Precast components for a front row seat

Figure: Robert Mehl

The steps of the Rhine Boulevard, weighing around 1 t each, were precisely positioned by mobile crane

Figure: Robert Mehl

A non-wearing plastic panel was placed in the formwork; the panel: Westoplan-XXL from Westag & Getalit

Figure: Robert Mehl

The reinforcement for the larger-area elements were prebundled and lifted into the forms by gantry crane

Figure: Robert Mehl

The mixing plant: The mixer cleaning function developed by Walter Gerätebau GmbH is of great help in production of colored components

Figure: Robert Mehl

The Managing Director Marco Beeck in the control center of his concrete mixer. Here he uses the digital control of the Swiss company Sauter AG

Figure: Robert Mehl

The workers place a perforated form panel over the reinforcement prior to casting. This simple trick effectively prevents formation of unsightly concrete circles

Figure: Robert Mehl

The step elements produced overhead are turned around by means of a load turning device from Vetter Krantechnik GmbH

Figure: Robert Mehl

The steps are acid-etched three times using Microgel from Hebau and cleaned by high-pressure water jetting

Figure: Robert Mehl

The acidified surface not only gives the elements a higher-class look, but makes them much more insensitive to pollution

Figure: Robert Mehl

The open-air storage yard at Lothar Beeck Fertigteilbau GmbH

Figure: Robert Mehl

The entrepreneur Marco Beeck in his open-air storage yard in front of the completed step elements for the Rhine Boulevard

Figure: Robert Mehl

The vacuum lifting equipment from Vietz has no problem with hoisting the step elements each weighing up to 1 ton

Figure: Robert Mehl

The precast concrete components are placed in their designated position to mm precision

Figure: Robert Mehl

The completed Rhine Boulevard consists of a promenade just above the river’s regular water level and nine tiers of steps of about 0.5 m height as well as staircases

Figure: Robert Mehl

The Rhine embankment promenade vis-á-vis the Cologne Cathedral is currently being redesigned. The stepped facility is provided with a flood protection system constructed with precast components with an especially insensitive surface.

The Rhine Boulevard in Köln-Deutz, as it is popularly named, the around 300 m long section between the Hohenzollern Bridge – Cologne’s famous railroad bridge – and Deutzer Bridge to the south, is nearing completion. When the water level is normal, the Rhine River flows about 7 m below the urban road level. Originally, the typical large boulders of which embankments on the Rhine River often consist were visible. The initial promenade was just below street level; at water level, there was an unpaved tow path.

In 2011, the Berlin-based architecture and space planning firm Planorama had won the...