Technical map of the Braunschweig administrative area marking Braunschweig for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying and disposal in Wolfsburg

For project owners, planners and site management in Wolfsburg, FONTANA-EOD coordinates explosive ordnance assessment for the structure, utility connections and traffic areas. The subprojects are assigned to existing investigation results according to their actual areas, depths and processing status. Send the shared project overview and complete reports so that unresolved connections, extensions and planning changes can be clarified before the affected earthworks.

Subprojects

Distinguish the structure, utility supply and traffic areas.

Interfaces

Record connections between construction areas.

Planning change

Compare new ground interventions before implementation.

Discuss subprojects togetherExplosive ordnance assessment in Lower Saxony
Assess the construction project

Include all subprojects in the investigation scope

The structure, utility connections and access routes may affect different areas and depths. For your project in Wolfsburg, we compare each subarea with the existing investigation results. Unresolved connections, extensions and planning changes are clarified technically before the affected earthworks.

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Illustration of a map with the Lower Saxony coat of arms, a tablet, hard hat and documents.

Site and existing requirements

State the actual project location with a site plan and the affected properties. Existing information, official conditions and reports are assigned to this area. Wolfsburg is in Lower Saxony in the Braunschweig administrative area. The city of Wolfsburg is responsible for protection against explosive ordnance hazards within its limits; information and existing reports are assigned to the specific property and ground intervention. For addresses in the city centre and central development areas, Westhagen, Vorsfelde, Fallersleben, Detmerode, Heßlingen or Sandkamp, identify the corresponding document version. For enquiries from Braunschweig, Gifhorn, Helmstedt, Weyhausen, Königslutter or the Mittellandkanal area, the complete project location, including municipality and federal state, and the responsible body are clarified separately.

Explosive ordnance assessment in Lower Saxony
Local context

Plan the structure, utilities and access routes together

Local starting point

The city of Wolfsburg lists explosive ordnance among the responsibilities of its Public Order Office and explains support from the state explosive ordnance disposal service. Its construction guide for municipal properties explicitly recommends clarifying with the Hazard Prevention Team whether the property still requires surveying. This information and existing investigation documents form part of preparation for the specific project.

The Wolfsburg city chronicle describes the incorporation of the Volkswagen plant into the wartime economy and production of armaments during the Second World War. The plant was severely damaged during the war, while residential districts were largely spared air raids according to the chronicle. Historical investigation must therefore distinguish the factory grounds, former production and storage areas, and residential areas. Former factory plans, wartime aerial photographs and reconstruction documents are related to the position of the present construction section.

Implications for construction planning

If the building has already been defined but drainage and access are still changing, the explosive ordnance assessment must take these different planning stages into account. An investigation of the future hall area must not be extended to the connection trench without checking. A possible future expansion area must likewise be distinguished from the working area currently commissioned. On industrial and factory sites, former production or storage functions and subsequent alterations and extensions are reviewed using existing documents. Logistics and transshipment areas, railway and route corridors, transport junctions and development and redevelopment sites are delineated on the site plan according to the areas actually affected. Ground intervention depths are specified separately for utility supplies, chambers and deep excavations. Indications of changes to the terrain are spatially assigned to the affected working areas.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The client describes the project and provides the available project records. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact brings the parties together; individual tasks remain assigned to the named parties. Before commissioning, it is clearly recorded what information is missing, who will obtain it and what decision the result is intended to prepare.

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 contractor performs the agreed investigation and documentation work. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the respective responsible bodies. The records needed for a specific procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report documents the specialist work carried out and its area, depth and limits of conclusions. The responsible bodies make official decisions concerning subsequent groundworks.

As the municipality, the city of Wolfsburg is responsible for local hazard prevention. Its Public Order Office, General Hazard Prevention, provides information about suspected explosive ordnance within the city. Lower Saxony’s explosive ordnance disposal service supports the municipality with hazard investigation, recovery and disposal. Commercial specialist contractors carry out the commissioned technical investigations. Contacts, official conditions, reporting channels and the handover of evaluated findings are agreed for the subprojects.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

First assess the existing findings

Aerial photograph analyses, official correspondence and earlier technical reports are related to the current project. What matters is which question each document answers and which spatial area it covers. Analysis of historical imagery must be distinguished from technical investigation of the present ground. If findings are missing or do not match the planned construction task, the further investigation needed is agreed with the specialists.

Assess historical documents

Relate the investigation to the area and depth

For the technical investigation, a suitable method is selected according to the objective, depth, ground and interference. A standard device alone does not define an appropriate service. The agreed scope identifies accessible areas and required results documentation. Even for a partial investigation, it must remain clear which area is actually investigated and which questions still require clarification afterwards.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Coordinate new construction, connections and future extensions in Wolfsburg

Illustration: a person wearing a hard hat and holding a tablet beside a cordoned-off excavation with an excavator.

Structure with ancillary areas still unresolved

Largely defined hall planning may coexist with external areas still subject to change. Foundations, drainage, lighting and access routes are therefore identified individually. For an early investigation, the parts already sufficiently defined are recorded. Later planning is not silently included. It is compared with the existing results before implementation.

The site plan distinguishes defined parts of the structure from external areas still to be planned. The actual working areas and depths are stated for ground interventions already defined. A provisional drainage alignment or an approximately marked lighting position remains identifiable as a planning assumption. The investigation commission identifies the areas to be addressed on this basis. For the remaining areas, the planning information needed next is recorded. If external works planning adds foundations, for example, their positions and ground areas are compared with the existing results. The documents for the structure and its ancillary areas are then handed over together to site management.

Provide specialist supervision of excavation
Illustration: two people with a tablet beside a drawing table and a survey trolley on a construction site.

Utility connection beyond the construction boundary

A new connection may leave the investigated new building area and lead to a distant existing network. The entire working area, including interfaces and chambers, is shown. Different client or property boundaries do not change the actual ground intervention. For technical coordination, identify who provides documents for each part and where a joint decision is needed.

For the connection, show the alignment from the new building to the intended interface with the existing network. Working pits and differing depths receive their own information. The overview identifies who provided plans and earlier investigation results for the individual sections. A boundary between two properties is compared with the actual interface area so that specialist planning can assign the work intended there. If the connection point changes, the affected sections are identified again. Those involved compare the current alignment with available results and use this to describe the investigation still needed. Earlier plans are retained with their dates so that existing reports can still be assigned to their original alignment.

Specialist services and investigation tasks
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Expansion reserve with a different foundation later

An extension area considered in advance needs a defined investigation objective. If a different foundation or greater depth is chosen later, the applicability of the earlier results must be checked. Designating it as a reserve area is insufficient. Keep the original task description together with the report so that later planning can draw on a traceable assessment.

The plan used at the time, described approach and actual results with their spatial boundaries form the basis for this comparison. New planning then shows where it differs from that basis. Different foundation types, additional connections or a larger working area may affect different subareas. These changes are identified individually and technically compared with the earlier report. Existing results remain usable for the scope investigated in it. An additional task description records the new question still to be addressed for the extension actually selected.

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 reliable process distinguishes work already technically clarified from prerequisites still unresolved. If an area will only be partly accessible, this must be taken into account when commissioning the work. Handover and assessment of results also need time in the construction programme. Specific coordination connects the described scope with access, records, execution conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Where individual construction tasks intervene in the ground

01

Structure and foundations

Assign the planned foundations, foundation areas and deeper sections to a current planning version. Different depths must remain identifiable. If the foundation type has not yet been determined, tell us. Before an early investigation, clarify the area and depth for which it is intended to provide an assessment.

02

Utilities and drainage

Utility connections may extend beyond the actual new building area. Show their working areas, including chambers and interfaces with existing infrastructure. Also clarify interfaces between two commissions so that no working area is omitted from the explosive ordnance assessment.

03

Traffic and operational areas

When altering an access route or yard, work below the surface also matters. Drainage, lighting foundations or changes to the sub-base may involve additional ground interventions. Before the investigation, describe the work planned and the areas that must remain accessible during it.

04

Further expansion stages

An entry on a plan does not demonstrate that a future extension area has already been investigated. Record the use and depth for which a result was established. If a different structure or deeper ground intervention is planned later, the previous assessment is compared with it again.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Maintain a shared site plan showing processing status

A shared site plan can distinguish the structure, utilities and traffic areas. It also shows which parts exist only as options. The corresponding reports retain their own limitations. A shared plan must therefore not suggest that every area shown has already been technically investigated.

Document interface decisions

Where two planning areas meet, unresolved information and responsibilities are identified. The actual connection position, depth and intended construction method matter. A response concerning the structure does not replace these specifications for a connection changed later. FONTANA-EOD relates the commissioned investigation to the clarified scope.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Preparatory investigation and initial ground works

The sequence is planned around the ground works actually proposed. Drilling, service diversions or temporary foundations may already be planned before the main excavation. For each affected area, it is clarified what must be established beforehand and which records are available. Construction plans already submitted may need additional construction details later. These additions are submitted for specialist assessment before the work concerned begins.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Further construction phases and changed plans

At the transition to the next construction phase, it is checked which results still apply. The location, depth and limitations described in the report are decisive. Additional working areas or changed methods are explicitly included. An interim release of an area for operational use and the technical findings of an investigation report are different matters. Site management receives the clarified status together with the associated plans and outstanding next steps.

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 may be suitable for certain metallic target objects and site conditions. Suitability is justified for the particular task, rather than inferred from equipment availability alone. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the conclusion required must also be considered. Results are documented with their location and investigation conditions. Whether a supplementary method is needed follows from the technical assessment and remains a specific project decision. TDEM records time-dependent electromagnetic responses from electrically conductive objects.

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 investigation task affect interpretation. An anomaly is not automatically explosive ordnance, and an area without anomalies is not general evidence for arbitrary depths. The technical interpretation and limitations are documented with the commission. An investigation for other purposes is not adopted as explosive ordnance evidence without assessment. Highly conductive ground can limit its range.

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, it is assessed whether a technically planned approach during construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the planned workflow. Visual observation during excavation is not an interchangeable substitute for a necessary survey. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work takes place, how new findings are handled and which areas remain unresolved. Where the method is suitable, each working layer is technically surveyed and assessed before controlled removal in layers. Visual checks supplement the survey. The process continues to the agreed excavation base and, where necessary, along walls or slopes; the stop signal, authority to issue instructions and reporting channels are agreed beforehand.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Coordinate investigations with the individual construction areas

Provide all planners with the same documents

A historical aerial photograph analysis, existing technical reports and official information form the initial documentation. Provide them in full to the planners involved. This allows subprojects to work from the same information; differing excerpts or older accompanying plans remain identifiable as such.

A shared document overview lists the governing reports with their dates, accompanying plans and respective spatial references. The version to be used for current planning is identified. Earlier documents remain available in their original versions so that changes can be traced. If a specialist planner needs an excerpt, the reference to the complete report is retained. Queries identify the affected subarea and the assessment requiring clarification. An additional answer is made available to those whose planning it affects. Before the next results handover, it is checked whether the structure, connections and external areas are actually being addressed using the same current information.

Define investigation areas by area and depth

Whether a surface survey is suitable for a subtask depends on local measurement conditions and the investigation objective. Deep foundations or inaccessible areas may require a different approach. The method must suit the area concerned. Different methods may therefore be required within the same project.

For each subtask, describe the ground volume the investigation is intended to assess. Actual accessibility, surfaces and known installed structures are assigned to this area. The specialist contractor explains its approach and the conditions required. An easily accessible external area may involve a different investigation task from a connection immediately beside the existing structure. If preparation or a later investigation phase is needed, its relationship to the affected areas is recorded. The results report distinguishes the areas actually investigated and states what was established there. This allocation supports comparison with the different depths and working areas in construction planning.

Compare planning changes with previous results

If a utility is moved or an excavation enlarged, the change must be compared with the previous result. Any necessary additional surveying or ordnance surveying during construction must be coordinated with the affected earthworks. Merely observing excavation does not replace this technical specialist task. Even if the construction sequence changes, the report applies only to the investigation scope it describes.

A planning change is presented with both the previous and new alignment or outline. Changed depths and elevation references are also stated. Specialist planning can then identify directly which areas already investigated remain affected and which additional ground volume is involved. The next steps for this scope are agreed with the specialist contractor. The next results handover links the change addressed with the current plan designation and identifies unresolved tasks. Site management receives both the specialist documents required and their spatial allocation to the forthcoming work. Where work is phased, the status reached remains identifiable for each affected section.

Next steps

Keep track of every construction area

01

Create an overall overview

Compile the planned structures, utilities and traffic areas with their processing status. Existing explosive ordnance documents are reviewed with their accompanying plans, area references and depth references. Where historical questions remain unresolved, additional records of use are researched and suitable wartime aerial photographs analysed where available. Findings and the limitations of the analysis are assigned to the affected construction areas.

02

Mark interfaces

Make interfaces, shared working areas and unresolved planning visible. For the structure, utilities and traffic areas, a suitable method is selected according to the investigation objective, ground intervention depth, soil structure, sources of interference and accessibility. Existing utilities and shared working areas are taken into account in the reasoning and necessary preparatory work.

03

Investigate the agreed area

The specialist contractor carries out the commissioned investigation. Survey grids, necessary borehole locations and access for investigation are coordinated with the area, level reference, ground works depth and local conditions. Survey data and findings are spatially referenced; inaccessible sections and interference are recorded.

04

Assess findings and agree further work

The results are compared with the construction task. Anomalies, assessed findings and unresolved areas are identified separately. For confirmed explosive ordnance, recovery and further handling are agreed with the responsible bodies in accordance with the division of responsibilities in Lower Saxony.

05

Record scope and results

Record the investigation commission and corresponding result for each construction area.

06

Update changes

Check new ground interventions before implementation and inform those affected of the status.

Documentation

Which documents executing contractors need

Findings and their scope

The documentation must establish which areas were investigated, which were not covered and where further measures are required. An overall plan can help with orientation but must refer to the corresponding reports. For site management and executing contractors, what matters is which supporting documentation actually concerns their own area, depth and activity.

Project responsibilities

In Lower Saxony, official hazard prevention and privately commissioned technical investigation are different tasks. The responsible municipality and state explosive ordnance disposal service are involved according to their remits. FONTANA-EOD documents the commissioned technical investigation scope. The responsible bodies make the official decisions. For subsequent uses, the planned ground intervention is compared with the documented areas and depths.

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

Read results together with their scope

A statement is understandable only with its investigation task. Check the area and depth described, methods used and restrictions. A report title or single result line is insufficient. For new work, these details are compared with the current plan to establish which knowledge remains usable and which question is unresolved.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Use project terminology unambiguously

Document review, surveying, construction-phase specialist work and recovery are different tasks. An enquiry need not identify the correct method in advance. An accurate description of the intervention and required decision is more useful. This establishes the appropriate technical scope and prevents a general term from meaning different things in design, procurement and execution.

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 subprojects and extensions in Wolfsburg

Must a new building and new utility connections be considered together?

They should be recorded together in the project overview, but technically assigned to their actual working areas and depths. A connection outside the new building area may require its own investigation. The documented scope of the available results is decisive.

Who provides information in Wolfsburg about previous investigations?

For local official coordination, the city refers to its Public Order Office or Hazard Prevention Team. The construction guide for municipal properties explicitly mentions clarifying whether surveying is still required. Existing reports and information must then be related to the specific project.

Can a future extension area be investigated at the same time?

This must be agreed as a separate task. The area, investigation objective and intended ground intervention depth must be described. The result applies to the specified investigation scope. If a different foundation or use is planned later, it must be checked whether the result still covers that change.

Is a shared overview plan sufficient for several specialist reports?

It can help allocate results but does not replace reports stating methods, results and limitations. The applicable planning versions and limitations of the assessments must remain traceable. A colour marking alone must not suggest a broader assessment than the investigation actually supports.

What should we do if a suspicious item is found?

If possible explosive ordnance is found, stop work at the location immediately. Do not touch, move or expose the object further. Leave the immediate area, keep your distance and keep others away without putting yourself at risk. In Germany, notify the police immediately on 110 and follow their instructions. Inform site management and the client; internal reporting must not delay the emergency call. An enquiry form for planned construction projects is not an emergency reporting channel.

What must be added if drainage is moved after planning?

State the new alignment with chambers, working areas and depths. This plan is compared with the existing investigation scope. A utility moved within the same project is not automatically covered by the earlier assessment.

Who gathers documents from several planners?

A coordinating contact should be designated for the project. This person brings together the available reports and planning versions and ensures their allocation. The technical responsibilities for the individual planning and investigations remain unchanged.

Which factors determine the investigation scope and costs?

Area, ground intervention depth, document version, soil structure, interference from metal and access determine the investigation task. Necessary preparation, evaluation, investigation of findings and documentation are additional factors. For several subprojects, actual working areas, interfaces and existing results are brought together. Planning still subject to change and unresolved quantities or access conditions are identified during quotation discussions.

Project enquiry

Agree the structure, connections and extensions with us

Plan revision and decision deadline

State whether the enquiry concerns early planning, preparation for tendering or ground works about to begin. The date by which technical findings are needed helps coordination. Outstanding information is explicitly identified rather than replaced with assumed values. Specify the earliest ground works, construction time windows, maximum ground works depths and investigations already commissioned.

Assign records to their locations

Send a site plan and available reports with their associated appendices. For several construction phases, identify which document belongs to which area. Photographs supplement descriptions of access and existing structures; they do not replace information about underground structures or planned depths. Include official correspondence, conditions, service plans and ground investigation records or records of existing structures. Identify contacts and areas that are not yet accessible.

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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