Four Tops

Bennetts, which is the UK dealer for Raimondi, supplied three MRT159s and one MRT152 for The Green Quarter site in West London. The project is designed to provide residential homes, commercial and retail spaces, plus community facilities.

Erected between 2022 and 2023, the four flat-tops present similar configurations in terms of tower height and jib length. Two of the three MRT159-8t tower cranes are at work with a jib length of 44m and tower heights of 47.2m and 67.8m. While the remaining MRT159 and the MRT152 are both installed with a radius of 38m and heights of 64.9m and 47.3m.

“We were thrilled to continue our relationship with an industry leading contractor by providing these four Raimondi flat-tops,” said Edward Seager, managing director, Bennetts Cranes. “It was also great to see that the contractor for this project has a ten-year-old crane policy, which means that all the machines deployed onsite cannot be any more than ten-years old by the end of construction.

“The use of flat-top saddle jib cranes in this particular case, where each crane oversails or is oversailed by at least two other machines, has helped to minimise the height difference needed between them. This has boosted the cranes’ productivity in terms of load lifting time compared to an A-frame crane solution.”

The shorter tower height also reduces the base loadings, meaning less steel and concrete is needed for the base.

“Another key feature of Raimondi cranes’ site suitability is the 2.5m boom length sections,” Seager added. “Other cranes typically feature sections of 5m. Smaller sections allow for more accurate jib configurations - 2 x 44m and 2 x 38m – helping to optimise the use of space and maximise load handling time for greater productivity and efficiency.”

The cranes will be onsite for another 12 months and will also contribute to transforming a former gasworks and overflow airport car park into a nature-rich area for the local community.