Construction of the tallest building in Saudi Arabia is moving towards completion with the aid of the first two Potain Topkit MD345 L16 tower cranes in the country which will reach final underhook heights of 320m and 330m respectively.
The building, the Kingdom Tower, will be 300m tall, the maximum allowed under a governmental decree. Main contractor El Seif is using 10 tower cranes on the project, nine of which are Potains. The MD345 L16s can lift 16t or 2.7t at the end of a 75m jib and are equipped with continuous current (LCC hoisting) and frequency variation (RVF Optima slewing and DVF trolleying). These features are designed to provide accurate and jolt-free positioning of the load, while at the same time working at speeds up to 162m/min and with a drum capacity of 935m. Elsewhere on the project, three K30/30Cs, three K40/27Cs and an F3/29 complete the Potain contingent on the site. The $300m Kingdom Tower comprises two podiums around the 300m tower and will be a hotel on completion next year.
