News | 17/11/2022

Liebherr cranes help build Edeka campus in Minden, Germany

New corporate headquarters for Edeka Minden-Hannover: Seven Liebherr tower cranes have been working on the construction of the new campus in Minden (North Rhine-Westphalia) for a year now. Three 172 EC-B 8s, two 125 Ks, one 81 K.1 and one 120 K.1 are in operation on the site, which covers around 13 hectares. The flat-top and fast-erecting cranes are primarily involved in concreting work. This entails processing around 28,000 cubic metres of concrete, placing 3,750 tonnes of reinforcing steel and casting 60,000 square metres of concrete surfaces.

The new build consists of five four-storey office buildings, several of which have an integrated atrium. These inner courtyards are designed to provide as many rooms as possible with natural light. It is here that the 125 K fast-erecting cranes are positioned, something which is made possible by their exceptional flexibility. The jib can, for example, be unfolded and disassembled off-ground, allowing the machines to be positioned in tight spaces. On top of that, the 125 K cranes offer ten different intermediate hook heights so that they can be individually adapted to the height of the building in question.

Coordinated hook heights

“Their extensive flexibility in terms of height adjustment and lifting capacity make these machines an ideal match for our construction site,” says site manager Bernd Keuter from construction contractor Schulte. Site supervisor Christian Diekhaus (also from Schulte) agrees and is particularly impressed by the cranes’ driving performance, “The control system and drives make crane travel really smooth and safe.”

Liebherr dealer MARM Baumaschinen has provided the 172 EC-Bs and the 120 K.1 on hire. The 125 K and 81 K.1 cranes were purchased by Schulte. MARM is on hand with a service team for skilled maintenance and was involved in operational planning. Liebherr's Tower Crane Solutions project department also assisted with project planning. “The support provided by MARM and Liebherr was outstanding, right from project planning through to implementation,” says Bernd Keuter, the responsible site manager at Schulte.

The 125 K cranes are working with 34.3 and 41.5 metre hook heights and jibs measuring 50 metres. The 81 K.1 has a hook height of 17.9 metres and a 45-metre radius, the 120 K.1 is in use with a hook height of 25.6 metres and a radius of 50 metres. The 172 EC-B 8 cranes have hook heights of 25.5 metres, 33 metres and 40.5 metres; their jibs measure 50 metres. Thanks to their different hook heights, all the construction cranes are able to slew smoothly over each other without causing any obstructions.

Energy-saving construction

More than 2,000 employees will be based in the building, which covers an area of 55,000 square metres. Alongside 21,000 square metres of office space, there are also plans for a training and seminar area as well as for meeting and event rooms. Outbuildings and a multi-storey car park are also in the works. A photovoltaic system will be installed on the roof of the multi-storey car park with the aim of reducing the company’s carbon footprint. Plus, the entire building will be compliant with the German KfW Energy Efficiency Standard 55 thanks to its energy-saving construction. Edeka Minden-Hannover has said that it is investing around 150 million euros in the future-oriented headquarters. The Edeka campus is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2024.