25 years of concrete expertise from Upper Franconia

25 years ago, the Dechant family laid the foundation stone for Dechant Hoch- und Ingenieurbau GmbH in Weismain. Today, the Upper Franconian family business is one of the leading specialists for exposed concrete and is responsible for prestigious projects such as the Oscar Niemeyer Sphere in Leipzig, the renovation of the New National Gallery in Berlin, and the construction of Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport.

Numerous success stories

It looks as if a spaceship from a distant galaxy has docked at the top corner of a historic brick building. The twelve-meter sphere made of concrete and glass seems to defy gravity. The futuristic structure is called the Oscar Niemeyer Sphere and is located on the grounds of the Kirow Works in Leipzig. Spread over two floors, it provides space for the company‘s own restaurant.

The innovative building is the result of collaboration between artists and art connoisseurs: the then 103-year-old Brazilian architect of the century, Oscar Niemeyer, the art-loving entrepreneur Ludwig Koehnen, and, last but not least, the building contractor Dechant. Working as a team with the company‘s experts, they succeeded in making the impossible possible: the construction of an almost free-floating, spherical sculpture with double-curved components and Niemeyer‘s signature free-form curves made of snow-white, highly polished concrete. Peter Dechant, managing director of Dechant Hoch- und Ingenieurbau GmbH, would later say: „That was the project of my life.“

The Oscar Niemeyer Sphere is one of numerous challenging structures that Dechant has realized. Based in Weismain in Upper Franconia, Dechant is one of the largest structural and civil engineering companies in Germany and is considered an expert in exposed concrete.

A turning point and a new beginning

The year 2000 marked a turning point not only in the calendar, but also in the history of the company. Following the insolvency of the renowned family business Dechant Bau, founded in 1881, the Dechant family was faced with the question of how to proceed. Peter Dechant, then 35 years old, a graduate civil engineer, welding engineer, IT specialist, and father of three, had to decide whether he wanted to revive the family business in its fifth generation. Together with his brother Thomas Dechant and with the support of his father Alois Dechant, he decided to do so. „The decisive factor was the sense of responsibility for our family, but also for the ten or so remaining employees and their families,“ says Peter Dechant. He and his brother , founded a new company: Dechant Hoch- und Ingenieurbau GmbH, which he took over as managing director.

The two brothers are starting all over again. And they are doing so with a prestigious project: the new construction of the Erfurt Theater in the Brühl district. The Hamburg-based firm Professor Jörg Friedrich & Partner is responsible for the modern architecture.

The theater building consists of two basement floors, a ground floor, and four upper floors. The theater and workshop buildings are connected by an eight-meter-wide tunnel in the first basement. The highest point of the building is the stage tower, which rises approximately 24 meters above the ground. Peter Dechant, who at that time had neither sufficient staff nor machinery, traveled to Erfurt with a laptop and recruited workers; he borrowed the necessary heavy equipment. On September 12, 2003, more than 800 guests attend the opening of the important new theater building in the new federal states and one of the most modern venues in Europe with the world premiere of the opera „Luther“ by Peter Aderhold. Peter Dechant is there. And he now knows that his company can succeed.

Present and future

Twenty-five years have passed since then. During this time, Dechant has completed around 1,800 construction projects. The total order volume amounts to approximately 2.66 billion euros. These include state and municipal construction projects, industrial buildings and residential complexes, smaller projects, but also large-scale buildings. Numerous buildings with international appeal are among them: Dechant is responsible for the complex renovation work on the New National Gallery in Berlin, designed by legendary architect Mies van der Rohe. Dechant also built the modern cycling track in Andreasried, Erfurt, as well as the Galileo Control Center, the heart of the entire Galileo satellite system in Oberpfaffenhofen, with elliptical floor plans and a height of over nine meters. At the topping-out ceremony for the Ernst Basler Forum in Berlin, a sophisticated exposed concrete structure, the builders praised: „The employees of the Dechant company are not craftsmen, they are concrete artists.“

For one of Europe‘s most prestigious megaprojects, the construction of the new Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport, Dechant completed the shell of the main building and the outdoor facilities near the terminal. Dechant was responsible for around 20 trades here, including reinforced concrete construction, composite steel construction, sewer work, earthworks, outdoor facilities, lightning protection, and much more. Between 150 and 500 employees from all over the world worked for Dechant on the construction site. Around 270,000 m³ of concrete and 50,000 tons of reinforcing steel went into the gigantic shell. That is roughly equivalent to the amount of steel used in seven Eiffel Towers.

The company covers a wide range of production activities – from project development to turnkey construction. Dechant relies on innovative strength in all areas. Examples of this include the combination of digital technologies such as BIM with traditional craftsmanship, and the use of sustainable, CO₂-reduced concrete and carbon concrete. 

The management pursues a cautious growth strategy. Despite double-digit growth in sales, it does not plan to grow at any price. „We remain a small, fine, medium-sized company with flat structures. Flexible and reliable.“ It is important to the management that the 554 employees feel comfortable. „We want our employees to enjoy coming to work every day and be motivated. That is the basis of our success and a prerequisite for us to be able to realize projects that may seem impossible at first glance.“