Located in Portland’s scenic south waterfront, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is embarking on a hospital campus expansion with the new Center for Health and Healing complex. This $340 million project will enable OHSU to expand healthcare services with 750,000 square feet of surgery rooms, clinics, labs, a pharmacy, guest rooms and a five-story garage. To support the project, Morrow was selected by general contractor Hoffman Construction Company to supply two of our new, high performance Liebherr luffing boom cranes.

The Liebherr 542 HC-L and 710 HC-L luffers were selected for neighboring site clearance and the project’s structure load capacity requirements. The 710 HC-L is operating on a structural steel building maximizing both the hook radius and tip load capacity of the crane. The 710 HC-L specifications include an initial freestanding crane tower height of 153 ft. and final top climbing height of 264 ft., with two tie-in assemblies securing the crane to the building. The 710 HC-L boom is configured for maximum hook radius of 213 ft., tip load capacity of 15,870 lb. The 542 HC-L crane has a freestanding crane tower height of 135 ft. with boom configured for 197 ft. hook radius, tip load capacity of 13,450 lb.

Morrow is providing project support in the way of engineering, parts and service to ensure the timely completion of the project expected by the end of 2017.

Morrow is pleased to be part of this prestigious and important project, and we have worked extensively as the prime provider of tower cranes to Hoffman. Our unrivaled support and expertise in complex projects, coupled with the first class organization Hoffman Construction has been for decades, made the perfect team.

Above downtown San Francisco rises the Salesforce Tower. A gleaming, glass structure that, when completed, will be the tallest building in the Western United States and the 7th tallest in the entire country. Two Liebherr 542 HC-L Litronic luffing boom cranes were deployed to construct the 61-story office building to a height of 1,070 feet, each with a single part lifting capacity of 19.8 tons.

Both tower cranes were erected in Fall 2015 and are planned to be dismantled by late Spring 2017. Each crane was initially erected with an initial height-under-hook (HUH) of 135 feet. Tower one will rise to 1067 ft HUH with a hook reach of 197 ft and tower two will level out at 1086 ft HUH with a hook reach of 213 ft. Eleven tie-in assemblies connect each crane to the core of the structure.

When completed the 970 ft building will cover 1.4 million square feet and house a 5.4 acre city park with redwoods included. A concrete core is surrounded by uniform steel and a glass curtain wall system. Morrow’s engineering department assisted with the location and positioning of the cranes and tie-in connections to determine the most suitable connection and placement points for the building. Many revisions to equipment application drawings were required during the refinement of the cranes locations and tie-in connections.

Salesforce Tower is a joint project between Clark Construction and Hathaway Dinwiddie for client Boston Properties and Hines. The building is scheduled to open in 2018 at a cost of 1.1 billion USD.

 

One of the largest tower cranes in North America, a Liebherr 1800 C, was recently on a historic job site in Dearborn, Michigan USA. The Rouge Plant, built in the 1920’s by auto magnate Henry Ford, was undergoing a major rebuild. Part of the rebuild project included the replacement of the “C” blast furnace. The Liebherr 1800 C played a significant role in the furnace upgrade. Initially, the tower crane assisted in the demolition phase of the more than 50-year-old steel furnace. Once the teardown was completed, the 1800 C was used to erect a new furnace fitted with the latest in steel-making technology. While Ford no longer owns the steel facilities at the Rouge, production continues to this day.

 

SeverStal North America purchased the steel operations a few years ago and invested US$300 million to upgrade the furnace. Graycor, the project general contractor and Metro Industrial Contracting selected the 1800 C from Morrow Equipment because of the crane’s ability to adapt to the specific requirements of the Dearborn project. Configured with a hook height of 270 feet (82m) and a 218-ft (66m) jib, the 66-ton (60t) tower crane was well suited to the tight work area adjacent to the furnace. The project was completed the end of October 2007. The “C” blast furnace was off line for only 100 days during the demolition-replacement process. This ambitious construction schedule, the result of 18 months of planning, was accomplished through the successful coordination of skilled personnel and high-capacity lifting equipment, like the Liebherr 1800 C from Morrow. 

 

 

 

The Montreal Tower, one of Canada’s most recognizable buildings, is undergoing an extensive renovation that will secure its place in Montreal, Quebec as an important destination for years to come. Construction contractor Pomerleau entrusted Morrow to deploy the new Liebherr 710 HC-L on this highly visible project where safety concerns and controlling cost overruns was of primary importance. The luffing boom crane will be utilized for the addition of office space, a refurbished observatory and state-of-the-art lighting as part of a $40 million overall investment in the building. Morrow’s local Montreal District sales and support staff partnered with Pomerleau to deliver a product to match the specific requirements of the project.

 

The 710 HC-L model tower crane is the ideal machine to carry out this upgrade for the world’s largest inclined structure. With up to 141,100 Ibs (64,000 kg) maximum load and hoist line speeds up to 577 fpm (176 m/min) the 710 HC-L out performs all other tower cranes in it’s class. Extended custom struts were used to safely secure the 630 EC-H hammerhead tower crane to the building. Due to the access of the connections, personnel access walk ways were included on the strut design. On the 40th anniversary of the 1976 Olympic Games this landmark structure’s full potential will be revealed to visitors and new tenants. With the right equipment for the job, Morrow delivered when Pomerleau needed a partner it could trust.

 

Construction contractor Lend Lease employed two new Liebherr 542 HC-L luffing boom cranes and three Alimak FC 7100-12D construction hoists on the Darling Harbour Theatre project. As part of the greater International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), the theatre will seat 8,000 and is specifically designed for large gatherings and entertainment acts. The building features many innovations including seating in a fan like pattern.

Both 542 HC-L’s are configured with a height of 47 meters of tower, with 60 meters of jib on one luffing boom and 65 meters of jib on the other. Three twin Alimak hoists were supplied to the project to deliver men and materials to various sections of the structure. Morrow provided erection and dismantlement services as well as equipment servicing for the duration of the project.

Morrow is proud to provide these two new Libeherr 542 HC-L tower cranes to Lend Lease, one of the largest construction contractors in Australia, for a prestigious project at Sydney’s new landmark.

 

710 HC-L arrives in NYC

 

In 2013 the City of Seattle experienced the start of a $5 billion construction boom in commercial, industrial and residential buildings. Over 100 projects were valued at more than $1 million each. Morrow’s Seattle office was ready to deliver cranes and hoists to the many contractors awarded these projects and looking for an equipment supplier to handle the load.

Contractors such as GLY Construction, Skanska USA Building, Sellen Construction, Nash-Holland and many others have leased equipment from Morrow during this period of expansion. These contractors relied upon Morrow for erection and dismantlement services, equipment inspection and parts supplies. Seattle’s construction activity continues to gather momentum with many projects slated for 2015 and beyond.

One of the most active companies in the Seattle area has been Amazon.com. Morrow leased equipment to Sellen Construction and GLY Construction, two of the main Amazon contractors, for use on new corporate office spaces. In 2014 alone, Amazon.com added 4 million square feet of office space. The company is planning for an additional 6 million sq. ft. to house an estimated 71,000 employees. These buildings include a 38-story high-rise and the Amazon “bubble building”.

After GLY Construction was awarded the contract for the Allen Institute for Brain Science, they turned to long-time partner Morrow for their lift equipment needs. This new high-throughput science facility will be six stories tall with 245,000 sq. ft. of floor space for laboratory work, high-powered computing, robotic and other automated systems. A Liebherr 420 EC-H hammerhead crane and an Alimak FC 7100-12 construction hoist were used on this project.

Many of the new commercial and residential high-rises utilize either the Liebherr 316 EC-H or 420 EC-H tower cranes, as can be seen in the accompanying panoramic image. The Alimak FC 7100-12 construction hoist can be seen throughout the Seattle-metro area and is a reliable choice for contractors to deliver workers and materials. Contractors are beginning to employ the luffing boom class of tower cranes such as the 540 HC-L and 542 HC-L. As Seattle’s urban core increases in density we expect the luffers to become a common site on the horizon.