A crew of five Potain MDT 368 tower cranes is helping on a major makeover at the Jean Bouin Stadium in Paris, France. The cranes are tearing down the stadium roof and several grandstands, constructing a modern fiber concrete roof and adding 8,000 seats. The stadium is located right in the center of Paris, next door to the Parc des Princes soccer stadium, and is the home of the Stade Francais rugby team.
Leon Grosse, a major French contractor based in Aix-les-Bains, is managing the project. The company is renting the MDT 368 cranes on the project from Franmat, one of the largest Potain rental companies in the country. Franmat, which has its national headquarters in Paris, has been supplying Potain cranes to the market for over 30 years. It is a major purchaser of Potain MDT topless cranes, and owns 12 of the MDT 368 model, the largest in the Potain line.
Marc Colambani, president of Franmat, says there are several reasons why the MDT 368 is suited to work on the Jean Bouin Stadium.
“Our first consideration was getting the cranes to the project and assembling them at the congested downtown location,” he said. “These cranes were our first choice because the MDT cranes are compact to transport and then fast and easy to assemble on site. Next, we needed to decide on the number of cranes and what capacity best suited the project. We worked closely with our customer Leon Grosse to establish the best solution and opted for the MDT 368 cranes.”
The Jean Bouin Stadium expansion project requires high-capacity cranes working in close proximity. More crane jib overlapping is accommodated by using topless cranes, in place of the traditional design of top-slewing cranes that have a cathead.
The five Potain MDTs 368s are setup with different configurations. Four of the cranes are MDT 368 L16s, which have a 16 t maximum capacity, and the fifth is a MDT 368 L12, which has a 12 t maximum capacity. The jibs on the cranes range from 60 m to 65 m, while the working heights vary between 35.4 m and 65.4 m.
When the expansion is complete in 2013, stadium capacity will increase from 12,000 to 20,000 fans. The revamped facility will also have a host of other new features, including an underground parking garage.