Zoom Adventure World
Preloader Close
GBM-Essen
BLOG
GBM-Essen Blog
Ice days in construction planning
Our new widget provides more security and realism in your offers
Planning and managing construction projects brings with it a multitude of challenges. Particularly in the winter months, cold weather can significantly delay construction progress. Icy days - i.e. days on which the maximum temperature does not exceed 0 °C - lead to frozen ground and can make earthworks and civil engineering work, concreting or even certain sealing measures difficult or impossible. To avoid these surprises, a realistic assessment of the weather conditions is essential. From today, we are offering a free widget that increases precisely this planning reliability. With the help of over 850 weather stations in Germany and a retrospective data evaluation of the past ten years, companies can obtain realistic information about expected ice days during the tendering phase and clients can scrutinize the planning offered. By simply entering the project address or coordinates and the desired time period, the widget calculates the average number of ice days for your specific project situation in analogy to Kapellmann's recommendation (Kapellmann/Messerschmitt, § 6 VOB/B, Rdn. 26).
Why are ice days so important in construction planning?
Ice days mean restrictions for many construction trades - from excavation to concreting and bricklaying. If the ground remains frozen, work processes are extended, so far - so trivial. If you don't allow sufficient buffers for these weather conditions in your project plan, you run the risk of falling behind schedule. Wichtiger ist jedoch: Liegt die tatsächliche Zahl an Eistagen in einem Bereich, der dem Durchschnitt der letzten Jahre entspricht, ist eine Verzugsanmeldung oft nur schwer durchzusetzen. Sie als Auftraggeber und letztendlich auch Gerichte können argumentieren, dass diese Wetterbedingungen vorhersehbar waren und entsprechend in den Terminplan oder das Angebot hätten eingearbeitet werden müssen. Erst bei "unabwendbaren" und hierin auch nicht kalkulierbaren, externen Einflüssen kann eine Vergütung bzw. Verzugsmeldung geltend gemacht werden. Das BGH hat aber bereits in seinem Urteil von 1973 (BGH, Urteil vom 12.07.1973, Az.: VII ZR 196/72) klargestellt, dass die Vergütung bzw. der Verzug nur zu dem oberhalb des zu erwartenden Niveaus eintretenden Einflüssen zu werten ist. Somit sind bei zehn Tagen durchschnittlichem Eistagen und einer 15- tägigen Kältewelle nur fünf Tage Verzug anrechenbar.
Laws, rules and guidelines
- HOAI (Fee Structure for Architects and Engineers): Although the weather is not specifically addressed here, realistic scheduling does play a role in the service description and calculation within the framework of the HOAI. Planners can be held responsible if they fail to anticipate obvious weather risks. - §6 VOB/B (German Construction Contract Procedures): The VOB rules and regulations require execution in accordance with the contract, taking all circumstances into account. Anyone who provides insufficient buffers for weather-related interruptions to construction can get into difficulties if construction progress is delayed, because "if the hindrances are foreseeable or to be expected to a normal extent", the contractor is generally not entitled to an extension of the execution period or additional remuneration. - BGB contract for work and services: In the case of construction contracts under the German Civil Code (BGB), the question of an extension of the performance period due to hindrances may arise. However, if the hindrance is caused by normal weather conditions and is therefore foreseeable, there is usually no entitlement to an extension.
Build more predictably thanks to the weather widget
With our new widget, you can estimate how many days are likely to be affected by frost as early as the planning and quotation phase. This helps you to calculate realistic time buffers, estimate the project phases more accurately and create convincing offers that are also legally sound. At the same time, this transparent planning strengthens the trust of your clients and partners, as you can prove that you have included ice days in the schedule. Best of all, our widget is free of charge. We want to make a contribution to making construction in Germany safer and easier to plan. If you know early on that you can expect frost on three to five days in January, for example, you can take targeted measures - such as scheduling additional deadlines, providing suitable machinery or taking protective measures against the cold. With our free service, we are pleased to provide you with a real tool to help you make construction in Germany not only more efficient, but also safer.
GBM-Essen - BLOG
Sign up for our newsletter!
Let us keep you up to date, be the first to know about new blog posts and always be up to date.
GBM-Essen - BLOG
What else is there to know
Here we have
a small
excerpt
from our
project activities
compiled.
Please contact us
for further
references
if you are looking for
a
specific
topic!
What else is there to know
Haven't had enough yet?
We have compiled a small selection of our project activities for you here. Please contact us for further references if you are looking for a specific topic!