Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia is North America’s largest aquarium at over 600,000 square feet. Despite its massive size, a recent remodel of the facility benefited greatly from an MC405C Maeda Mini-Crane.
Limited access required general contractor Brasfield & Gorrie, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, to devise a way to remove large structural components in order to build out a new sea lion display. “We thought of using a carry deck crane first, but they are really meant to work on level ground which we do not have in this work area,” explains Todd Hamby, project superintendent.
Instead the company chose a Maeda MC405CRME mini-crane with its 67’10” maximum lift height and 8,480 pound maximum capacity rented from ML Cranes & Equipment of Charlotte, North Carolina, a Maeda distributor for Maeda USA in Houston, Texas. Most importantly, the track-mounted MC405C has a 54 inch width and an outrigger spread that fits in a 20 foot square area.
“Initially we thought of cutting a hole in a wall for crane access, but the Maeda crawled right into the freight elevator and powered itself into position,” Hamby explains.
The MC405CRME with its dual power capability allowed for moving the crane into position with the diesel engine, but working and lifting while operating on electric power for the indoor work without exhaust issues.
“We are gutting an existing space which is below ground level,” according to Hamby, “This includes elevated concrete slabs and structural steel that was part of the original display.” The company used the full reach of the five-section telescoping boom and moved loads up to 5,400 pounds. Once completed, they walked the MC405C out of the work area with inches to spare. “It would have been a lot harder without the Maeda,” Hamby says, “The project schedule was very aggressive, but we were able to shorten the schedule and reduce costs with the help of the Maeda.”
Brasfield & Gorrie were the original constructors of Georgia Aquarium in 2005. The company was recently named 2015 Contractor of the Year by the Associated Builders and Contractors.
Quelle: Maeda USA
