Stairway to luxury living gets a lift from Hird mini crane
A Hird lifting team has supported construction colleagues by using a Maeda mini crane to lift a staircase into place in the penthouse suite of one of London’s newest residential towers.The Hird spider crane was lifted 550 feet to the 53rd floor of the DAMAC Tower – known affectionately as a Jenga building because it features eye-catching overhanging sections.
The building at Nine Elms, in Vauxhall, has two towers joined on the 18th floor by a floating bridge which will include a 20m swimming pool. Building interiors are being designed by Versace.
Contract lift
Hird carried out a contract lift to support the installation of the staircase in one of the building’s penthouse suites, which has stunning views along the River Thames to the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye.
The lifting team used a Maeda MC285 mini crane, which has a maximum safe working load (SWL) of 2.82t, to lift two staircase sections, one weighing 800kg and the other 1200kg, both with solid oak steps.
Hird’s Appointed Person for the lift was Simon Griffin. He said: “We were helped by the contractor having a particularly large construction hoist which could easily lift the Maeda mini crane to the top of the tower.
“However, the Maeda MC285 is an excellent crane for this kind of work because it weighs just 1950kg and is very compact so can also be carried in most standard construction hoists.”
Stair design challenge
The lift was carried out over two days, with a Hird crane operator and lift supervisor on site. First, the mini crane was positioned on the lower floor to lift the first section into place. Then the crane was hoisted to the floor above to lift the second section.Simon Griffin said:
“One of the challenges was the design of the staircase. It had no supporting vertical beams, so occupants can have a clear view across London. This meant the crane had to hold the second section in place while it was fitted to the first.”
The lifts were carried out at a radius no greater than 4m. The stair sections were fitted with central lifting hooks and Hird used a block chain so the sections could be moved easily into position.
Maeda mini crane hire
The Maeda MC285 is one of the smaller machines in the Hird Maeda tracked spider crane hire fleet, which features cranes with SWLs from 1.72t (Maeda MC174) to 8t (Maeda MC815).
Other tasks Maeda mini cranes are ideal for include glass installation, when combined with vacuum glass lifters, steel erection, art installation and machinery maintenance.
For more information about contract lifting services, call Hird today.
Hird can plan and execute any contract lift, with spider cranes, pick and carry cranes or mobile cranes. Hird also provides a mini crane hire service and mini crane operator training.
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