Environment

Our experience ensures that environmental concerns are always taken into account in accordance with statutory regulations and ecological requirements.

The unavoidable impact of large-scale construction projects on the environment is a sensitive issue in this day and age. Environmental planning plays an important role as a supplement to the usual planning activities.

For many years now, our experienced specialists have ensured that environmental concerns receive all due consideration in every planning and implementation phase with regard to legal regulations and ecological requirements.

Our service spectrum includes environmental impact assessments (EIA), environmental construction supervision (Umweltbaubegleitung, or UBB) including pedological construction supervision (Bodenkundliche Baubegleitung, or BBB), surface water development and renaturation as well as special expert reports and plans on noise protection (including construction noise), air pollution monitoring (including emissions modelling), waste disposal and nature conservation.

Services

  • Environmental Compatibility

  • Environmental Construction Monitoring

  • Noise Protection

  • Hazardous Substances

  • Building Contaminants, Waste and Waste Disposal Concepts

  • Modelling

  • Landscape Design

  • Green Roofs

  • Hazardous Incident Ordinance

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Questions and answers on environmental planning

What role does environmental planning play in the development of sustainable infrastructure projects?

Environmental planning ensures that construction projects have the least possible impact on the environment. This is not only dictated by ecological requirements. There are also legal requirements for dealing with the environment that those responsible must adhere to.

At Rapp, we employ specialists with expertise and experience in environmental planning. They are aware of the legalities and know exactly what to look out for in order to avoid legal consequences. They are also trained to treat nature responsibly.

Our environmental planners take various environmental concerns into account during the planning and construction phases. These include, for example: 

  • Nature conservation
  • Air pollution control
  • Groundwater protection
  • Construction physics
  • Noise protection 

Construction physics can have a major impact on the environment. Among other things, optimised thermal insulation can reduce energy consumption.

Soundproofing that fulfils the requirements also has a positive effect on the environment. This is because buildings and constructions that emit a great deal of noise can confuse animals and, in the worst case, jeopardise their existence. Effective soundproofing, such as noise barriers, can make the acoustics tolerable for wildlife.

Similarly, sound and vibrations emanating from a large number of cars or a factory can have negative effects on people. They therefore also benefit from soundproofing measures in environmental planning.

Among other things, our environmental planners prepare environmental reports, carry out environmental impact assessments and develop protection concepts. Once the construction work is underway, our team ensures that it is carried out in an environmentally friendly manner.

Environmental protection laws have been in force in Switzerland since the 1980s. They regulate the permissibility of interventions in animate and inanimate nature. They are constantly being adapted, which is why it is important to work together with experts. This is because our employees are always up to date on the latest regulations.

We would be happy to provide you with comprehensive information about the environmental planning services we can provide as part of your construction project. Please contact one of our locations by phone or email.

 

What specific environmental aspects does Rapp take into account in its environmental planning projects?

When it comes to environmental planning, various aspects need to be taken into account. Among other things, it must be checked whether the materials intended for construction may be harmful to the environment. During renovations, care must be taken to ensure that building pollutants such as asbestos and harmful chemicals such as PAHs are properly removed. Clean air and groundwater must also be ensured during construction work.

Our specialists take measures to ensure that your construction project is as environmentally friendly as possible. For example, they prepare environmental impact reports. As part of this, they examine the impact of a construction project on the environment. They also determine whether the applicable environmental protection laws are being complied with.

During construction, for example, attention must be paid to nature conservation and noise protection. Efficient concepts must also be developed for the disposal of waste and wastewater. Where possible, roof surfaces should also be greened to create new habitats for plants and animals. We focus on these and other aspects in our environmental planning.

We are also available for environmental construction monitoring and pedological construction monitoring. In this function, we advise the construction management on environmentally relevant aspects. We monitor whether the concepts designed in the planning phase are fully complied with.

 

What expertise and experience does the Rapp team bring to environmental planning?

Our team of specialists has many years of experience in the preparation of environmental impact reports. This means you can be sure that we take all relevant aspects into account. Our team also has extensive expertise in noise protection, air pollution control and waste management.

In addition, our expertise includes knowledge of building pollutants and the renaturalisation of bodies of water. Furthermore, we are well versed in the practical realisation of ecological outdoor space designs and green roofs.

Knowledge of nature conservation and environmental law is not the only thing required to carry out environmental construction monitoring. The experts must also be familiar with construction technology. They should also know how the construction management in question works and how specific construction measures are carried out. Last but not least, they should be able to communicate clearly with all parties involved.

If you commission us with the environmental planning of your construction project, you will benefit from the fact that our team is multidisciplinary. This means that you receive the above-mentioned services and many others from a single source. Then Rapp is at your side throughout the entire project and you only have one contact person.

 

How are the results and recommendations of Rapp's mobility consultancy evaluated and monitored to ensure their effectiveness?

In order to monitor the recommendations of the environmental planning, we offer environmental construction monitoring. It is the task of our specialists to provide the construction management with comprehensive advice on environmental issues. They also carry out regular checks to ensure that the project is implemented correctly.

We place a particular focus on compliance with all environmental requirements. This is not only important in order to make a significant contribution to environmental protection. It also helps building owners avoid legal problems. Because violations of environmental laws can be severely penalised. For less serious offences, a fine may be imposed; in serious cases, those responsible may face a prison sentence.

Our services for the correct implementation of environmental planning also include the training of construction site personnel. This way, everyone involved knows what to look out for and what to avoid.

Finally, our experts assess whether the environmental protection measures are effective. If this is not the case, corrective steps must be taken. Of course, we are also happy to help you with this.

Would you like environmental planning by Rapp? Please contact us. In an introductory meeting, we will clarify how comprehensive the services you book with us should be. We will then go into detail in the subsequent comprehensive consultation.

 

What specific requirements and guidelines does Rapp take into account when carrying out an environmental impact assessment? 

 The purpose of the environmental impact assessment is to evaluate the potential impact of a construction project on the environment. The focus is not only on animals and plants, but also on the air, soil, water and landscape, for example. The aspects that Rapp considers in an environmental impact assessment include noise development, energy consumption and the impact on the climate. 

 It goes without saying that major construction projects such as the construction of roads, railway lines or airfields inevitably have an impact on the environment. However, this should be undertaken as carefully as possible. Our specialists for environmental planning therefore check the planned measures for their legal conformity. At the same time, they consider the ecological requirements. 

 The environmental impact assessment must be carried out before construction work is authorised. On the basis of the results of the assessment, the approving authority decides whether the project is environmentally compatible. It grants or refuses authorisation accordingly. 

 

When should an environmental impact assessment ideally be planned into a project schedule, and how does Rapp support this process? 

 Rapp carries out the environmental impact assessment in the initial phase of a construction project. This is because the results of the inspection must be submitted to the approving authority so that it can grant the necessary construction permit. 

 The strategic review and preliminary investigation is the first step in the environmental impact assessment. The preliminary project is then developed. For example, the route is selected when a road or railway line is to be built. The submission project for the environmental impact assessment is then drawn up. The review takes place as part of the authorisation procedure. This may be followed by appeal proceedings. 

 Once authorisation for construction has been granted, the project can be implemented. This usually takes three to five years. 

 Rapp supports the implementation of the construction project with the following measures, among others: 

 Preparation of environmental impact reports (EIRs) that analyse and present the impact of the project on the environment 

  • Environmental construction supervision (ECS), which ensures that the environmental requirements are met
  • Development of a sustainability strategy to take climate protection and biodiversity into account
  • Environmental impact assessments for specific projects such as the construction of new passing tracks 

 Thanks to the early integration of the environmental impact assessment into the project process, Rapp's specialists recognise potential environmental impacts at an early stage. 

 

How does Rapp integrate current environmental standards and legal regulations into the environmental impact assessment process? 

 Rapp acts in accordance with a comprehensive sustainability strategy. In doing so, we take climate protection and biodiversity into account and endeavour to build in a way that conserves resources. This strategy naturally also plays an important role in the preparation of environmental impact reports. Apart from the aforementioned principles, the current legal regulations and environmental standards are also relevant. 

 In addition to carrying out environmental impact assessments, you can also commission us to provide environmental construction supervision. Within this framework, we ensure that the measures defined in the environmental impact assessment are implemented. We also ensure compliance with the currently valid regulations. 

 Where feasible, the measures we propose even go beyond the legal framework. We do this, among other things, to implement innovative procedures for protecting the environment. For example, we propose the use of low-emission machines in construction. 

 

How does Rapp coordinate the environmental impact assessment with other project planning and approval processes? 

 The coordination of the environmental impact assessment with other processes of a construction project is of enormous importance. We therefore take this aspect extremely seriously and, for example, integrate the assessment into the project at an early stage. 

 We also work together with the authorities when carrying out the assessment. In this way, we ensure compliance with all requirements and regulations. Interdisciplinary cooperation with the various specialist areas and sub-planners is also important for the environmental compatibility of the construction project. We coordinate the various partners involved in the construction work. 

 And last but not least, we harmonise the environmental compatibility of construction projects with the site planning. This approach also benefits the environment. 

 

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