James Jack raises the roof at school

Scottish crane rental specialist, James Jack, completed a complex tandem lift to raise the roof from a primary [junior] school, as part of an Aberdeen City Council project.

The 3Rs Schools Project includes the construction of nine new schools and the renovation of a primary school and sports centre.

James Jack, owned by Ainscough, worked with site contractors, Pihl UK Ltd, to remove the roof from a single storey building at Seaton Primary School, to allow construction of a second floor extension. The technically demanding job required precision movements to ensure the roof was not damaged, as it will be repositioned on the building once the new floor has been built.

Two mobile telescopic cranes, a 220 tonne capacity Liebherr LTM 1220/1 and a 200 tonne Liebherr LTM 1200, were used to lift the 40 tonne roof, which spanned an area 36 by 10.2 m. The roof was strengthened before the lift took place.

"This was a complex tandem lift, which required a considerable amount of forward planning to protect the roof structure. Both cranes were working at a maximum radius of 20.5 m and we used eight lifting points, with web belts attached to the two modular beams that were positioned at either end of the roof, so we could cradle the roof and ensure an even lift," said Gordon Harper, appointed person at James Jack.