October 2022
45-meter high crowd puller erected in Cologne's Schildergasse
In a prime location on Cologne's shopping mile "Schildergasse", a new residential and commercial building is going to be constructed over the next 14 months. An appropriately dimensioned tower crane plays a - in the truest sense of the word - central role in the upcoming structural engineering work of the BAUWENS company.
In best Sunday excursion weather, the erection of the LIEBHERR 172 E-CB 8 Litronic took place in a configuration with 40.5m hook height and an outreach of 50m measured from the centre of the main mast.
The starting signal for the erection was given at 7:00 a.m. on the dot, and the first mast sections were manoeuvred backwards by truck into the cordoned-off area of the pedestrian zone. A 300-ton telescopic mobile crane from WASEL then mounted the crane on a concrete foundation anchor prepared on site for this purpose.
In the course of the day, the WASEL installation site mutated into a real crowd puller. Questions from passers-by such as "How high can it lift?" or "How long is the jib?" had to be answered more than once. In particular, the literal "tightrope act" of the two crane assemblers during the final assembly of the main boom - at a height of over 40 meters - ensured appreciative gestures among the observers.
Impressions from the operation in Cologne
At around 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon, the last counterweight was lifted into place on the counter jib. "This means that the most difficult phase of the tower crane assembly has been completed", said a relaxed Yahya Öztürk. After all, it was his responsibility to coordinate the deployment of the WASEL crew successfully and safely on site with a total of nine employees.
WASEL's own heavy-duty transport department ensured the smooth just-in-time logistics of this project. A total of two ballast trucks for the truck-mounted crane and eight additional truck loads with the components of the tower crane were needed.
You can find more impressions in the picture gallery on the right.
