Technical map of the Minette region in southern Luxembourg marking Esch-sur-Alzette for FONTANA-EOD explosive ordnance assessment and surveying

Ordnance surveying in Sanem for external infrastructure

A green strip on a site plan may contain underground utility lines or a retention structure. The ordnance assessment therefore depends on which works will actually affect the ground. FONTANA-EOD helps you include all these areas in technical coordination for your project in Sanem.

External works

Groundworks outside buildings.

Drainage

Include basins and connections in the design.

Commissioned scope

Identify each area clearly.

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

Which external works belong in an ordnance enquiry?

Before groundworks in Sanem, record proposed basins, utility trenches, shafts and foundations with their positions and depths. The technical planners compare these interventions with existing investigation reports and determine outstanding requirements. Before private technical work starts, clarify the permitted scope and Luxembourg prerequisites. Send building, drainage and external works designs with the complete results documentation.

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Schematic map of Luxembourg with a crowned lion coat of arms, beside a tablet, white hard hat, pen and notebook.

Relate the Aessen planning requirements to your own project

The local example illustrates technical uses within green spaces. Your preparation depends on the installations actually planned and results available for them. The PAP describes permitted development rather than a completed ordnance investigation. Provide your own construction design showing areas and depths, and identify details that still need to be settled before the next groundworks.

The municipality of Sanem lies in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and comprises Sanem, Soleuvre, Belvaux and Ehlerange. Provide the affected address and local plan. A project outside the municipality is assessed according to its actual location. Aessen refers to the specific planning documents for Sanem/Soleuvre, not the investigation status of every external area. The head office in Gersheim coordinates the enquiry; clarify local requirements separately for the proposed technical work.

For the regional context of your construction project, the Minette and southern Luxembourg overview provides further local information.

Luxembourg
Local context

Aessen: green spaces also serve technical purposes

Technical functions in Aessen's green spaces

The written section of the PAP “Zone d’Activités Aessen” in Sanem/Soleuvre, dated 17 February 2022, permits uses including stormwater retention, underground utility lines and technical structures in public green spaces. Their precise dimensions and connection details are to be determined during detailed construction design. For open retention basins, the text defines the areas shown on the plan as maximum extents; additional underground retention is also envisaged.

Record the actual external works

The label “green space” is therefore too imprecise for investigation preparation. Identify the structures, trenches or planting works actually planned. Local planning requirements provide a starting point but no assessment of explosive ordnance. Other properties and projects need their own records and an appropriate technical assessment.

A recollection by Margot Steffens-Roeltgen of 10 May 1940, published by the A Gadder cultural and history centre, describes troop movements near Aessen and shots in the Garerstrooss area of Soleuvre. A historical review relates this specific wartime context to the actual construction site and available sources. It does not establish general contamination of today's green spaces or construction plots. Account for later uses and ground changes with their respective dates.

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?

Determine the findings needed from the intervention

A deep equipment pit requires a different assessment from landscaping that does not disturb the ground. Describe the proposed works specifically. Agree suitable technical services against existing findings and local conditions. A colour on a landscape drawing or a shared contract title does not, by itself, define an investigation method or adequate coverage.

Compare suitable specialist services

Account for access and installations in external areas

Utility lines, paved paths and existing structures may affect the investigation. Provide known information on existing conditions early. The technical planners clarify how the findings needed can be obtained under these conditions. If areas can be assessed only to a limited extent, document their boundaries and relate these to the sequence of the groundworks actually planned.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Define external works by their actual ground interventions

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

Provide historical findings for all working areas

Relate existing aerial photograph analyses and other historical assessments to the planned external works as well. Present vegetation does not answer the ordnance question. Check the geographical coverage of existing records and show additional interventions outside the building footprint. Technical preparation can then use existing findings while clearly distinguishing unresolved areas.

Match each earlier report to the map it used. Different records may address the building footprint, a basin and a connection. Bring these together with their proposed working spaces on a combined overview. Identify known fill, excavation and surface changes since then. This shows which historical findings actually relate to today's intervention and which further areas need consideration.

Arrange specialist assessment of historical evidence
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Tailor the technical service to the installation

A retention basin, utility line and mast foundation affect different parts of the ground. Specify their positions, depths and known conditions. The technical planners determine a suitable approach from these details and existing findings. A general external works commission does not yet provide this information; show individual technical structures and their connections traceably for the investigation.

For a quotation, specify each installation with its investigation objective. A deep shaft, shallow utility trench and tree pit may have different requirements. State which construction details are settled and which alternatives remain unresolved. The quotation can then describe the necessary scope, known limitations and expected results documentation. Assign preparatory work and access prerequisites to the responsible parties.

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

Assign results to each external task

The documentation shows the areas investigated and what was established. Relate basins, connections and utility routes clearly to the accompanying drawings. Site management can then use suitable results for each task. Keep limitations and unresolved areas identifiable rather than concealing them behind a general description of the entire open space.

For handover, record which revisions of the drainage and external works designs were used. Site management also receives the appendices showing limits and areas not investigated. Where building and external works are contracted separately, hand over unresolved questions with the affected structure and next stage. Assign any later supplementary report clearly to the existing dataset so both sets of results remain usable together.

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

Describe ground interventions outside the building too

01

Specify retention basins with their planned depths

A coloured area on an overview does not yet show the later excavation. Include the proposed basin geometry, formation level and connections. If the dimensions have not been finalised, identify that uncertainty. The investigation commission can then be agreed appropriately without assuming an unknown final arrangement.

02

Trace utility routes between structures

Record connections between the building, shafts and drainage installations. Include short sections across apparently leftover spaces. An assessment of the building footprint covers these connections only insofar as its actual investigation scope establishes this. A continuous site plan helps relate the areas.

Also show transitions from private land to public infrastructure. A site plan needs the associated depths or sections so the affected volume of ground can be assessed. If several network operators are involved, distinguish their connections. Explicitly identify unresolved sections. A quotation for one area can then be clearly distinguished from additional tasks at the connection.

03

Distinguish planting from technical installations

A tree pit, mast foundation and underground shaft affect different volumes of ground. Describe the proposed works with their depths rather than grouping them under a general “external works” item. Landscaping limited to the surface without ground disturbance presents different conditions from deep structures.

Identify preliminary pits, working spaces and the proposed sequence. For a site already in use, also state which areas are accessible during the investigation. Report later access restrictions or relocated installations before the affected works. The technical planners can then relate outstanding findings and a suitable approach to the actual additional ground affected.

04

Consider public and private areas together

A property boundary may also separate construction contracts, but it does not automatically define the extent of technical investigation requirements. Agree who will provide the records needed for connections and which services will be commissioned. This keeps transitions between the areas traceable.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Distinguish the planned basin from the permitted area

A maximum area in the PAP may allow several later construction alternatives. An investigation needs the geometry and formation level actually proposed. If dimensions have not been finalised, account for this during preparation. Technical conclusions should not rest on an unstated assumption that the final arrangement is already settled.

Draw short connections between installations too

A connection between a building and basin may run outside previously investigated areas. Show these utility routes in full, including shafts and working spaces. Their short length does not remove the need for geographical comparison. The technical planners can assess whether existing conclusions apply only if the transitions between larger structures are shown too.

Give each connecting section a clear drawing reference. If the route changes, site management receives the revised version with the applicable results. Sections already adequately investigated remain usable. Describe the unresolved technical question for the additional ground. The overall installation's intended function does not replace this section-by-section identification of the area actually investigated. Where clearance work is carried out, keep the associated clearance record identifying areas and depths in the project file.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Submit building and external works designs together

Send a site plan showing drainage, technical structures and proposed depths. Include existing investigation reports and their maps. Identify information still being developed. Initial coordination can then identify areas already assessed and determine further requirements without overlooking incomplete external works behind the building layout.

Identify the first tasks, such as early drainage works. Coordinate the necessary technical services for these interventions in good time within the programme. Where several parties are involved, identify who maintains the current drawing revision and passes on changes. Provide newly identified utility lines, accessible areas and restrictions. Relate the construction date to the clarified investigation scope and prerequisites still to be met.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Compare later detailed design with the results

When basin dimensions, utility routes or foundations are determined, compare these details with the existing investigation scope. Pass on changes before the affected intervention. Site management receives current drawings with the applicable results. Retain usable earlier findings while specifically assessing new areas or areas affected differently.

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 analysis relates images, maps, land-use records and earlier assessments to a defined investigation area. Identify the historical dates and gaps in the evidence. Where further historical information is needed, carry out the necessary research and interpretation. For external works in Sanem, also consider working areas outside the building footprint. Today's vegetation does not answer the historical question. Keep the assessment distinguishable from a technical investigation of today's ground. Include unresolved questions arising from it in investigation planning for the proposed basins, utility routes and additional interventions.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Geomagnetic surveying passively records magnetic anomalies. An object's electrical conductivity alone does not determine whether it can be detected geomagnetically. At an external installation, existing reinforcement, utility lines, fences and metal components may affect measurements. For a new basin excavation, consider the actual conditions in each part of the area. The technical planners justify suitability against the investigation objective, volume of ground needed and expected objects. Interpret measurement data and interference together. A strong signal alone does not identify explosive ordnance. Record investigated areas, limitations and outstanding questions traceably in the report and accompanying drawings.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Transient electromagnetic methods, or TDEM, record the electromagnetic response of conductive objects over time. Establish suitability for the required investigation objective and actual measurement conditions. A utility connection between a building and retention basin may cross paved paths, existing networks and other installations. Account for these differences in method selection and interpretation. Give measurement data a geographical reference. Identify interference and areas that cannot be adequately investigated. Further investigation follows the outstanding technical question. Equipment availability alone does not determine the suitable approach for the ground affected by the external installation.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can record underground structures and reflections. Soil structure, moisture, installations and the investigation objective affect interpretability. Specialist interpretation relates the measurements to other findings. An anomaly does not automatically identify explosive ordnance; a display without anomalies remains limited to the volume of ground actually investigated. When using an existing survey, check its original commission, position and limits. Utility detection retains its own purpose. For a basin excavation or equipment foundation, use this information to determine which additional findings are needed and whether the method is suitable under local conditions.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For a deep retention structure, shaft or changed borehole position, describe the position, depth and elevation datum clearly. If a suitable surface investigation is insufficient for the findings needed, a coordinated deep or borehole survey may be considered. Preparation includes existing utility lines and technically appropriate creation of investigation access. A general depth in metres or standard grid does not replace this planning. Results or borehole clearance identify the investigation scope actually covered. Check relocated points and additional depths against it. Clarify the Luxembourg prerequisites for the specific technical work before carrying it out.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

If a necessary preliminary investigation cannot be completed in full, assess whether a technically planned approach alongside construction is suitable. This may combine excavation in layers, specialist exposure and supplementary surveying in each working area. Visual observation of excavation alone is insufficient for detection. Include interpretation and communication of findings in the proposed sequence. For early drainage works, identify clearly which area is being investigated and which tasks must be clarified before the intervention. Keep limitations and unresolved areas documented. If ammunition is actually found, stop work and notify SEDAL or the police; private technical work remains within its previously clarified permitted scope.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Turn the external works design into a specific investigation commission

Review the history of the affected areas

A historical aerial photograph analysis can supplement existing drawings and reports. It must concern the actual working areas, including external works. A general reference to commercial use does not answer the ordnance question. Nor does a surface covered with vegetation today prove that the ground below has already been adequately investigated.

Discuss access and interference in advance

For surveying, the investigation objective and conditions in each area are decisive. Utility lines, installations or paved areas may affect measurements and interpretation. Describe existing conditions as early as possible. Results must not silently equate an area that can be assessed only to a limited extent with one fully investigated.

Schedule technical services before each construction task

A clearance plan can record when the necessary investigations for buildings and external works are to take place. Include early drainage works where these create corresponding investigation requirements. The necessary assessment must precede the affected ground intervention; observing excavation alone does not replace it.

Next steps

Start your enquiry for Sanem with the right drawings

01

Distinguish the applicable PAP from the construction design

The municipality of Sanem publishes written and graphical planning documents. For a technical enquiry, relate these to the specific property. Include the construction design where already available. A technical installation permitted by the PAP is not necessarily an installation commissioned or already constructed in that form. At first contact, identify the project location and findings needed. Check existing drawings, statements and investigation reports for currency, geographical relevance, completeness and gaps.

02

Address outstanding historical questions

Where historical questions remain open, necessary research and aerial photograph assessments are actually carried out within the commission agreed by specialists. Existing assessments are considered with their respective subareas and conclusions. Additional findings are assigned to the present area of ground disturbance and used in investigation planning.

03

Bring all disciplines together on the site plan

Show buildings, drainage and external works on a shared drawing extract. Record their respective revisions and identify missing information. At transitions between designs, make clear whether the same elevation, position and route are intended. Select the method according to the investigation objective, intervention depth, soil structure, installations and actual measurement conditions. Clarify access and the necessary prerequisites with the responsible parties.

04

Assign existing results to each area

Provide earlier ordnance reports in full. Mark which proposed external works lie within their documented limits and which do not. A brief confirmation without maps may be insufficient for this comparison. If records are still being requested, record that outstanding status.

05

Perform the agreed investigation

The agreed survey or appropriate investigation during construction is carried out on the defined areas and points. Measurement data and observations receive clear position and elevation references. Uninvestigated areas, restricted access and relevant interference are recorded.

06

Assess and document findings

The collected data and findings are assessed against the investigation objective and actual measurement conditions. The assessment takes account of interference and limitations. The report and plan appendices document the technical assessment, areas addressed and their position, elevation and depth references. Required further tasks follow from this.

07

Communicate changes before execution

If a basin moves, a connection is extended or a technical structure is added, compare the change with the agreed investigation scope. Existing usable results need not be discarded indiscriminately. The deciding question is whether the change raises a technical issue not previously answered. After assessment, hand over the report and drawings to site management with the areas covered, limitations and outstanding tasks. Use these to agree the decision required for the next intervention.

Documentation

Keep the limits of technical conclusions traceable

Findings and their scope

FONTANA-EOD discusses with you the private technical services needed for the proposed groundworks in Sanem. Relate the subject and limits of the commission to the actual interventions. Before work starts, clarify Luxembourg requirements and the permitted scope of services. The responsible authorities make their respective decisions; the technical documentation identifies the agreed task, areas investigated and limitations.

Project responsibilities

The Luxembourg Army describes SEDAL as the public specialist service for found ammunition. Safe reporting of a suspicious object must be distinguished from preventive project planning. Technical principles in Germany's BFR KMR may help explain an approach but do not replace Luxembourg requirements or responsibilities.

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.

Where area clearance is required, the agreed specialist approach describes the objective, spatial scope and handovers. Permitted private activities remain distinct from SEDAL’s state responsibilities. Clearance work actually completed receives a clearance record identifying the areas covered and limitations. The report and associated plans are provided together for the project file.

Understand the results

Use technical statements for the next decision

Relate different disciplines to the same drawing revision

Drainage, landscape design and technical equipment drawings may show the same area from different perspectives. Bring their ground interventions together on a traceable overview. Keep the associated detail drawings available. Clarify differences in position or elevation before commissioning so the investigation does not rest on contradictory information about the same working area.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Document transitions between public and private areas together

Identify those responsible for connections across property boundaries. Account for existing reports within their actual scope. Contract allocation must not interrupt geographical assessment. Site management should be able to identify who supplies the necessary appendices and what additional clarification is needed before work at each connection.

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
Four people in orange high-visibility vests in front of two excavators on a construction site.
Person with a yellow survey cart on a footpath in front of a hedge.
Questions from planning

Questions about green spaces and external infrastructure

Can a green space be excluded from the ordnance assessment?

Not solely because of that description. What matters is whether and where groundworks are planned. A retention structure, utility line or foundation may lie within a green space. Compare these interventions with the existing findings.

Is the maximum basin area shown in the PAP sufficient for commissioning?

It helps with geographical orientation. The specific investigation nevertheless needs the proposed construction details and depths. If these remain unresolved, account for that uncertainty during coordination; do not assume a final construction design exists.

Does the building report also cover external utility lines?

That depends on its geographical and technical scope. Utility positions and intervention depths must fall within its documented coverage. Otherwise, clarify additional investigation requirements before these works.

Who clarifies the connection between private land and a public area?

The project owners and designers involved must coordinate records and contracts for the connection. Clarify locally which authorities the specific project needs to involve. A property boundary alone limits neither suspected contamination nor the coverage of an investigation method.

What should you do if suspicious ammunition is found in Sanem?

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.

How are conflicting drawings from different disciplines coordinated?

Bring ground interventions from drainage, landscape design and technical equipment drawings together on a traceable overview. Keep the detail drawings available alongside it. Clarify differences in position or elevation before commissioning so the investigation does not rest on contradictory information about the same working area.

How is an external area with limited assessability documented?

The investigation must identify what can be established and the limitations that remain. An area that can be assessed only to a limited extent must not be equated with one fully investigated. Describe known utility lines, installations and paving in advance and account for them in the technical assessment.

What determines the cost of an investigation in Sanem?

The work involved depends on existing findings, the area and depth of each external task, suitable methods, access and interference. Assign preparatory work, interpretation, the report and accompanying drawings to the investigation scope needed. For work in Luxembourg, account for the evidence, notifications and organisational prerequisites specifically required. Distinguish the authorities' handling of finds from privately commissioned project services by their respective purposes and responsibility for costs.

Project enquiry

Prepare the first technical discussion

Show external works in full

Record basins, utility lines and individual structures with their depths.

Include the project address, working spaces, proposed exploratory works and borehole positions. Explicitly identify undecided depths as unresolved design information. State which findings are needed first and which drawing details must be supplied before construction. Clarification must precede each ground intervention; observing excavation alone does not replace a necessary preliminary investigation. Include early drainage works in this sequence too.

Relate drawing revisions

Bring drainage and external works designs together with existing reports.

List historical assessments, technical results documentation and known local requirements with their dates. Provide the associated maps together. For work in Luxembourg, organise company credentials, service notifications and employee posting records by their respective purposes. The parties clarify who will supply missing information and how the current version will remain available before work starts. Relate a changed structure clearly to the relevant reports.

GPR on a construction site
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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