Bauer Spezialtiefbau has constructed foundations for the Deutsches Haus in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - an office tower that aims to be a symbol of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Germany.

It will be the official residence of the consul general of the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as the economic and cultural focal point for German companies and institutions in Vietnam. The 25-storey office building with an area of about 30,000m2 is scheduled to be completed in 2017.

Work on the foundations was carried out by Bauer Vietnam, the local subsidiary of Bauer Spezialtiefbau, from November 2014 to April 2015.

Bauer Vietnam constructed an 800mm-thick and 45m-deep diaphragm wall using a mechanical grab; a secant pile wall with a diameter of 880mm and a depth of up to 33m was simultaneously constructed adjacent to the existing Kumho Tower and the Intercontinental Residence Building.

The work also included the construction of eight bored piles with diameters of 1,500mm and 39 grouted piles with diameters of 2,000mm - all between 60m and 80m long - including kingposts for a semi-top-down construction. A Bauer BG 28 and Bauer BG 40 were used for the secant pile wall construction, and a Bauer BG 40 was used to construct the grouted bored piles.

Due to the tight deadline, the bored piles were constructed simultaneously with the secant pile wall and the diaphragm wall. To minimise noise and disturbance to residents in the neighbouring buildings, drilling works were carried out during the day and concreting at night.

Owing to the restrictions on heavy traffic movement within the city, deliveries could be made only at night, which, however, did not affect the project schedule. Bauer Vietnam completed the work within the planned time frame.