Frankfurt am Main’s iconic Kastor and Pollux towers, named after Greek mythology’s inseparable brothers, are undergoing a significant upgrade. In a carefully orchestrated operation, a crane with a 120-meter boom was brought in to replace chiller units atop the Kastor tower.
The operation, executed by crane and heavy haulage contractor Eisele AG, required precise planning and execution. Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage, a main road in Frankfurt, had to be fully closed to accommodate the crane’s setup. The LTM 1650-8.1 crane, assembled in a T3YV2EN configuration with 150 tonnes of ballast and a 77-meter luffing jib, began its work at 23:00 on a Friday evening.
![Liebherr](https://moveitmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/liebherr-ltm1650-eisele-03-300dpi.jpg)
Challenges arose due to the presence of an underground railway line beneath the crane site, limiting support pressure to two tonnes per square meter. A combination of steel plates and bongossi timbers was employed to distribute the load effectively.
![Liebherr](https://moveitmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/liebherr-ltm1650-eisele-02-300dpi.jpg)
The lifting operation commenced at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, with the crane extending its boom to 51 meters to reach the required height of 120 meters. The task involved removing old chillers from the 95-meter-high Kastor tower and installing new units to modernize the building’s air conditioning system, completed in 1997.
![Liebherr](https://moveitmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/liebherr-ltm1650-eisele-04-300dpi.jpg)
Despite the complexity, all work had to be finished by Sunday to reopen the road for Monday morning traffic. The logistical feat required precise coordination and swift execution, marking a successful modernization endeavor for the iconic Frankfurt skyline.