InfraStructures - September 2018 - Eight WOLFF Cranes Build Quartier Bleu in Flanders

Eight WOLFF Cranes Build Quartier Bleu in Flanders

Quartier Bleu, a trendy residential and shopping district is currently under construction until the end of 2018 on the Blauwe (Blue) boulevard in the marina of Hasselt. Eight WOLFF cranes in the house colors of the contractor STRABAG Belgium NV ensure that building materials get moved from A to B on this construction site in the capital of the Belgian province Limburg. Fast installations and precisely coordinated tower heights provide for a smooth construction progress despite confined space conditions.

All the WOLFF 6015, 6023 and 6031 tower cranes are flat top models from the WOLFF clear series.

“We chose these cranes because they have fewer components and are quicker to assemble than other crane types,” explains Dave De Keyser, managing director of STRABAG BMTI BVBA, the service company of STRABAG Belgium NV. In addition, the maximum load capacities of the cranes from 8.5 to 12 t optimally meet the requirements on the construction site, such as the handling of reinforcing steel mesh and concrete skips.

With tower heights from 46.1 to 73.5 m and jib lengths between 50 and 60 m, the WOLFF cranes slew effortlessly below each other and do not get in each other’s way when lifting formwork elements and precast concrete components.

The assembly of the top-slewing cranes had to be minutely planned and offered quite a spectacular sight: 2 mobile cranes with load capacities of 250 and 400 t and a working radius of 35 to 40 m gradually let the 8 cranes grow to their final heights within 3 months. Due to limited space on the construction site, the mobile cranes managed the assembly from the road. As a result, traffic was temporarily blocked, which required a special permit from the city administration.

“Since all of the cranes are freestanding, they were anchored in massive concrete foundations. We therefore turned to the 2-part WOLFF foundation anchor. The spigots for the crane connection can be unscrewed and reused, with only the less expensive anchors remaining in the foundation. We also used a larger tower section of 2.30 x 2.30 m for the WOLFF 6023.8 clear with a tower height of 73.5 ms,” says Frédéric Van Hoorebeke, managing director of WOLFFKRAN Belgium BVBA.

For economic reasons, the cranes were set up in the middle of the construction site, which allowed for the use of cranes with shorter working radii and lower lifting capacities than would have been required if they were placed on the edge of the site. For the dismantling, the mobile cranes will again be set up at the edge of the construction site.

STRABAG Belgium NV chose to use WOLFF cranes on this project following the successful cooperation in the construction of the Books residential and commercial complex in Hasselt and the Thor technology park in Watterschei.

“We were also convinced by the comprehensive WOLFFKRAN service from a single source,” explained Mr. De Keyser.

In line with its expansion plans for its own crane fleet, 4 of the cranes used in the Quartier Bleu have already been transferred to the ownership of STRABAG. The other 4 cranes will be sold after completion of the 18-month operation at the port of Hasselt.

Source: WOLFFKRAN International AG

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