Two Potain MDT 308A tower cranes are building the Hadid Tower – or Torre Hadid in Italian – a 170m-tall mixed-use development in the centre of Milan and designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.
The Hadid tower will be one of the tallest buildings in the city and one of three iconic towers within CityLife Milano, a commercial and residential project on Milan’s historic trade site, the Fiera Milano.
The two Potain cranes were erected in December 2014, are climbing at a rate of 4m per month and are set to reach their final working heights of 210m later in 2016.
Alfio Musumeci, the site supervisor for Italian contractor Cooperativa Muratori E Braccianti Di Carpi (CMB), which has a fleet of 60 Potain cranes, explained that the company chose the MDT 308A cranes for their proven reliability and performance.
He noted: “The Potain cranes require minimal set-up time and feature variable frequency drives to improve the performance – so we can rely on them to ensure our completion dates are met.”
The MDT 308A is a top-slewing tower crane with a maximum jib length of 70m and tip load of 2.9t.
The crane is also fitted with SmartCom, an electronic control system which provides the operator and service technician with data on the length of operation of the hoisting, trolley winches and slewing mechanisms, as well as the number of brake applications for those three mechanisms.
The data is displayed on an on-board computer screen and assist with preventative maintenance.
“Manitowoc cranes have a strong history of carrying out construction work on major developments in the most-efficient and effective way,” said Sabino Riefoli, account manager for Manitowoc Crane Group Italy.
“Working at heights like this at the Hadid Tower means the customer needs precise load control and smooth movement which the MDT 308A cranes provide.”
The ‘twisting’ 44-floor tower designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, together with the other two towers by Isozaky and Libeskind will completely alter the skyline of Milan and accomodate 10,000 people.
