Five Terex tower cranes have been working for nearly two years on the construction of two residential towers as part of a large restructuring and redesign of Porta Nuova – Isola District in Milan, Italy.
The new 340,000-square-meter Porta Nuova urban development will provide Milan with more than 110,000 square meters of office and residential space, 160,000 square meters designated for pedestrian use and approximately 20,000 square meters for cultural events.
The two towers feature jutting terraces that will accommodate 480 medium and large-sized trees, 250 small trees, 11,000 perennials and ground cover plants, and 5,000 shrubs. This enormous real estate development was designed by a group of international architects and is being constructed by several Italian contractors. To build the two residential towers, 16 and 23 stories high, contractor ZH GCC chose five Terex tower cranes to provide maximum jobsite coverage while maintaining operational efficiency.
Two of the CTT181B-8 tower cranes were custom fitted with a shorter jib of 30 meters. The CTT331-16 represented the biggest challenge. The crane was installed inside a garage stair shaft, putting it far from the buildings. When the project was in the final phase and the crane was climbed to a height where tie bars were needed, 14-meter-long struts had to be used.
Because of the height difference between buildings, when the two towers were almost completed, the CTT331 had to be climbed to a final 140-meter height to serve both. As there was no possibility to tie the crane at this height, ZH GCC and the Terex application engineering team came up with a solution, a guyed collar section tied to both buildings (pictured).
The cranes have been in operation for nearly three years, and the building is expected to be completed in mid 2012.
Designed for use in confined areas, near airports or in conjunction with other flat top cranes, the CTT 331 flat top tower crane is well-suited for heavy lifting and placement duties in challenging applications.
Terex Corp. is a global manufacturer of a broad range of equipment for many applications, including the construction, infrastructure, quarrying, mining, shipping, transportation, refining, energy, utility and manufacturing industries.
