Five Wolff cranes in Vienna

The Donaumarina residential complex, comprising five buildings, will feature 400 new rental units plus common areas and underground parking.

A Wolff 6031.8 Clear, a 6020.8 Clear, a 6015.8 Clear and two 5520.6 Cross cranes have been in operation on the Donaumarina site since the end of last year, primarily for concreting work and hoisting of prefabricated parts.

The highest crane, a freestanding WOLFF 6031.8 with hook height of 82.5m was erected on foundation anchors. Its load capacity of 8.5t and lifting speed of up to 115m/min allowed the remaining crane ensemble to consist of smaller Wolff cranes with lower tower heights.

Assembling the five Wolff cranes was logistically tricky, as access to the construction site was limited by a main traffic artery, a neighbouring construction site and a nearby community garden.

The location of the site presented other challenges for Wolffkran’s technical consultants with regard to regulations prohibiting the overslewing of an adjacent above-ground metro line and a nursing home.

“On the north side, there is another construction site with three tower cranes, two of whose jibs slew over our site,” said Martin Rothaler, sales executive at Wolffkran Austria. During the site inspection, Rothaler and his team therefore not only evaluated the condition of the job site but also included the crane concept of the neighbouring site in their planning.

“Since we noticed discrepancies in the stated hook heights, these had to be clarified with the neighbouring team in order for the two crane fleets to work side-by- side seamlessly,” added Rothaler.

“As usual, the construction schedule was very tight. We only had about four weeks between our inquiry to Wolffkran and the assembly of the cranes,” said construction supervisor Andreas Urbauer of Handler Bau. “In spite of that, Wolffkran delivered a concept that is not only efficient and economical, but also thought through to the smallest detail. We really appreciate that kind of precision.”