Liebherr Tower Cranes at the Axel Springer new build
It will become the showcase project of the "New Way of Work" in Germany. Right in the middle of the age of the digitalisation of print media in the media industry, everything possible is currently being done to think and work out of the box. We are talking about the Axel Springer new build in Germany's capital – and we at the Liebherr Tower Cranes Division are part of it.
Six luffing jib cranes from Liebherr's own used and rental crane centre.
With a floor area of 52,200 m² split over 13 storeys, the building at the heart of Berlin provides its "residents" with everything they need to enable them to work in an agile, dynamic fashion with no rigid structures. Similar to a university where the students have the urge to research and develop, the idea here is to create new, pioneering results in the media industry. In addition to the general modern method of working within the new publishing building, attention has also been given to the use of the very latest materials and construction methods.
Luffing jib cranes from the Liebherr rental fleet
Liebherr Tower Cranes is also playing its part to ensure the project is a success. Six luffing jib cranes from Liebherr's own used and rental crane centre, the Tower Crane Center, are providing sterling service on the site. Four 357 HC-L 18/32 Litronic and two 280 HC-L 12/24 Litronic are responsible for almost all the lifting work – fitting steel, transporting concrete, installing the façades, unloading trucks and much more. The 357 HC-L cranes are operating with tower heights of up to 77 metres and radii of up to 50 metres. The luffing jibs mean that the hook height is almost 130 metres. The two 280 HC-L cranes each have a tower height of 58 metres and a radius of 40 metres.
Our department for bespoke tower crane solutions, Tower Crane Solutions, provided advice and practical assistance to the customer when planning the large construction site.
Individual solution from Tower Crane Solutions
Our department for bespoke tower crane solutions, Tower Crane Solutions, provided advice and practical assistance to the customer when planning the large construction site. The decision was made to use six luffing jib cranes which cover the site perfectly and, as a result of their maximum lifting capacities of up to 32 tonnes, are ideal for hoisting heavy prefabricated components.
Tower Crane Solutions also created several special solutions with the customer – the following being an example. To ensure that the access point is freely accessible to site vehicles, one of the 357 HC-L cranes is positioned on a portal measuring 8 x 8 m. This means that materials can pass under the portal for delivery to the site. Two other 357 HC-L cranes are assembled on foundation anchors within the building. The foundation for the building is also used as a foundation for the crane. A 357 HC-L crane is outside the building on the actual street on an undercarriage measuring 8 x 8 m. This requires less space than a foundation specially built for the crane. The same is true of the two 280 HC-L cranes.
The cranes are in action six days a week and ten hours per day. We also have a service partner almost on the site for our customer. Berlin-based Liebherr dealership Wasel can guarantee fast, reliable 24/7 service. This was also one of the main reasons behind the customer choosing Liebherr tower cranes. Furthermore, Wasel GmbH also provided assistance with the assembly of the cranes – a rather tricky task in the heart of Berlin due to the constricted space available.
The cranes are in action six days a week and ten hours per day.
German building contractor Züblin is the general contractor for the Axel Springer new build. Züblin was awarded the order at the beginning of 2015 and has supported the project from the initial design to the planning permission – jointly with Axel Springer, architecture agency OMA based in Rotterdam and the planning team.
Tower Crane Solutions has also come up with a smart concept for dismantling the cranes. At the start of 2019, the outer luffing jib cranes will dismantle the inner ones. The six cranes from our Tower Crane Center will have worked on the Axel Springer new build for a total of two years before they are sent to their next job.
