The shopping centre鈥檚 main attraction for the festive season is a large steel dome outdoor structure which has been transformed into an extraordinary winter wonderland for the crowds of visitors wanting to meet Father Christmas.
A trio of small but strong Unic URW-376 mini cranes was used to erect the dome which is made from around 400 connected hollow steel pipes, with some sections of the structure being assembled during the lift by the construction team.
The Unic URW-376 is a mid-capacity model in the Unic mini spider crane range, which can lift a maximum weight of 2.9 tonnes and has an overall lifting height of 14.9 metres. Despite having this lifting power the cranes can be folded away to measure only 1.3m metres wide and features slew limitation controls, making them perfect for working in restricted access areas.
The three cranes were used to carefully lift the dome in synchronisation using webbing slings, so the weight of the load could be evenly distributed through each lifting point and the structure would remain stable when being suspended in the air.
The mini cranes were used to lift the huge dome several times as the lower layers of the structure were fitted in stages. Once fully assembled, the dome reached a height of 11 metres and weighed 2 tonnes in total.
Once the dome was fully constructed, two of the Unic mini cranes were then used to lift the 400kg fabric cover on top of the grotto. Workers then climbed the structure to pull the cover around the dome and fix it into place. The inside of the dome is designed to act as a screen for a 3D visual animated experience.
Due to GGR Group鈥檚 solution to this lifting challenge, the impressive Santa鈥檚 grotto was completed on time and was ready to open its doors to visitors for the Christmas period.聽
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