Better working environment with new pipes
Bostads AB Mimer is working on a project to replace the main water pipes in a residential district of Västerås in Sweden. The project will result in a renovated pipe network, providing a more sutible working environment for service personnel. FVB has been commissioned to design the new pipe networks.
The Välljärnet apartment complex in the district of Bäckby were mainly built around 1970, along with the water and district heating pipe systems. Both pipe networks are now scheduled for replacement, and FVB is fully responsible for designing the water, heating and hot water pipes.
“The main sewage pipes are currently under the buildings, which makes it difficult for the service personnel to maintain them, as they have to work in a crawl space for a range of jobs,” says Patrik Andersson, responsible for water and sewage at FVB.
“Designing and planning a new solution to facilitate operation and maintenance outside the building will provide a more sutible working environment for the service personnel. That's also one of the reasons why Mimer, the company that owns the building, is making the investment,” he explains.
A new network of water pipes will mean fewer leaks, less unwanted water and fewer tree roots penetrating the pipes – an altogether safer network. But the increasing amount of stormwater are a challenge for the project. Given that the system was originally built 50 years ago, it did not account for climate changes, new dimensioning criteria and the industry standards we have today.
“That creates a situation in which we need to divert more stormwater than before. We're doing so by laying new pipes with the right dimensions to ensure the ground will not get more flooded than necessary in the area,” says Andersson and adds:
“One challenge is that there is limited capacity in the receiving pipe network, which is owned by Mälarenergi. We therefore have a close dialogue with them about the options and limitations that exist in the network, to ensure we reach the best overall solution.”
For Bostads AB Mimer, which has around 900 apartments in the area, replacing the pipe network will be a major project.
“We have commissioned FVB as consultants because this is a large and complex network that is to be replaced and also partially relocated,” says Per Ekström, Property Manager at Bostads AB Mimer.
“We are really looking forward to when this is fully designed so we can make a plan for replacing the water supply and culvert for heating and hot water. We hope to be able to start next year, and given that it is such an extensive project, it will be executed in a series of stages,” he adds.
FVB’s mission also includes planning and distributing the various stages for construction and connection of these systems. A key element is that the construction should have as little negative impact as possible on the residents.
“It’s important to minimize disruption to residents in the area, and FVB has a key role to play in getting the work done as efficiently as possible,” states Ekström.
More information:
Patrik Andersson, +46 (0) 26 14 88 64
