CMB uses two Potain tower cranes to build Hadid Tower

The Hadid tower, also known as twisting tower, was born from her desire of dynamism, moving away from the concept of towers being "technocratic engineering solutions".

This 44-floor tower is part of a triad, called "Square of three towers", included in the Milan's CityLife project. This represents an ambitious commercial and residential development on Milan's historic former trade fair grounds: the Fiera Milano. On the surface, over half of CityLife Milan will be covered with upwards of 168,000 sqm of landscaped parkland dedicated to pedestrians and bicycles.

The two MDT 308A cranes were erected in December 2014, climbing at a rate of 4m per month and they are set to reach their final working heights of 210 m in 2016. Alfio Musumeci, the building site supervisor from CMB, says: "The company chose the MDT 308A cranes for their proven reliability and performance which help to ensure projects run smoothly.

"Potain cranes are the most-efficient tool to build a high-rise structure and their ability to carry heavy loads over great distances represents a key benefit. They require minimal set-up time and feature variable frequency drives that provide optimum performance. We can rely on Potain cranes to carry out the job to the highest standard and ensure our completion dates are met."

Potain's MDT 308A is a top-slewing tower crane, which can offer a maximum jib length of 70 m with a tip load of 2.9t.

The crane is fitted with SmartCom, an electronic control system which provides the operator and service technician with information such as how long the crane was operated for, how long the hoisting, trolley winches and slewing mechanism were operated for as well as the number of brake applications for those three mechanisms.

This system represents an extremely useful tool for preventative maintenance and the information is displayed on an on-board computer screen.

The Potain cranes have been working on the construction of the Hadid tower for two years.

"Manitowoc cranes have a strong history of carrying out construction work on major developments in the most-efficient and effective way," says Sabino Riefoli, export sales and key 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 Hadid tower will completely alter the skyline of Milan, creating sinuous movement by its position as the gateway to the Fiera Milano.

The three towers in the CityLife Milano development, Isozaky, Hadid and Libeskind will hold approximately 10,000 people. The project includes an art museum, a shopping district and a pavilion.

The structure will include both office and retail space and rising upwards, the tower twists and its floor plates incrementally rotate around a central core so that its summit aligns with the geometry of the Hadid-designed CityLife housing development across the river.

Lateral loads will be resisted by the central core and vertical loads dealt with by a radial array of columns. The double leaf facade combines sun-deflecting louvers and ventilation registers to guarantee a comfortable environment internally.

The Hadid-designed CityLife housing will be one of two residential developments on site, the other being a Libeskind creation. The Hadid residences consist of seven linear buildings wrapping around a courtyard, creating a sinuous urban skyline, which starts at five-stories and rises upwards to thirteen.