14.12.2005

Madrid’s tallest

If you go to Madrid these days you cannot help but notice the number of tower cranes, form the airport all the way into the city, they are everywhere. A strong indicator of the Spanish construction boom that seems to know no end.

The Potain dealer in Spain, Grupo Ibergruas, has erected what Potain claim, is the largest tower crane ever to go to work in the country. The MD1400 has been supplied to Madrid-based contractor Dragados y FCC.

Rated at 1440 tonne/metres, the MD 1400 will eventually reach an under hook height of 290 metres. At this height, the crane will rest on 48 mast sections, each measuring four metres by four metres 5.78 metres high, making it the tallest Potain MD ever to be erected.
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Potain MD1400 and MDT 302 in Madrid

The MD 1400 has a 40 tonne maximum lift capacity and a 40 metres maximum working radius, and will accommodate a jib of up to 50 metres The cranes counter weight is 38,800 kg.

Grupo Ibergruas has also supplied four MDT 302 units to Dragados. The five Potain cranes are working on two skyscrapers, the MD1400 and two of the MDT 302 units are working on the Torre Repsol – designed by British architect, Norman Foster, will be the tallest building in Spain. While the Torre Sacyr-Vallehermoso, is being built by the other two MDT 302 tower cranes. The two buildings are part of a four skyscraper project within what is being called the Madrid Arena.
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The 49 storey Torre Repsol

The MD 1400 will continuously climb and be braced as the structures grow. It features a 250 LCC 100 hoist winch has been specifically tuned for working at high altitudes, and its 25 DVF 25 variation mechanism can reach speeds of up to 33 metres a minute.

The MDT 302 units have a 15 tonnes maximum capacity, and have been rigged with jib lengths of 22 metres. And a 54 metre hook height, which will eventually increase to 250 metres. The 302’s are mostly lifting steel beams.

The cranes all have an air conditioned Vision cabs featuring a VISU display. Premium features such as these, make a major difference on a long-term jobsite, said Antonio Bello, chairman of Grupo Ibergruas.

“If the operator is comfortable, he can work effectively and therefore our cranes can work with maximum efficiency. However, it is not just the smaller details that influenced the choice of these cranes; it was their flexibility to serve such a long-term project as well as their lift and height capabilities,” he said.
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The Torre Sacyr-Vallehermoso

The 250 metre skyscrapers will be completed over the next two years and are located next to the city’s main boulevard, the Paseo de la Castellana, on the former training ground of football club, Real Madrid.

City planners hope that, when complete, the buildings will add a new ambiance to the Spanish capital,. The 56,250 square mere Torre Repsol will be the Repsol energy company’s headquarters, while there are plans to use the 45 storey Torre Sacyr-Vallehermoso as both offices and a hotel. Completion is scheduled for 2007.