Construction site of the week – Demolition of the district town hall
“Making room for something new” is the motto of our construction site of the week. The almost 60-year-old town hall in Cologne-Rodenkirchen is currently being demolished. It has to must make way for a modern, barrier-free and sustainable new building.
The challenge of a city center location
Since the beginning of April, our member company Linkamp GmbH has been working on the demolition of the district town hall in Cologne-Rodenkirchen, which was built in 1965. The building, which has a first floor and seven rising storeys stories as well as a basement and cellar, is located right next to the main street with numerous adjoining stores and residential complexes. It was already known in advance that explosive ordnance could be found. However, the two suspicions that arose during the initial gutting of the building were not confirmed. Before the work could begin, a swift house was erected in the neighbouring Uferstraße to protect the species.
Continuation of the dismantling work
Once these precautions had been taken, Linkamp GmbH was able to proceed with the pollutant clean-up and the subsequent above-ground dismantling of the existing building. The massive reinforced concrete construction with a height of around 30 meters and an area of 1,625 m2 sqm is being dismantled using a longfront (Volvo EC750E HR) with a 36 m boom and a CAT 325. The special location requires meticulous dust binding measures. These are ensured by a Merlo Roto 4030 telescopic handler with remote-controlled water cannon, among other things. Concrete shears, a hydraulic hammer, a sorting grab and a pulverizer are also used for the demolition work and the subsequent crushing of the material. Finally, the basement will be demolished underground.
Advance information for residents and business operators
Vibration measuring devices were installed to keep an eye on the vibrations. Residents and business operators were informed in detail by the City of Cologne’s building management department in advance of the demolition work. The construction of the new building is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2027.
As the construction site is close to the DA head office, we were able to visit the site by ourselves. Numerous onlookers watched the longfront work and filmed the construction progress. Anyone who still wants to watch should hurry. According to project manager Thorsten Blasse, the demolition above ground will only last until the middle of May.
You can find more photos on our Instagram and Facebook channel.
A video of the work is available on YouTube.
Photos: Linkamp GmbH