New SKY Line railway completes first test run

The construction work on the PTS station at Terminal 1 at Frankfurt Airport is nearing completion, meaning that the Sky Line railway, which connects Terminal 3 to Terminals 1 and 2, was able to complete its test run for the first time. The first passenger last Monday was Father Christmas.

The trains are a driverless passenger transport system that will carry more than 4,000 passengers per hour and direction. The journey time from the long-distance and regional railway station to Terminal 3 is just under eight minutes – 365 days a year.

Thanks to the two-minute frequency and a top speed of 80 km/h, even tight transfer times to connecting flights of 45 minutes will be achievable.

Donges SteelTec was commissioned with the manufacture, delivery and assembly of the complex steel structure of the PTS station. The production and assembly of the conical round supports and the cast nodes posed a particular challenge.

Donges SteelTec manufactures and assembles the roof structure of the cycling center in Cologne-Müngersdorf

The ‘Radsportzentrum NRW’ is being built next to the RheinEnergieSTADION in Cologne-Müngersdorf as part of the expansion and modernisation of the Cologne cycling stadium.

Donges SteelTec was awarded the contract for the manufacture, delivery and assembly of the sophisticated self-supporting roof structure of the cycling centre.

From mid-2025, we will be manufacturing the approx. 2000 tonne steel structure for the roof of the cycling stadium at our plant in Darmstadt. Erection of the steel space frame made of round tube profiles is planned for early 2026.

The construction of the cycling stadium will also close a gap in  Cologne’s sports landscape that has existed for decades, as a playing field for basketball and volleyball is planned for the interior.

A look behind the scenes of the project!

The new Passenger Transport System (PTS) station will connect Terminal 3 of Frankfurt Airport, which is currently under construction, with the existing passenger facilities, the regional and long-distance railway station in the north and the Sheraton Hotel.

Donges SteelTec has been commissioned with the manufacture, delivery and assembly of the complex steel structure of the PTS station. The fabrication and assembly of the conical round supports and the cast nodes represent a special challenge here. The assembly work of module 1 is almost completed. The entire construction project will be completed by the end of 2023. The following photos give an impression of the huge steel construction before the final coating.

 

Another milestone in the company history of Donges SteelTec GmbH.

 

Structural engineering division receives major order from Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH for the construction of a new 63-metre-high production hall. The contract includes the delivery and erection of the primary as well as the secondary steel structure including the building envelope with doors and gates. Drainage, lightning protection and SHEVS are also part of the contract.

Donges SteelTec is preparing the shop drawings and the erection planning. It is planned to erect the 8500 tonne steel structure using conventional lifting assembly. Erection is scheduled to start in mid-2023.

The 183 m long, 46 m wide and 63 m high hall will be equipped over its entire length with a crane runway for two bridge cranes with a load capacity of 500 tonnes each. Due to the partially large distances between the columns, the crane runway girders are designed as open welded profiles with an overall height of 4500 mm.

The entire project is being realised as a joint venture with the company GP Hoch- und Ingenieurbau GmbH, Hanover.

“We are very proud to have been awarded the contract for this forward-looking project. In this new hall construction, we can perfectly combine our know-how and experience from structural steel engineering as well as bridge construction,” says Dr Wolf Cornelius, Managing Director of Donges SteelTec GmbH.

 

 

Steel ladder to heaven on the Tromm

Donges SteelTec is building the new Irene observation tower on the Tromm for the municipality of Rimbach – a steel construction that resembles a ladder to heaven.

The assembly of the free-standing 34 m high and 50-tonne supporting structure with staircases, landings and railings made of galvanised or coated steel has now begun. An open cladding of wooden beams is being installed on the sides.

The futuristic-looking steel tower is a central component of the newly planned UNESCO Geopark Bergstraße-Odenwald.

 

Donges SteelTec GmbH makes significant contribution to the new Ariane launch facility at the spaceport in Kourou / French Guyana

Darmstadt/Kourou, 18 October 2021

A dedicated launch facility is being built for the latest generation of ESA’s “Ariane 6” launcher at the spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. At the heart of the new launch facility are the launch table, from which the rocket will start, and a supply mast, which will be used to supply the rocket with various media prior to launch.

Both structures are heavy steel constructions, i.e. structures that Donges SteelTec specialises in manufacturing, supplying and assembling.

The launch table is designed as a hollow steel box construction with dimensions of 20.00 m x 18.00 m x 3.80 m. A total of 740 t of steel were used here. The supply mast is square in ground plan with side dimensions of 6.50 m. With an overall height of 60.00 m, the 400 t mast is visible from afar on the launch pad in the sky above Kourou.

All steel components for the launch table and mast were manufactured at the Donges SteelTec GmbH plant in Darmstadt and then transported by sea from Amsterdam to Kourou. After a construction period of almost 3 ½ years, the assembly activities have now also been successfully completed. Now the structures have been handed over to the CNES (Centre National d’ Etudes Spatiales = National Centre for Space Research). The launch of the first Ariane 6 launcher is planned for next year.

First lattice girders lifted into place at the new Bayernkaserne school centre in Munich

Darmstadt/München, June 30th, 2021. On the site of the former Bavaria Barracks in Munich, a new school centre is being built on an area of 25,800 m² with a grammar school, a primary school, sports halls, a refectory, an underground carpark, a swimming pool and sports facilities.

Construction work has been underway since last year, and now the first 4 steel trusses (L/H/W: 28.50 x 4.78 x 0.60 m) with a lifting weight of 88.9 t each have been lifted into place above the primary school sports hall. The heavy, oversized steel structures were manufactured in our factory in Darmstadt and then transported to the construction site in Munich with a special heavy-duty vehicle. On site, the Donges assembly team, with its many years of experience and know-how, ensured that the steel colossi could be lifted into place with precision using a crawler crane. The lattice girders were then prestressed using a strand tensioning system and are now gradually being relieved again as the solid construction progresses.

In total, Donges SteelTec has been commissioned with the manufacture, delivery and assembly of 11 truss girders, 9 composite girders and 3 box girders as part of the new school construction project, as well as the provision of the auxiliary assembly structure.

Construction of the third hot-dip galvanizing production line at Salzgitter Flachstahl progressing rapidly

Darmstadt/Salzgitter, July 3, 2020.
In the meantime, the steel structure of hot-dip galvanizing hall 3 at Salzgitter Flachstahl has been almost completely assembled. The assembly of the roof and wall elements runs at full speed. Our technicians on site have met the very tight schedule with great commitment.  The project is fully on schedule. The photos of the process hall show in an impressive way the structural engineering challenge of this construction project.

Key data of the process hall: length 275 m, height 45 m, width 44 m, 4000 t steel construction, 12,000 m² roof area, 25,000 m² wall area

New back straight inaugurated at the Merck Stadium

Darmstadt, 02.02.2020. The assembly work of the steel roof construction for the new back straight in the Darmstadt stadium was completed on schedule. The first match of the Lilies could thus take place on February 2 as planned in front of the new backdrop.

Around 400 tons of steel were required for the construction of the new grandstand roof. In addition to the roof structure, Donges SteelTec also supplied and installed the roof and wall cladding.

Start of erection in Salzgitter

Darmstadt/Salzgitter, 13.01.2020.
This week sees the start of assembly work on the new hot-dip galvanizing production line at Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH.

Donges SteelTec has been awarded the contract for the construction of the 270 m long, 44 m wide and 45 m high hall with a statically optimized special proposal. The process hall is a steel frame construction dissolved in trusses with asymmetrical column dimensions. The stiffening of the frames is achieved by the arrangement of horizontal and vertical bracing.

Donges SteelTec supplies and erects the complete building envelope, that means the steel structure including crane runways, roof, facade, SHEVS, ventilation louvres, doors and gates.