable plans
The city's Service Urbanisme distinguishes building control, covering building permits and PAG enquiries, from urban development, covering PAG, PAP and urban projects. First identify the plans applicable to your property. Where revisions are unclear, ask specifically which version is relevant rather than combining unidentified older extracts. At first contact, clarify the project location and technical findings needed. Check existing drawings, statements and investigation reports for currency, geographical relevance, completeness and gaps.
Address outstanding historical questions
Where historical questions remain unresolved, the source research and aerial photograph analyses required are actually carried out within the agreed commission. Results are assigned to today’s parcels and ground works areas. Existing assessments retain their identifiable scope; new findings inform investigation planning.
Hand over reports with their maps
Provide existing ordnance assessments in full, including appendices and limitations. A single statement of the result is often insufficient for comparison with a revised design. The position and depth of the earlier investigation must be identifiable. Identify any missing appendix at the enquiry stage.
Specify the next ground intervention
Does the first stage involve a utility line, a shaft or the whole excavation? Describe the forthcoming task and proposed start. This enables specific technical coordination. It does not establish a fixed turnaround time without reviewing the records and local conditions. Select a suitable method according to the investigation objective, planned interventions and actual ground and measurement conditions. Agree access, protective measures and coordination between the works with the responsible parties.
Perform the agreed investigation
The agreed survey or professional investigation during construction is carried out in the defined areas and at the defined points. Measurement data and observations are assigned to the location and vertical reference used. Departures from the planned investigation areas, sections not covered and relevant interference are recorded.
Assess and document findings
The measurement data and findings collected are assessed professionally against the investigation objective and actual conditions. The report and associated plans document the areas covered, location, elevation and depth references, interference and limitations. Outstanding tasks are assigned spatially so that the next decision can relate to the work step concerned.
Pass changes to those carrying out the works
After assessment, site management and contractors must know which works the results apply to. Record later changes to the construction area or depths. Before a different ground intervention, clarify whether the existing conclusions are sufficient or require further work. Hand over the report and drawings with the areas covered, limitations and outstanding tasks. Agree the decision needed for the next intervention with the responsible parties.
Documentation
Project enquiries and find reports go to different recipients
Findings and their scope
FONTANA-EOD discusses with you the investigation requirements and permitted scope of services for your construction project in Luxembourg City. Clarify which services can be undertaken and which local coordination is necessary before commissioning. This does not confer general authority to issue official clearances.
Project responsibilities
In Luxembourg, the public service SEDAL is responsible for found ammunition. The Luxembourg Environment Agency advises against touching or moving ammunition and instructs people to notify SEDAL or the police. A project enquiry to a specialist contractor does not replace reporting a find.
Project responsibilities
A bomb found during works at Pont Buchler on 7 September 2022 led to the bridge closing. According to the police report, the Army's ordnance clearance service defused the explosive device; the area then reopened to traffic. For later construction, interpret this notice precisely: it documents the operation at that time but identifies neither investigated ground areas nor depths or results of an area survey. Lifting a road closure therefore does not replace an investigation report suited to the new intervention. When reviewing records, distinguish reopening to traffic, handling an individual find and investigating a construction area.
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 taskThe 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
Read a document's date together with its purpose
A drawing published later is not automatically a new investigation report. Check whether positions, elevations or technical interventions have changed from the version assessed. Keep the technical results available with their appendices. This distinguishes conclusions that still apply from questions arising only through the current design.
Understand investigation reports and their limitationsIdentify different kinds of clearance clearly
When passing on records, make clear whether they concern a road reopening, an individual find being dealt with or a particular area being investigated. Retain each conclusion within its geographical and technical scope. For new groundworks, identify which documented findings actually cover the specific intervention and what further coordination remains necessary.
Understand the service scopeDesign and findings
Documents for the next construction decision
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 assessmentSpecialist 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
Further technical topics
Further technical information for your project
Determine the specialist service from the planned groundworks
Historical assessment, technical investigation and further work answer different questions. The service overview helps distinguish these tasks in an enquiry.
Compare servicesCoordinate the project sequence with everyone involved
Preparation connects the commission, site work and handover of findings. Changes to the project can then be incorporated into technical coordination in good time.
Process and documentationQuestions from planning
Questions about preparation in Luxembourg City
Is the current PAP sufficient for an ordnance assessment?
It helps identify the project but does not replace an ordnance assessment. The proposed ground interventions and existing investigation reports are also needed. Which further evidence is required depends on the specific question.
Why are cadastral records and a topographical survey needed?
They help distinguish the property, actual position and elevation datum. To compare the works with an investigation, the area and depth of the planned intervention must be traceable. None of these records alone establishes the absence of explosive ordnance.
Does every design change require a new investigation?
Not automatically. First check whether existing results still cover the revised intervention. Only that comparison can establish whether additional technical services are needed.
Do Germany's BFR KMR apply directly in Luxembourg?
No. They may explain technical planning and documentation principles but do not establish direct legal applicability in Luxembourg. Clarify local requirements and responsibilities separately for the specific project.
Who should I notify if ammunition is found?
Stop the affected work. Do not touch, move or relocate the suspicious object, or expose it further. Leave the danger area and keep others away. From a safe distance, notify the Luxembourg police on 113 or SEDAL. Do not take the object to a police station or other official premises, or to a recycling centre. Follow the instructions of the responsible authorities.
Should preliminary borehole positions be included in the first enquiry?
Yes. Compare their positions, depths and timing with the existing findings.
What determines the cost of an ordnance assessment?
The work involved depends on the specific question, the quality of existing records and the agreed investigation scope. Area, individual positions, required depths, access and interference may affect the works. Provide current drawings and complete earlier reports so the quotation can clearly assign the necessary research, investigation, interpretation and documentation. Agree supplementary tasks for design changes or areas initially inaccessible for investigation separately.
Is a drawing's publication date also the date of an investigation?
No. A drawing published later is not automatically a new investigation report. Check its purpose and revision and any changes to positions, elevations or technical interventions. Keep the technical results separately traceable with their accompanying appendices.
Project enquiry
Prepare the first technical discussion
Bring planning records together
Send the current site plan for your project in Luxembourg City, proposed intervention depths and existing investigation results. Identify the next stage, its position and date. Cadastral records and a topographical survey help relate the information; include their respective revisions and the elevation datum used. A specific unresolved question helps coordination, for example whether earlier results also cover a newly added shaft or a deeper section of excavation.
Assign results
Hand over reports with their maps and appendices. Identify which records are complete and which still need to be obtained. Compare the interventions described with the actual documented investigation scope. A quotation should distinguish the research, field services and results documentation needed. Assign coordination of permits, activities and personnel deployment to the responsible parties. Prepare access or records only within the technically agreed scope; do not move or expose unidentified objects for an enquiry.
Project process and documents
Project process and documentsMethods and technology
Methods and technologyIdentify the project location and region
Select a regionAssess the use and construction task
Describe the project settingAgree further specialist services
Clarify the recovery task
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.
