'INTERESTING MECHANICS' |
Wolfgang Fischer & Henning Seelenbinder,
Fischer Seelenbinder & Associates |
At the heart of Fischer Seelenbinder & Associates lies the passion and commitment of two distinguished engineers, Wolfgang Fischer and Henning Seelenbinder. These engineers have undertaken many exciting initiatives, one of which is the foundational designs of a stereoscopic system telescope in Gamsberg, Namibia.
The interesting venture began its construction phase in March 2007 and according to Wolfgang represents the fifth and largest known telescopic field. "This project was done in a joint venture with Refa Construction Management. We were responsible for the geotechnical investigations for the earthing design and construction drawings."
"The construction drawings for the foundation were detailed in AllyCAD. We prefer this program because it is quick and easy to use. A particularly useful feature of the software is the specialised toolkits. As engineers, we operate in a multidisciplinary environment and having Toolkits that range from mechanical through to structural is a huge plus," explains Wolfgang.
One of the requirements of the telescopic project was that the design would be compatible with local standards while still conforming to the specifications as provided by the client's German consultants. The client, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, is the lead institute of a group of participating European scientific institutes.
But what was it about this particular project that made it so memorable? According to Fischer, it was the complex nature of the project that made it interesting. "This venture required a high degree of dimensional accuracy for the geometry of the foundation. This was however not an easy task as the site was founded on decomposed granites, quartzite's and conglomerates, leaving room for only nominal differential settlement tolerance."
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Despite these challenges, the team at Fischer Seelenbinder & Associates have never missed a deadline and have delivered on client expectations project after project. "The concrete foundation was completed on schedule in June 2007 by Murray and Roberts in Namibia while a specialist team from the Max-Planck Institute in Heidelberg installed the HD bolts, base plates and rails for the telescopic boogies."
To Wolfgang and Henning, part of the allure of being a civil engineer is the satisfaction of seeing the detailed designs come together in the finished project. This coupled with the fact that no two projects are ever the same keep them routed to the profession.
"Henning Seelenbinder went on retirement but decided to come back to work. We're all in agreement that there is no difference between practicing a hobby and doing what you love to do. Being a civil engineer and solving difficult engineering problems when producing designs is what we love to do. To us, retirement is not an option," says Wolfgang emphatically, adding that the team consists of four employees with future plans to increase the staff complement to an additional two.
"We would like to keep the team small. Each of us share the same belief in quality and service delivery and we all contribute with the same commitment to projects. As consulting engineers, project managers and specialists in construction dispute resolutions, we intend to take on more projects. In fact, the greater the complexity the better we enjoy it," he says in closing.
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Wolfgang Fischer and Henning Seelenbinder are the founders of Fischer Seelenbinder & Associates. They have merged their talents and experiences accumulated over the years to provide a winning philosophy of service excellence at the company.
Wolfgang Fischer enjoys playing tennis, the outdoors and meeting friends, and has one daughter who is the apple of his eye. Henning Seelenbinder has travelled a rich and exciting path and regards civil engineering projects as both a hobby and a passion.
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Block I, The Terraces, Steenberg Office Park, 1 Silverwood Close, Tokai 7945.
Tel: +27 +21 701-1850 Fax: +27 +21 701-1822
Web: www.knowbase.co.za Email: info@knowbase.co.za
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