Crane Buildings of Cologne

All photos are courtesy of ThyssenKrupp Elevator

Some 100 years after Cologne, Germany’s town center, Rhine harbor, originally opened in 1898, a new highlight of urban development is taking shape. Rhine harbor, formerly a busy cargo-handling area, is now home to dwellings and office buildings catering to upmarket tastes. Designed by BRT Architects, the three crane buildings are named (from north to south) Pandion Vista, Kranhaus1 and KranhausPlus. Kranhaus1 and KranhausPlus are high-rise office buildings, while Pandion Vista features luxury apartments.

Seventy m in length and 33.75 m wide each, the build-ings’ uppermost stories stretch 60 m from the promenade. Resembling the form of a crane, their modern architec-ture is designed to contrast with the neighboring historic harbor buildings. Construction of the crane buildings began in November 2006, and work on Kranhaus1 was completed in November 2008. Building on KranhausPlus began in May 2007 and finished in early 2009. From invi-tation to tender to the opening of the buildings, the devel-opment spanned almost three years.

ThyssenKrupp Elevator was responsible for designing, supplying and installing 13 elevator systems in Kranhaus1 and KranhausPlus. The custom units had optical and technological highlights that joined seamlessly with the architecture, while maintaining a focus on safety. Kranhaus1 was equipped with seven elevator systems, and KranhausPlus received six. A group of four elevators featuring ThyssenKrupp Mini Gearless® drives serve the core of the buildings as quick and safe means of transportation from the underground parking garage to the uppermost floors. The drive system features a permanent-magnet energized synchro machine and Thyssocontrol Multican® based on controller-area net-work bus technology.