Key client cases

Examples of how we work as a trusted partner to closely collaborate and co-create with our clients, partners, and stakeholders to bring out the best of our sustainability insight, innovation, and design excellence.

World of Volvo event space. Located in Gothenburg’s event district, the 22,000 m2 timber building is expected to be completed in late 2023. Renderings: Vismo, Kvant

Giving form to the Swedish spirit

The iconic car brand, Volvo, is giving back to the city where it all began. World of Volvo is a new world-class event space in the Swedish town of Gothenburg, where the first Volvo car rolled out of the factory in 1927.

The timber construction marries the new – in the form of glulam, cross-laminated timber, and computational design – with the storied Nordic tradition of timber designs. Inspired by the Swedish concept of Allemansrätten, the right of public access to the country’s nature, the building is designed to embrace the surrounding natural spaces.

Henning Larsen is lead design and landscape architect for World of Volvo. “Our goal was to give form to something essential to the Swedish spirit. World of Volvo’s circular form, the timber materiality, its integration with the landscape, and, fundamentally, its openness – these things are all parts of a core collective identity,” says Martin Stenberg Ringnér, associate design director, Henning Larsen Sweden.

First-of-a-kind partnership to cut emissions in the real estate sector

Ramboll is partnering with Nykredit, Denmark’s largest real estate lender, to support the sector’s sustainable transition. The aim is to provide real estate clients a holistic solution spanning financial and sustainability consulting services, including documentation and reporting.

Ramboll is partnering with Nykredit, Denmark’s largest real estate lender, to support the sector’s sustainable transition.

The partnership brings together two key offerings in one package: Increased access to financial services for green investments from Nykredit, combined with Ramboll’s industry leading advisory on climate- and energy- optimisation.

The aim is to provide real estate clients a holistic solution spanning financial and sustainability consulting services, including documentation and reporting.

“We have a shared responsibility to move towards a low carbon society, and buildings today account for 40% of Danish energy consumption. As the largest real estate lender in Denmark, it is a top priority for us to support the industry in its green transition,” says Tonny Thierry Andersen, member of the executive board at Nykredit.

The partnership marks the first time in Denmark that a bank and a consultancy company join forces to provide shared solutions to the real estate sector.

The partnership includes a commitment to share knowledge between Ramboll and Nykredit and strengthen employee sustainability skills.

“Real estate is central to the green transition, because buildings account for such a large share of energy demand,” says Ib Enevoldsen, managing director for Ramboll in Denmark. “Against this backdrop, the need for new partnerships and solutions to accelerate the sustainable transition is self-evident, and that is why we have formed this partnership with Nykredit.”

: 40%

buildings’ share of Danish energy consumption, according to Denmark’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities.

First time in Denmark

Ramboll is partnering with Nykredit,Denmark’s largest real estate lender,to support the sector’s green transition.

The partnership marks the first time in Denmark that a bank and a consultancy company join forces to provide shared solutions to the real estate sector.

The partnership includes a commitment to share knowledge between Ramboll and Nykredit and strengthen employee sustainability skills.

“It is a top priority for us to support the industry in its green transition,” Tonny Thierry Andersen, Member of the executive board, Nykredit

Partnering for a lead-free Washington D.C. by 2030

In 2022, Ramboll was selected by public utility DC Water to support an 8-year effort to rid the US capital of harmful lead pipes, under the slogan ‘Lead Free DC’.

Ramboll joins the Lead Free Group, a joint venture with engineering and construction firm CDM Smith, to manage the replacement of 28,000 lead service lines in Washington DC.

We combine our specialised water knowledge with local expertise to create custom solutions that address the water challenges cities face.

“Achieving the Lead Free DC vision requires a comprehensive, nuanced plan that not only improves on what we do today, but also details what would be required from us, the city, and our customers to accelerate replacement efforts, and to do it in a way that incorporates water quality and customer equity needs,” said David L. Gadis, CEO and general manager at DC Water.

Over the course of the project’s 8-year lifespan, Ramboll’s responsibilities include programme management, public outreach, communications, design, and construction management services to support the utility’s goal of Lead Free by 2030.

This consortium-led project adds to the continuation of the long-standing relationship between Ramboll and DC Water, including framework agreements signed in 2021 focused on helping the US Capital Region adapt to climate change and upgrade its water and sewer systems.

Taking a bite out of plastic waste

From Denmark to the Maldives, we are taking steps to keep waste out of landfills, and use it in ways that support circularity and generation of renewable energy.

Norwegian energy company Quantafuel has chosen Ramboll as Owner’s Engineer for a first-of-its-kind plastic sorting plant, in Esbjerg, Denmark. From 2023, the facility will be able to process more than 160,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually. Through pyrolysis, the plastic is broken down into clean fractions that can be reused by the recycling industries.

: 9%

Just 9% plastic waste is recycled globally, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), making the management of waste an urgent priority both in developed and emerging economies.

Quantafuel

The ambition from Ramboll and Quantafuel is to develop a standard design for the Esbjerg plant that can be replicated elsewhere in Europe, and thereby accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

“Ramboll has shown that they, with their broad palette of advisory services, are the right partner to aid us in this journey, so we in unison can help promote recycling, reduce CO2 emissions, and promote the circular economy,” says Erik Rynning, project director at Quantafuel.

Sustainable tourist destination

In the Maldives, Ramboll was appointed the Owner’s Engineer for the country’s first waste-to-energy facility on behalf of energy company Urbaser. From 2025, the plant will divert 200,000 tonnes of waste from landfills, generate 100,000 MWh renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions by 200,000 tonnes per year, helping the Maldives become a more sustainable tourist destination, according to Urbaser

“We have a strong track record working with Ramboll and are confident that they will assist us in facing the challenges that a project in a remote island location needs to deal with,” Pablo Zarate, head of international projects, Urbaser

“This project will be a significant improvement to the environment in the Maldives. Moreover, it will substitute circa 10% of the power used in the Maldives with renewable energy,” says Pablo Zarate, head of international projects in Urbaser. “We selected Ramboll as our technical advisor, based on their strong presence in the waste-to-energy industry. We have a strong track record working with Ramboll and are confident that they will assist us in facing the challenges that a project in a remote island location needs to deal with. ”

The highest point in the Maldives is just 2.4 metres above sea level, which poses unique challenges to sustainable waste management. The new facility will help prevent leachate and plastic waste from seeping into the island nation’s clear blue waters and putting its pristine marine life at risk.

The design-build-operate contract is financed by the Ministry of Environment of the Maldives, with financing from the Asian Development Bank.

Low-carbon high-speed railways

As the cleanest form of high-volume transport, railways are essential for low-carbon lifestyles and economies. Railways produce fewer emissions, reduce road congestion, and can carry more passengers and freight while using less energy than most other modes of transport.

Ramboll is part of the climate and energy team tasked with using data-driven, science-based targets to ensure the project has the smallest possible carbon footprint from a lifecycle perspective. This includes applying a climate-oriented perspective to each element of development including measuring the degree of utilisation of the created premises, reusing old buildings and recycled materials, and using new materials with a low climate footprint.

Sweden's largest transportation hub

Ramboll is helping decarbonise the redevelopment of the historic Stockholm Central Station, Sweden’s largest transportation hub (see cover image). The redevelopment project aims to keep pace with forecasted increases in rail travel, to improve intermodal connections, and to create an entirely new, vibrant multifunctional urban space.

Image: Visualisation of the proposed urban area around the new Stockholm Central Station. Also see report cover. Credit: Foster + Partners

A key focus is reducing embodied carbon, including for the project’s proposed deck which covers the rails and most of the 35,000 square metre project site. To reduce carbon impact, the deck will use a hybrid steel-timber superstructure for the commercial buildings, with timber floor panels replacing higher-carbon systems like steel and concrete. Conscious of the larger sustainable economic ecosystem, the team switched some design elements in their plans from traditional concrete to steel from Sweden’s fossil-free steel mills for further carbon reductions.

Meanwhile, as part of our efforts undertaking a sustainable upgrade of hinterland connection to the Fehmarn Belt tunnel project, the 110 km railway line between Denmark and Germany, Ramboll is involved in the planning to expand the tracks from a traditional, single railway to two electrified railways.

The whole endeavour will help to establish a greener transport corridor with a fully electrified railway and a direct link between Scandinavia and Central Europe.

The electrification of these tracks exemplifies the sustainable implications for low-carbon development. The forecasted CO2 emission savings through the Hamburg Puttgarden-Lübeck rail connection towards Fehmarn crossing alone will be at least 67,000 tons per year, according to Deutsche Bahn Netz AG.

“The electrified rail connection for the Fehrmarnbelt Tunnel is crucial for the success of the entire project. With Ramboll as part of the engineering consortium, we have bundled experience and expertise in rail planning to implement the project successfully and within the specified time frame,” explains project manager Jutta Heine-Seela from DB Netz AG.

“With Ramboll as part of the engineering consortium, we have bundled experience and expertise in rail planning to implement the project successfully and within the specified time frame,” Jutta Heine-Seela, project manager, DB Netz AG

Enabling Vantaa’s 2030 carbon neutral goal

We’re helping develop the Vantaa Light Rail in Finland, supporting low-carbon mobility for City of Vantaa and supplementing the Helsinki capital region’s public transport.

“Sustainability has been one of the core criteria in Vantaa Light Rail’s planning. It is essential for cities to take responsibility in decreasing emissions, especially in large infrastructure projects, ”says Tiina Hulkko, project director, Vantaa Light Rail. “Light rail lines can densify cities and increase the modal shift towards more sustainable transport. But that doesn’t remove the need to cut the emissions caused by construction. In this we need all the expertise that we can get, and Ramboll has played an essential role leading a large group of experts towards a solution,” she adds.

The project is pending final decision by the Vantaa City Council, and construction could begin in 2024. Ramboll is co-responsible for preparing the street and park designs necessary for enabling the light rail’s construction, as well as the preliminary building designs for the planning phase.

“Sustainability has been one of the core criteria in Vantaa Light Rail’s planning [...] and Ramboll has played an essential role leading a large group of experts towards a solution,” Tiina Hulkko, project director, Vantaa light rail

Sustainable mobility

This 19.3 km-long line connects the easternmost parts of Vantaa to Tikkurila, Aviapolis, and Helsinki Airport, among others, and supports Vantaa’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

The Vantaa Light Rail will improve sustainable mobility, enable the city’s growth through public transportation, and promote long-term investments. The light rail route will serve as the city’s most important growth channel. It is estimated to bring about 60,000 new residents and 31,000 jobs, by 2050, as well as carrying about 31,000 passengers per day in 2030, according to the City of Vantaa.

The design principles for the project incorporate accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as support urban biodiversity, such as by reusing topsoil and enabling natural treatment of rainwater.

Enabling the green hydrogen build-out

Energinet, Denmark’s Transmission Service Operator, is one of Ramboll’s key clients. We sat down with them to explore dilemmas in the development of hydrogen related energy infrastructure.

Put simply, the clean energy transition is about replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy, and enabling this energy to move from A to B. Yet there is another layer of complexity for hydrogen (H2), including green hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources