DROMEC Winches develops ingenious winch system

Cordeel Netherlands is involved in a wide range of construction projects, from residential to commercial. They work in various sectors, focusing on sustainable building and customized solutions for new constructions. For the Clubhouse Boompjes project in Rotterdam, WVH Facade Technology approached DROMEC Winches to develop an ingenious winch system for the construction of the residential towers.

Winch System for Residential Towers

Cordeel Netherlands, in collaboration with WVH Facade Technology, is constructing two residential towers in Rotterdam, with heights of 100 and 70 meters. The bare concrete structures are being further developed using finished facade elements. These 1200 kg facade elements are lifted into place using a DROMEC winch system. What sets this system apart is the bottom-up assembly of the residential tower, with each floor being progressively expanded in 5 steps.

Electric Drive

WVH designed the residential towers with floor grooves to facilitate the lifting of facade elements. On each floor, two winch systems with a combined lifting capacity of 2 tons are installed in lifting frames. These lifting frames can extend up to 1.5 meters and are stabilized. On the ground floor, two tagline winches are in place to maintain Constant Tension on the element in the correct position. As the element reaches its destination, it is slid into place using the lifting frames. DROMEC Winches also integrated a third lifting frame into this design, providing the ability to lift ceiling elements. All winch systems are electrically driven, which is of significant environmental importance in cities like Rotterdam.

Constant Tension

In this ingenious winch system, the control system plays a pivotal role, as all components must work in harmony to ensure a safe working environment. The three lifting frames can be operated simultaneously with a single joystick, and they can also be controlled individually for fine-tuning the lifting operation. The Constant Tension tagline winches on the ground floor can be operated remotely through the control system.

Gijs, the engineer, states,
“The winch systems working together allow for very precise positioning of facade or ceiling elements through Constant Tension. This is especially significant in urban areas with high-rise buildings.”

Compact and Safe

The winch system is designed to be highly compact and can be placed in the construction elevator. Each lifting frame, weighing 1000 kg, is equipped with wheels for easy mobility. The winch system has a cable storage capacity of 110 meters and is secured with a Dyneema chain. In case of cable breakage, the Dyneema chain serves as a safety measure. With this winch system, DROMEC Winches has once again elevated the bar for their projects.