RAXTAR and Hydro Mobile are very proud to have been selected by Atlantic Hoisting and Scaffolding to provide hoists and mast-climbing work platforms in order to help build One World Trade Center, formerly known as the Freedom Tower. Both companies have joined forces, with New York’s premier hoist provider, Atlantic Hoisting and Scaffolding, to create an access solution that transports personnel and materials to each floor of the projected 1,776-foot high structure.
As the tallest building in America was in its planning stage, Tishmann Construction was asked to come up with a construction schedule that would have the building in place in time to restore the confidence of the American people and satisfy the emotional need to “rebuild.” Tishmann Construction then turned to Atlantic Hoisting and Scaffolding to provide a comprehensive solution for its logistics of moving more than 1,300 to 1,400 workers, equipment and materials daily to erect what is considered the most complicated construction project in American history. Among the different key elements in choosing the equipment was the fact that a non-counterweighted design needed to be used to increase safety and speed of erecting. As the plans unfolded, dependability was the key.
Atlantic Hoisting and Scaffolding’s team came up with a solution for the construction process: the common tower. This structure is typically made using a four-pole configuration of shoring and scaffolding components decked at each entry level to allow exit of the hoists and access to the building under construction to minimize interference with the curtain wall installation. This allows the building to be closed in earlier than in conventional configurations of the hoists. In the case of One World Trade Center, the extreme height and concern for worker safety meant an additional challenge in the traditional conception of the common tower.
In order to implement an efficient solution, Atlantic Hoisting and Scaffolding’s team had the idea to abandon the conventional four-pole components generally used for the common tower in lieu of actual rack-and-pinion tower sections at the four corners. This gave them the means to adapt the mechanical access equipment and build the platform in a safe and efficient way. Atlantic Hoisting and Scaffolding claims it has reduced its labour during the construction process by 30% and finds safety increased immeasurably.
Since then, Atlantic Hoisting and Scaffolding has strategically placed 13 RAXTAR Model RX3245 hoists throughout the project. Travelling at a speed of 300 ft. per minute and allowing payloads of 7,000 lbs., some of the hoists were even designed with an overhead protection deck above the car to shield the installers from other trades working above them. The cars incorporated designs from the years of combined experience of the engineers at Atlantic Hoisting and Scaffolding and RAXTAR. A structural “common tower platform” is an integral part of the configuration of the hoisting areas, which delivers thousands of men to the structure day and night for a job that has virtually not stopped for an hour since it began. A custom work platform designed specifically for the construction of the Common Tower Structure was built by Hydro-Mobile and is in constant use as the project climbs at a pace of one floor per week.
Since being put in place two years ago, each RAXTAR hoist has travelled the equivalent of a trip around the WORLD! Just to put some numbers in perspective, during the last two years of use, each car ran an average of six days a week for an average of 12.5 hours a day. At a speed of 92 m/min (300 fpm), this means that each car has travelled approximately 26,718 miles, or slightly more than the earth’s circumference!
For more information on this project, please visit our special web section (www.hydro-mobile.com /1WTC) or contact us.
