NTV, one of the most popular TV channels in Russia, is relying on four Potain tower cranes to build its new nine-story futuristic broadcasting center in Moscow. The center will house news and TV studios, offices, a control room, and a restaurant in a unique structure.
The Potain cranes, provided by Moscow-based GlavArendaKran (GAK), of the RENTAKRAN Group, include two MC 235 and two MD 265 tower cranes. The job is being managed by Svargo Group, a Russian contractor known for its high-rise developments in Moscow, as well as its central role in the development of venues for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
“This TV center is unique, not only in Russia, but throughout Europe, and its design will dominate the local area,” said Grigory Danilov, director of GlavArendaKran. “The Potain cranes are helping build a complicated design with architectural combinations and methods that have never been used before in Moscow. The cranes are an ideal fit for the job site as they are helping to complete this project in line with the Svargo Group defining principles, which include a love for the work, responsibility to the customer, and a high level of professionalism.”
With a construction budget of hundreds of millions of Euros, the NTV broadcasting center will add to the number of iconic modern buildings completed by Svargo Group in Moscow. Its unique architecture is evident inside and out, and includes inclined facades, multiple elevation points and concrete slabs arranged in a jagged form.
The 10 t capacity MC 235 on the project will reach a final height of 56.7 m and is working with a 55 m jib, while the 12 t capacity MD 265 will reach a final height of 66.2 m and has a 60 m jib. The cranes have been on site since the summer of 2013 and are lifting precast concrete and buckets, fittings, and other equipment, with loads weighing up to 6 t. The MD 265, which has a higher capacity, is also lifting concrete pumps and metal window frames weighing up to 8.5 t. Both cranes are working nearly 24 hours a day in three shifts, and are equipped with cold weather packages for working in the severe Moscow winters where temperatures can drop to as low as -25°C.
NTV was established in 1993 and was one of the first independent Russian TV stations of the post-Soviet Union era. The TV station already had over 100 million viewers by 1999 and covered 70% of Russia. The company has since been taken over by state-owned Gazprom Media and broadcasts to nine time zones in Russia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Canada and the U.S.