Crane City

[GRDadof3]

I miss discussions about tower cranes. Will we ever see those days again?

 

Just to put you back in the mood...

 

http://gizmodo.com/watch-two-crazy-people-climb-the-worlds-second-tallest-1521382204?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

[John E]

It was a lot of fun when Medical Mile, River House Condos, JW Marriott and others were being constructed.

[mpchicago]

WOW - That was making my stomach churn a little.

 

Here is a little towercrane blast from the past:

 

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php/topic/34475-downtown-gr-uber-construction-photo-thread/

[GRDadof3]

I watched it in full screen and I was seriously having a psychological reaction: palms sweating, heart racing. The three scenes that really got me were when the one guy crosses the cross bars in the middle, when the loose grate suddenly raises up in his hands, and when the guy actually stands on the pulley at the top. No wind up there??? How is that possible?

[GRDadof3]

This is a pretty cool sight to see. Cranes erecting a massive steel girder system for the roof of a new chapel at Cornerstone University. I saw them bringing in the pieces on those wide load semi trailers last week and wondered where they were headed.

 

The picture doesn't really do it justice as far as scale goes.

 

[elcelc]

One more is squeezing into Medical Mile right now.  A new Hampton Inn next to Women's Health Center.

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2014/05/mid_towne_village_is_back_on_t.html

[wingbert]

This is a pretty cool sight to see. Cranes erecting a massive steel girder system for the roof of a new chapel at Cornerstone University. I saw them bringing in the pieces on those wide load semi trailers last week and wondered where they were headed.

 

The picture doesn't really do it justice as far as scale goes.

 

 

 

My steeple is bigger than your steeple so God loves me more.

[GRDadof3]

One more is squeezing into Medical Mile right now.  A new Hampton Inn next to Women's Health Center.

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2014/05/mid_towne_village_is_back_on_t.html

 

Ooolllldddd news.

My steeple is bigger than your steeple so God loves me more.

 

Better than the Ada Bible (pole barn) Church on Knapp near Maguire. What a horrible looking building that is, unless you're processing eggs.

 

A lot of churches, much like performing arts centers, use architecture to inspire.

[elcelc]

Ooolllldddd news.

 

Better than the Ada Bible (pole barn) Church on Knapp near Maguire. What a horrible looking building that is, unless you're processing eggs.

 

A lot of churches, much like performing arts centers, use architecture to inspire.

But nnneeeewwww cranes.

[GRDadof3]

But nnneeeewwww cranes.

 

That is true. And I saw one up the other day.

[ctpgr34]

Best place to put this, some pretty cool pics-http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2017/11/high_atop_big_red_breathtaking.html

[GRDadof3]

3 hours ago, ctpgr34 said:

Best place to put this, some pretty cool pics-http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2017/11/high_atop_big_red_breathtaking.html

Harger was scheduled to go up right after me. I was bummed because it was sunny out when I got there, but by the time we got up there it had clouded over. Then when I got down the sun came back out again. Ugh. Ah well. 

They got some great pics though.

[crinzema]

[GRDadof3]

Crane update: the tower crane at 601 Bond will be dismantled and moved to the GVSU site on Medical Mile in a few months. That site will be getting a SECOND tower crane around the same time. 

The yellow tower crane base at Studio Park was a mystery to the folks at Pioneer, but that is smack dab in the middle of First Companies' portion of the project. It's definitely what they call a "sacrificial base" from what I've seen, so the concrete base will stay after whatever the equipment is is removed.

Also, interesting tidbit, the city crane for the Canopy Hilton is taller than the other city crane working on the  parking ramp and movie theater. The reason is not because the Canopy's height, rather so the cranes wouldn't have a real life sword fight.

The crane working on the theater and parking ramp does indeed swing out over the s-curve and special permits and restrictions were needed with MDOT.

I happened to be on the same climb with this reporter from MiBiz who some of you may know.

https://mibiz.com/item/26106-reporter’s-notebook-construction-crane-vantage-offers-new-views-of-gr’s-expansion

 

[organsnyder]

35 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

The reason is not because the Canopy's height, rather so the cranes wouldn't have a real life sword fight.

Seems like a missed opportunity, to me.

[GRDadof3]

I've photographed the assembly and disassembly of just about every tower crane in GR over the last 15 years or so, and been up on a few. This crane collapse in Seattle the other day shows you the immense weight of these things and how fragile they can be at times. 4 people died, including 2 iron workers.  Keep your eye to the right and you can see the boom crane that was being used to take it apart. Apparently a squall with unpredictable wind gusts hit Seattle at the time... 

 

[wingbert]

On 4/29/2019 at 3:29 PM, GRDadof3 said:

I've photographed the assembly and disassembly of just about every tower crane in GR over the last 15 years or so, and been up on a few. This crane collapse in Seattle the other day shows you the immense weight of these things and how fragile they can be at times. 4 people died, including 2 iron workers.  Keep your eye to the right and you can see the boom crane that was being used to take it apart. Apparently a squall with unpredictable wind gusts hit Seattle at the time... 

 

Looks like it may have been human error - Oregon Live.

[GRDadof3]

16 hours ago, wingbert said:

Looks like it may have been human error - Oregon Live.

Yep. Someone on my FB said the workers removed all of the "pins" or bolts all the way down to the pedestal. The tower sections were just sitting on top of each other not connected at all. Idiots trying to get the job done faster.  

[GRDadof3]

Count em: 6 tower cranes visible as you approach downtown coming into the s curve. Will we see lucky #7 at the Hinman project?

[Allison Slater]

What's the record? How many did we have up during the last boom cycle?

[GRDadof3]

1 hour ago, tSlater said:

What's the record? How many did we have up during the last boom cycle?

There were 4 going on the hill at one time:

 

I think the GRAM was around the same time? JW Marriott? River House? Icon? Trying to recall how many all coincided. 

I "believe" 6 was the record.