In April, Groupe Dufour assembled four cranes, two tower cranes and two luffing jib cranes. They reached a height of 152 m and had an overview of the entire site. The installation of these cranes marks the end of the demolition phase and the start of the structural work.
The construction phase started, but how do we reach the top of ZIN?
Working at unseen heights
ZIN will be 110 m high at its highest point. Therefore the cranes must be able to reach this height during the construction phase. Groupe Dufour mounted two tower cranes in the cores of the ZIN-towers. Anchored in a concrete base, they reach a height under hook (where the vertical and horizontal arm meet) of 115 m. But the most special are the two luffing jib cranes, which are rarely used in Belgium. They are positioned at strategic points on the site and extend their jib from these points. In this way, they reach a height under hook of approximately 130 m after two telescopic movements. The combination of both types of cranes means that the entire site is accessible and the construction consortium, which is named Open Minds, can get to work.
Welcome Open Minds!
The installation of these cranes marks the arrival of Open Minds on the site. This construction consortium consists of CFE, BPC, VMA and Van Laere. After the dismantling, conducted by De Meuter, they are responsible for the construction phase of the ZIN project. They have already carried out some preparatory work (e.g. the foundations for the central volume) and can now start on the structural work.
