The "Ginnheimer Spargel"
Wayss & Freytag AG built the telecommunication tower in Frankfurt, unofficially also known as „Ginnheimer Spargel“ (Ginnheim asparagus), in a joint venture under their technical leadership, after they had gained respective experience during the construction of high chimneys and various other telecommunication towers. At the time of its completion, this telecommunication tower, with its height of 331 m, was the second highest in Germany and only beaten by the tower at Alexanderplatz in East Berlin, on the other side of the Berlin wall.
The tower in Frankfurt is based on a ring foundation with a diameter of 48 m and a thickness of 18 m. The shaft diameter is 20 m at the bottom and 5.60 m at the tower head, whereas the thickness of the shell, at 55 cm, is nearly constant throughout the entire height. At a height of 211 m, a six-floor pulpit starts which reaches up to an altitude of + 237 m. The pulpit has a maximum outer diameter of 57.30 m. Its floors were built using the steel composite construction method.
The tower shaft and the shaft for the elevator and the emergency staircases inside the tower were built simultaneously with climbing formwork. By prestressing the outer formwork, it was possible to achieve an excellent exposed concrete structure. The futuristically designed building at the tower base, in which the operational building, an own power plant and the representative rooms for the public are located, is also impressive.