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Mini crane takes Shard glazing to new phase

19 Jan 12 The installation of glass on London’s The Shard, a 310m-high skyscraper, has reached a new phase this week with the installation of a mini crane on the roof to take over glazing duties from tower cranes.

A 6-tonne capacity Unic URW-706 mini spider crane was dismantled into two and lifted by a tower crane onto the 87th floor of the building which is due to be completed later this year.

The crane is on hire from glazing equipment specialists GGR, which is also the European distributor for Unic cranes.

The crane and specialist operators will be working from the rooftop for the next few months to lift glass panels from a storage unit on the 62nd floor onto the levels above on the north and west sides of the building. A total of 11,000 angled glass panels will eventually cover The Shard’s façade which has been specially designed to reflect the London skyline.

The Unic URW-706 compact crane is 1.67m wide and weighs 7.9t, providing a flexible alternative to traditional tower cranes.  With variable outrigger configurations, it can be set up in confined spaces.

GGR managing director Gill Riley said: “This iconic landmark is going to make a big impact across the London skyline and we are thrilled our cranes have been a part of this exciting project. It’s definitely the highest point we’ve ever taken one of our Unic cranes to, luckily our operators that are working on site have a good head for heights.”

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MPU
MPU

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