Sometimes tower cranes must be erected in the most unfortunate locations. Such was the case in the heart of Amsterdam, on Nieuwe Doelenstraat, where the old library of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) had to be demolished in order to erect another new building on the same spot.
Only 80 m2 was available to erect the Fontexx crane type 202 EC-B 10T Litronic in the narrow street between the existing century-old buildings behind Hotel De L’Europe.
Within that same space, Van Schie’s telescopic crane also had to be able to set up to lift all the tower sections to the top. And in that same spot, a few square meters had to be left for the trucks that came to unload all the individual sections, ballast blocks and other parts. But the men from Van Schie and Fontexx have had to face tougher challenges than this, they are at home in all sorts of markets.
A new university library is now being built on this compact site that will also serve as an international meeting and education center. The building blends seamlessly with the monumental buildings of the adjacent Binnengasthuis.
