Controlled explosion of Mannheim radio tower

New student halls of residence are to be built on the grounds of the Benjamin Franklin Village and the Funari Barracks in Mannheim. KREBS+KIEFER Ingenieure GmbH and Umweltplanung Bullermann und Schneble GmbH are the two members of the team commissioned with planning of the land clearance, building logistics and coordinating health and safety of the project.

After numerous discussions with the local authorities from the police, the fire brigade and the local traffic operator rnv, the 70 m tall radio Tower was detonated on the Funari area. Between 12:20 pm and 1:10 pm, an area within a 300 m radius of the tower was cordoned off. Residents were evacuated and replacement buses took over the discontinued operation of the nearby tram route.

Saw and wedge cuts were made at the foot of the tower to weaken its structure and facilitate the detonation. Then, on Sunday morning, 60 boreholes were filled with four kilograms of explosive. At 12:50 pm, the chief demolition officer sounded the warning signal. In just six seconds, 400 tons of steel and concrete fell vertically over the fall bed. As a result of the extensive preparations and technical expertise of all concerned on site, the demolition went according to plan.

The conversion of Mannheim’s Benjamin Franklin village is now well under way. The clearing of the land in the Franklin Mitte and Funari Barracks areas is largely complete.

In the next few days, demolition excavators will be brought in to crush the tower remains and prepare the material for Recycling.