The Elbtower’s base plate was set in concrete the Sunday before Christmas
In frosty sub-zero temperatures, construction workers have started building the Elbtower’s base plate. Trucks brought concrete to the construction site over the weekend to make the four-metre-thick base plate, which covers 2,600 m2.
This major operation lasted just under 48 hours, during which 11,000 cubic metres of concrete had to be set. Because the building material generates heat as it sets, the base plate dries even at low outside temperatures. The foundations in the remaining base area, around the actual tower, are only half as thick and will be produced in several later construction phases. Now the material needs to harden before construction on the tower can begin in January 2023.
»Because the building material generates heat as it sets, the base plate dries even at low outside temperatures.«
Construction workers prepared the ground for months for the important construction phase at the foundations. The excavation pit had to be sealed and then tested to ensure that it was fully watertight. For several weeks, workers have been placing the reinforcement for the tower foundations in the excavation pit. A total of 3,400 tonnes of reinforcing steel were woven into the concrete for this purpose.
Cranes are growing upwards
At the same time, the first of a total of six cranes were erected, some of which will grow upwards together with the Elbtower. Thanks to its special design, one crane can lift up to 28 tonnes of load and set it down with pinpoint accuracy via its 60-metre-long unloading arm.
