Five Liebherr tower cranes are being used for site lifting duties on the 324-m-high Landmark tower, Abu Dhabi’s second tallest building.

These include three luffing jib models and two Liebherr 280 EC-H tower cranes.
Probably the most demanding of the lifting demands made by the 72-storey tower project is the concave steel structure at the top, which is 52 m high curving down to 7.3 m on the opposite side of the roof. This structure will be installed in-situ, with an external climbing Liebherr 160HC-L 8/16 Litronic luffing jib crane to be used for lifting the two to 10-tonne elements.
In order to undertake lifting duties for the structure, a distance of 52 m from the last tie-in to the slewing platform of the cranes was specified to ensure an acceptable ‘over-standing’ height.
“Liebherr was the only crane manufacturer able to meet this requirement which also included a 7 m radius, to cater to the curved face of the steel structure,” says a spokesman for Liebherr.
In total, the external climbing crane will use nine tie-ins at 34 m intervals – each incorporating six tower sections.
Each of the three luffing jib cranes, including two internal climbing units, has a maximum lifting capacity of 16 tonnes and feature 50 m jibs.
“Luffing jib cranes were chosen by the JV contractor Al Habtoor and CCC for their speed of lifting on narrow sites, allowing simultaneous lifting and lowering,” he explains. “Above 150 m heights, luffing jibs become faster than conventional tower cranes, particularly with Liebherr’s two fall winch system – considered the fastest in the world with speeds of 338 m/min, allowing 20 per cent more load cycles.”
The tower includes a four-storey office/retail/lobby area extending beyond the main tower footprint, all of which sit over five levels of basement car-parking. The basement structure extends across the full width of the site and beneath the adjacent old Corniche Road, running parallel to the site.
Above the office level is the first of four mechanical areas of the building – each of which comprises several levels of mechanical plant. This level also forms the ‘springing’ point for two large canopies on either side of the building which extend over the offices spread below.
Above this level are 25 residential floors followed by a health club and the second mechanical area.
The two Liebherr 280 EC-H tower cranes are being used for construction of the basements and Levels One and Two of the podium. One of them, with a 65 m jib length and a maximum 12-tonne lifting capacity, features an erected hook height of 45 m, which includes 17 m on the bottom basement level. The second crane has a 70 m jib length and a 43 m hook height from the ground level.
The architect for the Landmark tower is Pelli Clarke Pelli, while the supervising engineer is Buro Happold and the project manager is E C Harris International.

Dubai projects
Apart from Abu Dhabi, Liebherr cranes are being used in a wide range of projects in Dubai. Among them are the Dubai Metro and Dubai Mall, one of the world’s largest shopping and entertainment malls
A newly-delivered 100 tonne-capacity Liebherr telescopic crane – the LTM110-5.2 – is being used by Chan Chun Construction China on the Dubai Metro’s Marina Station to lift and position 12-tonne steel and concrete structures.
The LTM110-5.2 has been leased from Al Faris Equipment Rentals – which has one of the largest fleets in the Middle East with more than 250 mobile cranes and including 120 Liebherr models, all fitted with Liccon software ensuring lifts are made safely and economically, he says.
Al Faris Equipment Rentals’ fleet features four Liebherr 500-tonne cranes, including one delivered last year – all offering increased mobility when compared with the crawler equivalent, according to the spokesman.
Al Faris is also set to take delivery of its largest mobile crane – the Liebherr 1,200-tonne capacity LTM11200-9.1 – this year. Featuring a 52-m main boom and with a five-axle configuration, the Liebherr crane has a lifting capacity of 100 tonnes.
Scheduled to be operational next year, the Dubai Metro is set to be one of the most advanced urban rail systems in the world, and the world’s longest fully automated rail system. When fully operational, the Dubai Metro has been designed to carry approximately 1.2 million passengers on an average day and 355 million passengers annually.
The main contractor for the Dubai Metro is the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Corporation, Obayashi Corporation, Kajima Corporation and Yapi Merkezi Joint Venture.
Meanwhile, a number of Liebherr mobile cranes have been used from the rental fleets of Al Mutawa, Al Faris Equipment Rentals and Sarilar International for the construction of the Dubai Mall, which is scheduled for opening shortly.
These cranes include a recently-delivered LTM 1300-6.1 and the largest crane in Al Mutawa’s rental fleet, which have been used for lifting and positioning the final structural elements for the Dubai mall.
Al Mutawa has also recently taken delivery of a Liebherr LTM 1160-5.1 and expects to take deliveries for Liebherr’s LTM 1130-5.1, an LTM 1160-5.1 and an LTR 1100 later this year.
Considered to be one of the world’s largest shopping and entertainment malls with a total internal floor area of 548,127 sq m, Dubai Mall will include more than 1,200 stores with two anchor department stores and 120 food and beverage outlets.
Key attractions of the Dubai Mall will include one of the world’s largest aquariums at 12 m high and featuring a glass ‘walk-through’ tunnel; the world’s largest indoor gold suq with 220 retailers; an Olympic-size ice rink; the Middle East’s first Galeries Lafayette department store; and the Grove, an indoor-outdoor streetscape with a fully retractable roof.
Construction of the Dubai Mall was started in 2004 by the main contractor Dutco Balfour Beatty-Al Ghandi and Consolidated Contractors joint venture for Emaar Properties. Throughout construction no fewer than 29 Liebherr tower cranes have also been used for a wide range of lifting duties for the joint venture contractors. The project forms the cornerstone on a development containing the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest tower.