The bridge builders – world-class engineers in the Hackesche Höfe
Berliner und Besucher aus Berlin und der ganzen Welt kennen die Hackeschen Höfe als Ort zum Flanieren und Freunde treffen, für Kino und Theater. Doch in den Höfen wird nicht nur flaniert, hier wird auch gearbeitet. Und das auf höchstem Niveau: Besonders solide im Ingenieurbüro Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner.
They still exist – German companies that play in the international big leagues. Behind the listed facades of the courtyards, work is being done on forward-looking projects. Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner (LAP-Consult) is one of Germany's most renowned engineering firms and ensures that the construction works in projects worldwide. LAP enjoys an excellent reputation, particularly in East Asia and Latin America. Over two hundred employees at 12 locations and in 59 countries plan and support large-scale projects in all phases of construction – from public buildings and industrial structures to tunnels and towers. The ‘consulting engineers’ specialise in bridges, which account for around half of all their orders. Their biggest project at present is the futuristic Danjiang Bridge in Taiwan, the longest asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge in the world.
Concrete path to success
The foundation for LAP's reputation was laid by Fritz Leonhardt, who established his first engineering firm in 1939. In the post-war period, he and his partner Wolfhardt Andrä made a name for themselves with innovative structures made of steel and prestressed concrete.
A milestone was the Stuttgart TV tower, completed in 1955 – the world's first TV tower constructed of reinforced concrete and a model for countless successors. The structural design for the tent roof of the Munich Olympic Park, a spectacular symbol of the spirit of optimism in the 1970s, also came from the Leonhardt, Andrä and Partner office.
The company has also developed new construction techniques such as the Taktschiedeverfahren (cyclic separation method) and is currently working on an alternative to reinforced concrete in which steel is replaced by carbon fibre materials.
From the Reichstag to the particle accelerator
The team is currently working on the construction of the new Rudolf Wissell Bridge, one of the city's largest infrastructure projects, as well as other building and bridge construction projects in Berlin, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
One of the most technically challenging projects involving engineers from Berlin and other branches is the construction of the FAIR particle accelerator in Darmstadt. With its extreme conditions, the ‘universe in the laboratory’ is expected to provide new insights into the structure of matter and the origin of the universe.
View of the television tower and Sophienkirche
Around 40 employees work in the Hackesche Höfe in three wings of the building, high above courtyards 2 and 3. The only old features here are the wrought-iron entrance doors. Behind them are bright, modern office spaces with large windows and glass corridors flooded with daylight.
The view extends to the Sophienkirche, the television tower and the green courtyard 3. Up here, you don't notice much of the hustle and bustle below. For Dipl.-Ing. Michael Fischer, deputy head of the office, the central location is the main advantage of the site: ‘It couldn't be more central: we are easily accessible from all parts of Berlin and are not far from the main railway station.’
But he also appreciates the many restaurants, shops and colourful diversity in Mitte: ‘There's nothing here you haven't seen before.’
LAP-Consult – Leonhardt, Andrä & Partner
