PORR consortium wins EUROPEAN CONCRETE AWARD 2014 in the Civil Engineering category

Vienna, 4 April 2014 – As part of the CONSTRUCTION CONGRESS 2014, the “Kraftwerk Sohlstufe Lehen” consortium, consisting of the companies Hinteregger, PORR and Teerag Asdag, was presented with the EUROPEAN CONCRETE AWARD 2014 in the “Civil Engineering” category for the Lehen Riverbed Sill Power Plant project. The jurors awarded this prize to recognise an exceptional reinforced concrete project, and it was jointly received by the “Kraftwerk Sohlstufe Lehen” consortium as contractor, Salzburg AG as principal and architects Erich Wagner and Max Rieder.
 
Salzburg AG’s new Salzach power plant, the Lehen Riverbed Sill Power Plant, was officially opened in September 2013 following a three-year construction period, just a stone’s throw away from Salzburg’s Altstadt. The hydropower plant has a maximum capacity of 13.7MW with a drop height of 6.6m and will supply power to 23,000 households.
 
In view of its prominent location and thanks to the conscientious approach of the client, Salzburg AG, particular attention was also paid to the architectural design of the structure and to an appropriate recreational concept for the surroundings.
 
Architects Erich Wagner and Max Rieder were responsible for the architectural design and they chose the energy and dynamic power of water as the main design element for the hydropower plant. The key design elements were positioned in the flow direction. The two fundamental features of energy transformation – potential “calm upstream” and kinetic “flowing downstream” – were symbolised by the balance of forces. The upstream and downstream integration and emphasis of the fish pass, power plant outlet, weir piles and bank piles enhance the impression of a sculpture in the riverbed.
 
Karl-Heinz Strauss, CEO of PORR AG: “Our team and I are delighted with this award. It recognises an exceptionally demanding achievement in construction and technology, which underlines PORR’s ability to realise spectacular architectural ideas with technical perfection”.