The MD 265 B is building Evolution Tower
The MD 265 B is building Evolution Tower
A Potain tower crane is at the center of another of Moscow’s tallest new buildings. The MD 265 B is building Evolution Tower, a 53-story mixed-use development in Moscow City, the Russian capital’s new €12 billion financial district. The three-year, €135 million tower build is nearing completion.
Moscow City is home to the only high-rise buildings in Russia. Potain tower cranes were also used to construct the recently completed Mercury Tower, which is the tallest building in Europe, at 339 m.
The MD 265 B at Evolution Tower was erected in November 2011 and has since climbed to a final working height of 280 m, where it will remain until the end of 2014.
Moscow-based crane rental company Rentakran supplied the 12 t capacity MD 265 B crane to main contractor Renaissance. Among the key reasons for deploying the Potain crane at the unique development is its powerful winch and large drum capacity, as Serhan Arpaci at Rentakran explains:
“Potain cranes are the most efficient way to build a high-rise structure,” he says. “Their ability to winch heavy loads at high speeds over great distances is a key benefit. They can work with two falls of rope where necessary and offer continuous operation day and night. We know we can rely on Potain canes to get the job done quickly.”
At the Evolution Tower project, the MD 265 B is lifting a variety of general construction materials that range in weight to 12 t. Most days, the crane is lifting formwork, rebar, structural components, scaffolding and façade materials.
Potain’s MD 265 B is a mid-range top-slewing tower crane that offers a maximum jib length of 65 m, at which it can lift 2.85 t.
Evolution Tower features a unique spiral design where each floor is twisted 3-degrees in relation to the floor below, meaning the whole building moves over a course of 135 degrees. Also known as City Palace Tower, the building will contain retail and leisure facilities, as well as offices and public function rooms.
Established in 1996, Rentakran represents both Grove mobile cranes and Potain tower cranes in Russia, and operates a fleet of 200 cranes, which it supplies to projects in Moscow and the surrounding region.