Founded in 1854, the Wolffkran brand has become one of the most well known names in the heavy lifting industry, and despite the recent downturn, the firm has secured some prestigious projects around the capital.

Wolffkran’s sole agent in the UK is HTC (formerly Harrington Tower Cranes), and they have held the exclusive contract to supply Wolffkran plant in the UK since 2002.

Across London they are supplying several sites with tower cranes and operators, all of whom HTC have trained solely in the use of Wolffkran’s equipment.

HTC sales director, David Lawrence, explains: “Our tower crane fleet is 100 per cent Wolff which offers a number of benefits, most importantly safety, thanks to familiarity and consistency.

“The cranes share a common interface, which benefits our training programmes, and ensures that our in-house servicing and diagnostic facilities are highly effective.”

Indeed one of the landmark projects HTC is currently leasing equipment to requires the availability of experienced tower crane operators for 15 hours a day, seven days a week.

West End Working
Contractor Mace Group has hired three Wolff 180 B luffing jib cranes for the construction of a mixed use development which will cover nearly 5,000 sq m of prime retail space on Oxford Street.

Park House will be the first new development on Oxford Street in 40 years, and space constraints have proven to be a significant issue on site.

This meant that operators well-versed in the cranes’ capabilities would be an important consideration, especially during the demolition where specialists Keltbray worked with one of the cranes just a stone’s throw away from hundreds of shoppers on Europe’s busiest thoroughfare.

The first crane setup for the demolition was constructed using an expendable base foundation that will eventually form part of Park House’s structure, and the short counterbalance featured on Wolff 180 B luffing jib cranes was very helpful with manoeuvring in such close proximity to other buildings.

Its lifting capacity of 18t at 17 metres and 5.6t at 40 metres is achieved with three falls of rope.

Along with the two luffing jib cranes installed on site after the demolition, with the cranes operational for 98% of the sites’ operating time, Land Securities expect the development of retail, office and residential space to be completed by November 2012.

Just a 20-minute stroll away from the Park House development, HTC are working on another Mace Group prestige project; developing the world-famous Café Royal into a five-star boutique hotel, business centre and shopping complex.

Work on one of London’s most exclusive nightspots is sure to be a challenge for all involved; the property is a grade I and grade II listed building and is of special architectural and historical interest according to English Heritage.

With extensive temporary works being undertaken on site, Wolff 100 B and 180 Bluffing jib cranes have been deployed. Cutting an imposing shape in the skyline over Regent’s Street, the Wolff 180 B’s load capacity of 12t at 24 metres and 6t at 40 metres is being employed for the heavy duty lifting.

Assisting with the work is the Wolff 100 B, which provides an additional 6t of lifting capacity at 23 metres and 2.6t at 40 metres.

A German Wolff in west London
To the west of the city, Wolffkran is helping to construct a six-storey academic health science centre for the Imperial College of London’s Hammersmith campus.

Bovis Lend Lease has been awarded the contract to ensure that the campus’ latest addition will be completed by 2012, despite the site being seriously congested.

This will be quite an achievement, especially considering that the site is hemmed in on all sides by residential properties as well as the campus medical school.

And with the frenetically busy Hammersmith hospital only moments away, careful project management will be needed from start to finish.

As with many jobs on or near to a hospital building, logistics and access routes must be painstakingly catered for to avoid obstruction of the hospital’s daily operation.

When it came to deciding on where to place the tower cranes vital to keep the programme of works on target, Bovis Lend Lease demanded that whoever took the job would need keep the tower cranes close to the new building’s footprint while still providing maximum lifting capacity.

To accomplish this for one of the two Wolff 180 B luffing jib cranes on site, HTC engineered a solution where the size of the crane’s foundations was reduced, eliminating any obstruction to the rest of the busy campus buildings.

Typically 120t of ballast would be needed to secure the foundations of a Wolff 180 Bluffing jib crane with a lift capacity of 12t at 21m/2.3t at 55m.

This amount of ballast also helps to account for the weight of the 34t counterbalance, the reduced overhang being vital for safety considerations with top-slewing tower cranes on such tight sites.

However, HTC decided instead to use a crossframe base secured with Macalloy bolts, which are usually used for anchoring heavy-duty installations, such as wind turbines.

Using this alternative anchoring solution, the amount of ballast needed was reduced by 45t, just enough to enable the tower crane to be installed within the footprint of the new development.

Finally, south of the River Thames, Wolffkran’s presence is again clear on the Battersea Reach residential development in Wandsworth.

The project, contracted to Stephenson construction, will eventually feature 2,787 sq m of commercial space and individual tiered towers with floor to ceiling glazing in each apartment, offering panoramic views over the Thames.

The impressive 7532 trolley jib crane, festooned with illuminated signs publicizing developer St. Georges management of the project, grants Stephenson Construction the means to move 12t of material up to 30.5 metres, or 6.1t can be shifted up to 55m.

With a selection of high-profile projects dotted around the capital, Wolffkran’s long-standing association with HTC seems to be paying dividends.

Lawrence explains the success of this arrangement saying: “This business is all about credibility, and our long-standing reputation for safety, service and delivery has made us the lifting partner of choice for a number of the world’s leading developers and contractors across a diverse portfolio of projects.”