A striking new landmark in the Central Business District of Perth, Western Australia is near completion. Three Potain luffing jib cranes are playing an essential role in building the City Square Tower, or C2 project. The cranes are all scheduled to leave the job site in the final weeks of 2011.
Main contractor Brookfield Multiplex is using two MR 295 H20 cranes and an MR 615 crane on the job. The company purchased the two MR 295 cranes specifically for C2 through regional Potain dealer D&G Hoist and Crane Hire.
Gino DeCesare, managing director of D&G Hoist and Crane Hire, says the precision control of the Potain cranes is especially useful on the project.
“This has been a challenging project for our customer Brookfield Multiplex because of some very technical lifts,” he said. “The speed, strength and precision of the Potain luffing jib cranes are really appreciated, especially toward the end of the job.”
Support and problem solving are also essential to ensuring the build schedule stays on track. DeCesare said D&G, together with Manitowoc Crane Care and the customer, work in partnership to resolve any difficulties swiftly and efficiently.
“This is a three-year project, and we have encountered occasional challenges,” he said. “Everybody’s approach is always ‘how do we work together and fix this?’ and that helps create a strong team spirit. Brookfield Multiplex is a great client to work with and we’ve had very positive feedback on this job.”
One of the toughest lifts on the project was placing the columns for a tiara structure on the roof. These weighed 32.5 t, and Brookfield Multiplex worked with D&G and Manitowoc engineers to ensure the lifts were correctly planned, supervised and controlled.
And it wasn’t only the columns that presented a lifting challenge. The 33 t raking members, which are part of the roof, also required significant lift planning and engineering. Brookfield ended up using two cranes in tandem to place these elements.
The three Potain cranes have been a permanent fixture on the 30-month project, and will eventually reach working heights of 230 m. The 32 t capacity MR 615 has a 60 m jib, while one MR 295 has a 45 m jib and the other a 50 m jib. These cranes have a maximum capacity of 20 t.
C2 has a side-core design and construction, and it is the tallest building of this kind in the southern hemisphere. It has 46 stories that include office space, four parking levels, and a retail, restaurant and leisure area on the ground floor.
The owner of the new development is Brookfield Office properties, and the largest tenant will be mining giant BHP Billiton.