The tower had many fathers

Whoever sees the tower from a distance, just like anyone who enters it, will quickly be reminded of the sixties. The fascination with technology and space travel are noticeable in the architecture; the cross-section of the TV tower resembles a space rocket.

The original design of the slender, upward-thrusting tower stem was created by the GDR architect Hermann Henselmann. The sphere of the TV tower was meant to remind us of the Soviet Sputnik satellite and to gleam in red, the colour of socialism.

The planning department of ‘VEB Industrieprojektierung’ Fritz Dieter and Günter Franke revised the design, not least to facilitate the construction of the tower. Even the then president of the architectural academy, Gerhard Kosel, developed ideas for the styling – and suggested, among other things, gold for the colour of the sphere.

An argument broke out between the responsible architects and engineers about the fatherhood of the TV tower, which certainly seemed strange: Very clearly the tower has many fathers. No-one can fail to notice its shared production: The Berlin TV tower has an impressive elegance and its construction is an outstanding feat of engineering.

Construction method

Only one method was possible for the construction of the tower: the so-called climbing formwork building method. The internal steel framework always grows somewhat faster than the outer concrete shaft which is erected around the steel framework. The tower shaft tapers from 16 metres in diameter, to 9 metres and is divided into five stages by mezzanine floors. They are easy to identify from the outside at the portholes.

The installation of the sphere at a height of 200 metres presented the engineers with a real quandary. Finally they decided on a single-shell construction. First the supporting steel framework of the sphere was prefabricated on the ground. The segments were raised up with cranes and were attached to the circular platform, which formed the completion of the concrete shaft. Then the sphere was suspended on the supporting tie rods, which enhanced the impression for the observer, that the sphere appears to float.

The architectural guide ‘Fernsehturm Alexanderplatz Berlin’ gives comprehensive information about the architecture and the history of the Berlin TV tower. You can purchase a copy in our souvenir shop.