A team of 11 Potain tower cranes are building the largest shopping mall in Europe. Covering an area the size of 65 football fields (463,000 m2), Avia Park will be an entertainment and shopping complex in the heart of Moscow, Russia. The Potain cranes will spend two years lifting general construction materials at the city center job site.
The Potain cranes, which are a mix of different top-slewing models, were supplied by Moscow-based crane rental company Rentakran to main contractor Renaissance.
Potain cranes were chosen for the landmark project because of their reputation for quality and the wide variety of capabilities that its range has to offer, as Serhan Arpaci at Rentakran explains:
“The project needed efficient cranes that can be individually configured and work for long hours without stoppages,” he says. “We immediately thought of Potain, which continues to build its reputation for producing the best quality tower cranes available in Russia. We are confident that this project will run smoothly with these cranes.”
Building work at Avia Park began in November 2012 and the Potain cranes were erected at the job site in March 2013, where they will remain until the project nears completion towards the end of 2014.
The Potain cranes are operating at varying heights between 45 m and 66 m, and are rigged with 45 m to 70 m jibs. The cranes are used for a huge variety of tasks including lifting formwork, rebar, structural components, scaffolding and façade materials.
The cranes in use at the project offer capacities of up to 16 t. The full list of cranes at the site includes three MC 235 Bs, two MDT 178s, two MC 310 Cs, two MD 265 Bs, an MD 310 C and an MD 285 C.
A team from Rentakran will manage the scheduled maintenance and service of the 11 cranes in conjunction with Manitowoc Crane Care, to ensure they continue to work at optimum efficiency.
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.
Avia Park will be one of the world’s leading entertainment and shopping destinations. Located in the center of Moscow city, the huge four-level complex will contain 262,000 m2 of leasable space and 7,000 parking spaces. The site aims to secure a large portion of Moscow’s lucrative retail sales, which currently total around $112 billion a year, making it one of Europe’s leading shopping destinations.