Setting panes weighing 2.3 tonnes in New York City (USA)

Special Heavydrive system used for installation at heights of up to 61 metres below a projection.

Glass elements weighing almost 2.3 tonnes (5000 lbs) had to be installed on the tenth and eleventh floors of the One Madison skyscraper in New York. The challenge was that the panes measuring three metres (10 ft) in length and up to 5.8 metres (19 ft) in height had to be installed below the projection and below the travelling fall protection during the ongoing construction progress.

The perfect solution was provided by the Heavydrive subsidiary in Atlanta (USA). The Heavydrive VSG 3000 counterweight beam with extension was able to safely set the glass elements below the 4.8 metre (15.7 ft) deep overhang. The counterweight system has a load capacity of 3000 kg (6614 lbs) and sets panes under projections of up to three metres in the standard version. The extension of 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) enabled safe installation below the scaffolding.

One Madison is a 189 metre (621 ft) skyscraper in Manhattan (New York City, USA). The 50 floors accommodate luxurious residential units. With a height-to-width ratio of 12:1, One Madison is one of the narrowest buildings in the world. The skyscraper was designed by CetraRuddy Architecture and inaugurated in 2013.

"Complex projects of this magnitude call for intense and accurate preparation,", explains Günter Übelacker, Managing Director of Heavydrive. "We also created a mock-up here in New York for the customer, the architects and the planners." This is a special service provided by the Tapfheim-based company that saves the customer a lot of time and money on the construction site. A Heavydrive supervisor was on site for two days to manage the mock-up and show the eight-strong installation team how to operate the system. The Heavydrive counterweight beam was then used for two months at One Madison in New York City. The customer was delighted by the ingenious installation solution.