Airport Frankfurt Terminal 3

In addition experts in engineering, integrated design and infrastructure are involved in this large-scale project. Dreso is also undertaking soil management and has organized the proper disposal of contaminated excavated soil. 

In the meantime, a total of up to 300 Dresos are working for the large-scale project. Here are some of them: 

Julius Köhler works in project management and Sven Springweiler in construction management. In tandem they work for their subproject Pier H – a 400 metre long pier. „Controversial, but always constructive!“ is how Julius Köhler describes the cooperation with his construction management colleague. 

Christoph Stehr is an early bird on the construction site. At his workplace in the Container Castle – a stone’s throw away from the construction site gate – he can often be found between five and five thirty in the morning. At Terminal 3 Christoph has two roles: On the one hand is the overall project manager for construcion management. His job: Matching target and actual in terms of quality, deadlines, costs, contracts and occupational safety, and to identify any discrepancies. This involves a lot of communication with colleagues, analysis of progress curves, and correspondence. “What’s working and what’s not? I always have to have my finger on the pulse,” he says. On the other hand he is site manager for state building regulations and for coordination with building authorities. This means that he is responsible for ensuring that all regulations and safety guidelines are adhered to. 

Mina Sebald heads up the construction management cost team. Mina Sebald also starts work early – usually between 7 and 8. Together with her team, she prepares the cost forecasts for the individual contract award units such as drywall and facade construction. She is also responsible for ensuring proper invoicing of construction work. “Variations, additional cost notices, decision documents, services expected, risks, hindrance notices – these are all factors that influence the forecast,” she explains. 

Florian Theis is most attracted to the project by its dimensions. “The sheer scale is the most fascinating thing about the project – and the fact that we can still break down the project in such a way as to make it manageable.” The overall project manager for project management has been working on the T3 project since 2019. “How can we achieve the most efficient project execution?” is a key question he is constantly asking. 

Klaudia Kulikowska-Urgese, Alessandra Sieber und Zeynep Akpinar are part of the cost management team. Their task is to keep the client up to date with regard to costs. It’s all about presenting the most accurate picture possible of the current situation and predicting future costs. “The best thing is the variety,” says Klaudia Kulikowska-Urgese. “The disciplines involved are constantly changing. In the beginning it’s shell construction, then there are a lot of technical topics. It never gets boring, even if the basic tasks always remain the same. In the end, nobody gets past us!” she says with a laugh. Her colleagues agree: “We are like giant squid!“. 

They collect all kinds of information, which gives them an overview of the entire project, including all subprojects. To their regret, the three rarely get to visit the construction site. But when they do, „it’s great for our motivation,” says Alessandra Sieber. She tells us about a visit to the multistorey car park, a subproject for which she shares responsibility. “Standing there and seeing the huge construction site with all the cranes – that’s what we’re working towards all the time.” 

From Zeynep Akpinar’s point of view, it is particularly motivating that cost management employees are fully responsible for individual contracts instead of simply checking invoices all day. “If that were the case, you’d lose interest at some point,” she says. 

Romy Marini, one of the assistants, is where many threads come together. With such a large-scale project as T3, many colleagues come and go each month. She issues newcomers with site passes, personal protective equipment (PPE), and access codes. She is also part of the onboarding team for newcomers. She also delights in playing the role of ‘feelgood manager’. Sometimes in summer she even hands out ice cream as a little treat. 

As a Lean expert, Rebecca Seifermann ensures that everyone understands and properly implements the Lean philosophy – and that work on the construction site progresses stably and without major fluctuations. Because what many do not know is that: “Too fast is as bad as too slow!“