First Raimondi crane erected in Albania
18 April 2017 by Sotiris KanarisA Raimondi MRT152 tower crane has been erected at the new Tirana National Arena (Arena Kombetare), Albania. This is the first time a crane from the manufacturer has been employed in the country.
A 70t mobile crane was used to assemble the tower crane, which has an under hook height of 57m. The machine has been equipped with a 61m jib and erected on an embedded element.
Domenico Ciano, technical director at Raimondi Cranes said: “One of the challenges for the Arena Kombetare jobsite was that a crane with high load capacity and high freestanding height was required, but due to the ground configuration we were requested to minimize the dimension of the plinth. We worked on the plinth design to reduce its dimensions while respecting the rules and maintaining the correct safety margin.”
A second challenge on this jobsite was that the building shape and architecture required a specific design with tailor-made lifting solutions.
The site, due to its proximity to Tirana’s main street, required quick erection turnaround.
“The crane installation was time-sensitive, as we wanted to minimize the inconveniences associated with road closure. Fortunately, all of our new cranes are designed to be quickly and seamlessly installed. We studied specific installation sequences to help our technicians plan the full job with safety and timelines top of mind,” said Ciano.
Located in Tirana’s historic area, the 22,000-seat National Arena will span 36,000 sq m and will replace the country’s Qemal Stafa stadium. Construction is expected to continue for another three years.
