GGR''s UNIC mini cranes help create

GGR Group rose to the challenge and provided a UNIC mini crane when subcontractor the Lakesmere Group at the Crossrail development needed to install six 1.3 tonne “performance hood” louvre ventilation units underneath a cantilever soffit on the East and West elevations of the station. The louvre units needed to be lifted and installed in two halves at a 54 degree angle as well as underneath a deep overhang which would have been impossible with a traditional tower crane. Lakesmere considered using scaffolding for this work, however this would have would have been much slower to set up and cost ten times more with all the component changes compared to using GGR''s mini cranes as an alternative lifting solution.

A 6 tonne capacity UNIC URW-706 mini spider crane was selected for this job and a temporary platform on the dockland waters was set up to provide access for the crane. The mini crane easily lifted the surrounding steel frame for each unit, before lifting and holding each half louvre at a 54 degree angle ready for fixing. It took only 1 day to lift each louvre, a total of 6 days for each elevation, providing a swift and cost-effective result for Lakesmere.

Mini cranes are particularly useful for working on station infrastructure programmes like this as they are compact enough to move around the existing structure of a building. The UNIC URW-706 crane could easily manoeuvre around the Canary Wharf deck thanks to its lightweight design.

Since early 2012 GGR Group has worked on over 30 different jobs at Canary Wharf station. The UNIC URW-706 mini crane was used to glaze the entire 185 metre long elevation on both sides of the station, lifting over 200 units of glass onto the upper and lower levels. A UNIC crane was also used to install over 1500 timber beams for the lattice roof which is formed from a spectacular glulam grid shell connected by 450 steel nodes and ETFE pillows. The six-storey Canary Wharf development will be one of the largest Crossrail Stations built on the North Dock area of West India Quay when it is completed in 2015.

GGR Group''s UNIC mini cranes have full Network Rail Product Acceptance, are specifically designed to operate in restricted access areas and are capable of lifting 0.995 to 10 tonnes with a reach of up to 30 metres. Their lightweight chassis, low emissions, quick assembly and compact size have proven their worth for solving the trickiest lifting challenges on Crossrail, London Underground and Network Rail infrastructure projects.