Precision with a Rope Excavator Under Extreme Conditions
Cooling Tower Dismantling/Demolition
Hardly any industry is as diverse as demolition. No project is the same as another; every structure comes with its own structural characteristics, spatial constraints, and technical challenges. A current example is the dismantling of a cooling tower around 52 meters high in Berlin-Lichterfelde.
Blasting was not an option for the client, because parts of the facility with sensitive technology are located in the immediate vicinity and would not tolerate any vibrations or uncontrolled impacts. The dismantling therefore had to be carried out in a controlled manner and in sections.
In advance, hazardous-substance remediation was performed. The scope was manageable: primarily acoustic insulation cassettes and downpipes made of asbestos cement were professionally removed. Only then did the actual structural dismantling begin.
The particular challenge lay in the site conditions. The cooling tower is located directly next to the Teltow Canal. For the rope excavator used, only a single working and standing area was available—resulting in very limited freedom of movement. In addition, adjacent buildings and pipe bridges further restricted the operating radius. Every step had to be planned with precision.
A rope excavator of the type Liebherr HS 895 HD was used, with a mast length of around 72 meters. In the upper section of the cooling tower, a wrecking ball was used to dismantle the shell in a controlled manner. The lower sections—from about five to ten meters above ground level—were then demolished and processed using a hydraulic excavator. Step by step, the massive reinforced-concrete structure gave way—precisely, in a controlled manner, and under tight spatial constraints.
Despite the limited standing area and the sensitive surroundings, the project was completed safely. For sat. Industrie-Abbruch GmbH, which will be looking back on nearly 30 years of experience in industrial demolition this December, this project is another example of how know-how and careful planning lead to success even under difficult conditions.
In addition to the dismantling itself, resource conservation also played an important role. As part of the works, around 3,000 m³ of recycled aggregate material was recovered and returned to the material cycle—proof that demanding industrial demolition today is also an integral part of circular construction.
Precision with a Rope Excavator Under Extreme Conditions (in German) Download