Papieri People
Queen of the skies
Iris Harnisch
Crane operator as a vocation
Three cranes are serving the third construction phase at Papieri, where House F is taking shape with the unique «Next Level Spaces» commercial premises. The future Migros store in House E is also beginning to take shape.
Who has the best overview of the construction site? In this edition of Papieri People, we meet two people who know it better than anyone: crane operator Iris Harnisch, who keeps operations running high above the ground, and site foreman Lukas Büsser, who coordinates activities on site. We met them during their lunch break to talk about working at great heights, as well as the challenges and rewards of working together.
We meet Lukas in the site offices next to the construction site. High above us, only Iris’s orange work trousers are visible in the operator’s cab of the middle crane. As site foreman for the third construction phase at Papieri, Lukas is responsible for material logistics and ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of the site. Construction has already reached the first floor, and the future Migros retail space, including the delivery area, is already beginning to take shape.
Lukas takes us on a tour of the construction site before leading us down the stairs to the first basement level of the future commercial building, House F.
Making our way through a maze of concrete columns and stacked building materials, we reach the base of the largest of the three cranes standing within the shell of the building. “We always build an access route for our crane operators so they can reach their workplace more easily,” Lukas explains. At the moment, however, flooring works are taking place on the ground floor.
“Up there, 52 metres above the ground, that’s where Iris is working,” says Lukas, pointing up into the clear blue sky.
At exactly 12 noon, work on the construction site comes to a halt for the lunch break. Iris climbs down the approximately 200 steps from her “throne” to join us.
“It’s hard to believe, but I originally trained as a hairdresser.”
The Aargau native has been working as a crane operator at Implenia for the past 20 years. However, her career path was anything but conventional. She completed her apprenticeship in a completely different profession.
“I’m a career changer. It’s hard to believe, but I originally trained as a hairdresser.”
Her fascination with tower cranes came later, inspired by an acquaintance who was looking for crane operators. “I decided to seize the opportunity and climbed into a crane cab despite my fear of heights.”
“I still feel uneasy standing on the edge of a cliff in the mountains,” Iris says with a smile. “But up there in the crane, I feel completely safe. The crane is stable, the climb up and down is secure, and the view from my workplace is simply breathtaking – especially here at Papieri, where I can look out over Lake Zug and the mountains of Central Switzerland.”
Her working day always begins with what she jokingly calls “half a 100-metre sprint” – not at the speed of an athlete on a running track, but almost straight up into the sky. “Fortunately, the newer cranes are equipped with inclined ladders. It takes me about five minutes to reach the cab. Once I’m up there, I stay until lunch, apart from a few short breaks.”
The platform outside the operator’s cab measures just over one square metre, giving Iris enough space to stretch her legs from time to time. There are days, however, when she spends nine or even ten hours at the crane controls – particularly during concrete pours, when her role is indispensable. Everything has to happen quickly to ensure the freshly mixed concrete is transported from the mixer truck, sometimes right across the construction site, to exactly where it is needed before it can be poured.
“Concrete always takes priority,” Iris explains. “Everything has to be ready on time.” Naturally, the overtime required during these intensive phases can be taken as time off at a later date.
“Concrete always takes priority – everything has to be ready on time.”
Communication with the team on the ground takes place via two-way radio. “The site foreman, supervisors and steel fixers give me instructions,” Iris explains. Around ten people on site are equipped with radios.
For anyone visiting the site, it is impressive to see how smoothly and efficiently everything is organised. The morning briefing led by Lukas helps Iris maintain an overview of the day's work, so she already knows which material deliveries need to be prioritised. “Over time, you get to know everyone, and I can recognise who's calling me just by their voice,” she says. Even so, she must keep a close eye on everything happening far below on the construction site.
“Even though my job is not particularly physically demanding, it can be very challenging at times.”
“The job requires a high level of concentration and constant attention,” she explains. She carries out most of her work by observing the construction site from above, supported by a camera that helps her see important details on the ground. Shadows can reduce visibility, and strong winds make her work even more challenging.
“Wind can cause suspended loads to swing dangerously. In those situations, I decide whether it is safe to continue working or whether we need to stop crane operations for safety reasons,” explains the experienced crane operator.
“Iris is one of the key links on this construction site,” says Lukas. “Not only when it comes to logistics – the safety aspect of having someone overseeing operations from above should not be underestimated either.”
With three cranes operating on the construction site, another challenge for Iris is coordinating with the two other crane operators. As the highest crane on site, Iris’s crane has a jib length of 50 metres, giving her responsibility for a working radius of 100 metres. “Each crane has its own operating radius, but sometimes these areas overlap. We have to communicate constantly to prevent accidents,” explains Iris.
“Even though I rarely have the opportunity to enjoy the view, I have the best workplace there is.”
“From above, I experience the construction site in a completely different way. What fascinates me most is being able to watch something new take shape from above while also being part of this great endeavour.”
Iris and Lukas are excited to see how the third construction phase of Papieri will develop towards Knonauerstrasse and which businesses will move into the "Next Level Spaces" alongside Migros. Just as Iris climbs up to her operator’s cab every day, the scaffolding and floors of commercial building F continue to rise higher and higher.
The future development facing Knonauerstrasse offers commercial tenants in the ‘Next Level Spaces’ the opportunity to expand at their own premises at any time. To this end, mezzanine floors can be installed as and when required. The first of the two-storey steel beams required for this will be installed from mid-August.
“The fact that we are adapting the basic fit-out to accommodate future tenants’ alterations presents a further challenge during the implementation phase,”
explains Lukas Büsser, foreman.
Even though the third phase of the Papieri project is no ordinary building site, one thing is clear to Iris:
"For me, every building site is both a challenge and an adventure."
Video-Clip 1: «En Job mit Überblick und wie echli game»
Video-Clip 2: «Dä höchschti Job»
Video-Clip 3: «E wichtige Dreischiibe»
Contact
Implenia Schweiz AG
Division Buildings – Baumeister Deutschschweiz
An der Reuss 5
6038 Gisikon
Schweiz
T +41 58 474 10 10
implenia.com
