Portopiccolo plan progress thanks to Terex

Six Terex CTT flat-top tower cranes along with three older model GTS tower cranes are working on the site of a former quarry in Sistiana Bay, building the new development for contractor Rizzani De Eccher that will cover 35 hectares of the Adriatic coastline when completed at the end of 2013.

First mooted in the 1980s, the Portopiccolo residential and leisure resort project —which will have at its heart 490 apartments and sea-front villas — finally began in earnest in January this year, with Bovis Lendlease project managing, and Gruppo Valdadige of Verona acting as general managers.

It will use quarried stone to help the development blend into the landscape, and as part of a design conceived by construction designer Francis Luparelli and architect Andreas Kipar, it will make use of geothermal energy sources to provide renewable power.

Site preparations for work to begin were complicated by the coastal geography, with an escarped sea-facing location meaning that careful planning was necessary to ensure effective placement of the cranes for efficient operation.

Once vegetation and other obstructions had been cleared, the ground was leveled to form terraces, providing a stable foundation for each of the cranes on their reinforced concrete bases.

The three types of Terex crane on site — three CTT 181B-8 flat-top tower cranes, three CTT 161A-8 flat-top tower cranes, and three GTS tower cranes — were chosen for their suitability for sites where several cranes need to operate in close proximity to one another.

It took several weeks to determine optimal positioning to avoid the cranes colliding while being able to work at a variety of heights between 25m and 45m. The high coastal wind speeds also had to be accounted for.

Over the three-year project, the cranes are expected to help place 120,000m2 of concrete and 10,500t of iron.

The development represents a significant investment by the Italian government in the region’s tourism trade, and has employed 150 construction workers so far.

Also the provision of a five-star hotel, 25 shops, 11 bars and restaurants, five swimming pools, a 100-berth marina, a wellness centre and spa is expected to provide 230 jobs in the region when completed.