page 1 of 2
Establishment of the "Aktiengesellschaft"
The young company had already been very successful under the name of
"Helfmann Brothers", but its construction projects were still limited to the
Frankfurt area. The firm simply did not have the necessary capital to
expand its business. In this question it was Philipp Helfmann who proved
to be the more daring and perhaps also the more far-sighted of the two
brothers, because it is surely no coincidence that be initiated the
conversion of the company into an Aktiengesellschaft - a publicly quoted
corporation - only shortly after Balthasar passed away. The name he chose,
"Aktiengesellschaft für Hoch- und Tiefbauten", can be translated as
"Construction and Civil Engineering Corporation", and he emphasized
expressly the continuity from its origins. In May 1896 he announced proudly:
"Mr. Philipp Helfmann is the Managing Director of the company and will continue be in charge of the overall management of its business. He will continue the business with the employees who were always available to his previous firm, and in the same manner."
After its conversion into a joint-stock corporation, HOCHTIEF thus initially remained a family company, and Philipp Helfmann remained totally responsible for it.
Responsibility for operation as long ago as 1899
For all his consciousness of tradition, Philipp Helfmann was often capable
of thinking very "modern" thoughts. One impressive testimony to his
willingness to break new entrepreneurial ground is the Bad Orb project.
("Bad" means "Spa" in this context.)
In 1899 HOCHTIEF entered into a contract with the spa town of Orb.
The particular feature of this project lay in the obligations taken over by
HOCHTIEF, which went well beyond the simple matter of putting up a
few buildings. In addition to planning and erecting them, the company
was also to design the outdoor facilities - roads, parks, and gardens -
arranging finance through a company established for this project, Bad Orb
GmbH, and finally to operate the spa with HOCHTIEF taking at least indirect
responsibility. Looked at this way, the Bad Orb project was an early example
of system leadership. The first major order from abroad also still came into the
Helfmann era: the Genua grain store (1899-1901).
The grain silo is a significant structure in another respect as well. It was built
entirely with reinforced concrete. The discovery of concrete reinforced with iron
or steel was more than just the invention of a new building material; indeed, it
revolutionized the construction industry completely. Impressive structures made
of reinforced concrete include the Municipal Theater in Freiburg, built in 1906/1907,
and the synagogue built in the Westend district of central Frankfurt in
1907/1908. In these structures the reinforced concrete tended to be kept well
hidden; it was used for the "internal construction", and conventional building
materials were used for the façades.
Reinforced concrete revolutionizes construction technology
The grain silo is a significant structure in another respect as well. It was built
entirely with reinforced concrete. The discovery of concrete reinforced with iron
or steel was more than just the invention of a new building material; indeed, it
revolutionized the construction industry completely. Impressive structures made
of reinforced concrete include the Municipal Theater in Freiburg, built in 1906/1907,
and the synagogue built in the Westend district of central Frankfurt in
1907/1908. In these structures the reinforced concrete tended to be kept well
hidden; it was used for the "internal construction", and conventional building materials were used for the façades.
