STATSBYGG AND UCO, SUBSIDIARY OF SKANSKA, ENSURE CONTROL OF ALL VEHICLES DELIVERING CONSTRUCTION MATERIELS WITH MYLOC CONSTRUCTION
Logistical management with high stakes during the rebuild and expantion of Oslo’s government quarter.
Background
The work of restoring the premises housing the seat of the Norwegian government has been ongoing after the complex became the target of a terror attack in 2011. The decision was made to not only rebuild the existing structures but to also create new workspaces that meet heightened security standards and gather Oslo’s about 4100 government officials into one central district.
Statsbygg, the Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction and Property, began the initial demolition and groundworks for the New Government Quarter in 2015. Since then, the plans for the redevelopment of the Regjeringskvartalet have continued to evolve. Transport management to and around the areas of construction was identified early in the planning process as a critical underpinning for successful implementation of the various project plans, and for maintaining the necessary security at the construction site.
Safety and control requirements
The nature and location of Regjeringskvartalet in the absolute center of Oslo pose significant challenges to the layout of the project. The project plans for the site consist of a patchwork covering various phases of construction and restorations spanning nearly two decades. Located in the middle of historic Oslo, with public, residential and commercial buildings, and traffic, on all sides, the area had to be contained and restricted from unauthorized individuals and vehicles. As a counterpoint, objectives to limit the construction’s impact on the already constrained traffic flow of the city center require efficient supply line management. Transports needed to be planned in a way that avoids, or at least minimizes, disruptions.
The restoration project carries great symbolic value, not to speak of political weight. Reflected in the efforts made to honor Regjeringskvartalet’s importance – historical and contemporary. The significance of the New Government Quarter as a reflection of the nation’s leadership also places high demands on environmental impact control. In practice, compliance with the Norwegian government’s ambitions regarding sustainability in the construction processes in large part rests on accurate and precise documentation of activities from the project’s many participants.
Crafting the site logistics strategy
Statsbygg have partnered with Skanska Norway and their subsidiary UCO as contractors for the Rigging and Operation contract that handles common areas on the construction site (e.g. construction fences, gates and logistics management). Skanska then in turn enlisted Myloc Construction in a twofold role as consulting logistics specialists and system suppliers. During the planning stages of the contract Myloc first helped create a comprehensive logistical strategy that mapped out the site management according to the standards set by the project owners. Second, the Myloc Construction platform was integrated into the project’s digital ecosystem to provide Skanska and UCO with the specialized tools needed to supervise and manage transportation flows around the Government Quarter. A joint Operational Logistics Team was established, consisting of logistics managers from several construction contracts in the New Government Quarter Project, which includes contractors such as Skanska, Veidekke, Hent, and Agaia.
Beyond a standard construction logistics platform, Myloc Construction developed processes to set up and track checkpoints with controls of permitted drivers and vehicles. New functionality and booking types were added to form a flexible solution tailored to the specifications of the project. For detailed follow-up, Myloc Construction’s accompanying analytics tool Myloc Intelligence was fitted with customized reports for evaluating project-specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) like delivery, booking and measurement precision to ensure compliance with Regjeringskvartalet’s strict conditions.
Arne Bergh, responsible for the logistics in the New Government Quarter project for Statsbygg:
“The Myloc Construction solution has proven to work very well for our traffic management. Myloc provides our project participants with efficient and reliable logistics tools in a system with strong operational support.”
Solution implementation
The implementation of Myloc’s supply chain solution for the New Government Quarter Project began with Skanska’s logistics personnel from UCO becoming Super Users in the Myloc Construction platform. This startup training is part of the standard offer of services from Myloc and prepares the Super Users to instruct and assist their subcontractors, security personnel and other logistics actors in how to efficiently employ the system.
Myloc Construction’s logistics software was already well-suited to accommodate the project’s required traceability and adaptability. By incorporating Myloc Construction as the control tower for handling all movement through Regjeringskvartalet ’s shifting entry and exit points the project organizers have achieved coordination across the network of transporters and subcontractors. Even some external construction projects that have sprung up in the surrounding neighborhood in connection with the government quarter reconstruction. Having detailed and correct information on hand at all levels has proven crucial in allocating even loads for the transportation flows at the complex construction site.
“Collaborating with Myloc has been golden. By using Myloc Construction to coordinate the gate checkpoints we’ve managed to drastically cut down on admin time. Having a common path of communication for information exchange and handling access to the site works very well even for the suppliers who aren’t here every day, since things tend to shift around more and more as all of the subprojects progress.”
Says Duvaraken Nanthakumar, Logistics Manager for UCO at Regjeringskvartalet.
Lessons learned
Major construction doesn’t have to mean major disturbances. By consistently enforcing the strict access rules for the project site traffic jams and disruptions to the surrounding city are minimized around Regjeringskvartalet.
With a solid organizational base for construction logistics management, even drastic changes in project scope and timeline can be navigated without compromising the overall goals. At Regjeringskvartalet the logistical operations have already been tested and proven well able to accommodate shifts in scope, design and overall runtime of the many sub-projects as well as the project plan at large.
Including site security in the planning of material flows was essential for this project. The impact of the logistical plan so far shows clear examples of how specific traffic control, green construction, and production can be effectively consolidated and coordinated in larger projects. Given that the logistics strategy and logistics management tools are fully integrated from the start of the project.
The New Government Quarter Project relies on Myloc Construction in combination with several other report and analysis tools to maintain tight restrictions on traffic control for all vehicles entering and exiting the construction site. To motivate accurate reporting of logistical activities in the Myloc platform from all project participants the project owners have set up an incentive model to encourage friendly competition between contractors. Scoring and rewarding the best performing teams has proven highly effective in boosting compliance. The quality of the data input is what makes the necessary in-depth analysis of this sprawling construction possible.
Next steps
Balancing safety and accessibility have been defining factors for this project as the reconstruction aims restore and add to the New Government Quarter, while also improving the flow of movement for the surrounding city. Ambitions that have shaped both the logistics plans and the design of the new public spaces. A side effect has been a project with continually increasing scope. The timeline has currently been extended to 2031 with reworked plans for parts of the complex and the further addition of connected construction projects. In the next few years, the logistics team in particular face new challenges as some parts of Regjeringskvartalet will begin to be commissioned parallel to finalizing stages of ongoing construction.
Some quick facts on Regjeringskvartalet
- Regjeringskvartalet includes the offices of the Prime Minister of Norway, several of the government ministries, utility and service buildings as well as public spaces. It will also house a new park and a memorial to honor the victims of the 22 July attack.
- The complex features murals by Picasso and many unique examples of Norwegian architecture, art and design that have been restored and incorporated into the new construction wherever possible.
- More than just repairs – Regjeringskvartalet sets an example of encouraging innovation, for example through a separate but connected project that involves securing a sustainable power supply for the new Government Quarter through a dedicated seawater energy facility.
- The project has reached its most intense phase of construction in the past few years. In 2023 a record was set with over 1000 builders active on the site at the same time.
- Myloc Construction’s cloud solution for Regjeringskvartalet involves several hundred individual users in 15 sub-projects covering 12 separate areas of construction so far. The logistical operations also include a range of connected external projects that may need access to the site checkpoints. All administered through Myloc Construction, with more yet to come.
Read more about the project on Statsbygg’s site.
Photo Credit: Statsbygg/Team Urbis/ Nordic Office of Architecture
