Rigging: Cira Centre, Philadelphia, PA

Enclos erected the curtain wall panels on the 600 foot tall Cira Centre in Philadelphia, PA using a tower crane mounted to the roof of the building. When it came time to remove the crane, a helicopter was required because the building was too high to use a street crane safely.

Francis A. Lee Company has performed numerous installations and removals of tower cranes in NYC and because of the difficulty and challenges that the job presented, Enclos wanted only FAL to perform the task.

Performing lifts by helicopter is particularly complex because fuel weight and flying time must be calculated into the weight being lifted. Once in the air, each lift must be performed within a specified time before the helicopter has to land for refueling. In addition, there is the "pendulum effect" of the suspended weight on the helicopter, requiring skilled maneuvering by the pilot to safeguard workers, property and equipment.

The crane was removed in approximately 20 pieces from the roof of the building. The crane was prepped for removal on Friday and Saturday with the lifts taking place on Sunday within a 12 hour window imposed by the city of Philadelphia. According to one of our Ironworkers,"It was one of the most challenging things we've ever done. We were suspended over the edge of the building, in the boom, 600 feet above ground, with a very large helicopter over our heads whose rotors were sending high winds down on top of us."
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