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.
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.
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.
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.
