Downtown South Bend’s city skyline will be changing soon as Memorial Hospital reaches a significant milestone in the construction of the new patient tower. This weekend, a 17-story crane will be erected for setting the structure’s steel beams and lifting materials and equipment from the staging area on the north side of the Bartlett Parking Garage to the construction site on the south side of the garage.
“There has been a great deal of complex and difficult work and construction that has been performed at ground level, below ground and within the current hospital structure in preparation for the new patient tower,” Tom Jordan, Memorial Hospital Director of Facilities and Grounds, explained.
“It will be a great relief to see the tower crane in place and swinging materials and equipment at the site,” he continued. “The new patient tower will finally begin to take shape and emerge into the building profile that will transform the Memorial Hospital campus into something new and exciting for our community, patients and associates.”
Getting the lowdown on the crane’s construction and lifting power
Walsh Construction Project Superintendent Mike Samborsky took time to share some details and logistics about the tower crane and how it will be put to work on the construction site.
What is the crane type and why was that type selected for the patient tower project?
The tower crane will be a hammerhead, also known as a cathead. The crane model best fits the site by allowing us to have the lifting capacity and reach considering the footprint of the project.
What will be the full height of the tower crane — how many stories high? And how much taller will it be compared to the tower structure itself?
The top of the tower crane will be roughly 260 feet tall, which is about 17 stories. It will be about 110 feet higher than the roof of the patient tower.
How will the tower crane be supported so it can lift steel beams and other heavy equipment?
The crane’s base is anchored to the ground alongside the south wall of the Bartlett Street Parking Garage. The base is essentially a large block of concrete and rebar. It’s comprised of 15,000 pounds of rebar and 384,000 pounds of concrete. The base is roughly 27 feet long, 16 feet wide and 6 feet tall. For additional support, the base sits on top of 11 auger cast piles which are 60 feet in length and 18 inches in diameter below the surface of the dirt.
What are some of the maximum lengths and weights of the steel beams that the crane will be lifting?
The columns will be 28 feet in length and beams will be about 31 feet in length. The beams will roughly weigh about 1,000 pounds.
What other materials or machinery will be lifted by the crane during construction?
The tower crane will be utilized to move materials from one point of the jobsite to the other. The goal is to keep the crane running — moving or hoisting material at all times. This will be coordinated via our tower crane delivery board which is broken out by day and by the hour.
Typically, the crane will hoist steel, metal decking, glass and window components and some interior finish materials in addition to anything we can sequence and stage on the garage roof. The larger mechanical equipment will be located on the third floor of the new building and will be hoisted in from the narrow alley with the help of the tower crane. The heaviest piece of equipment is around 3,000 pounds.
Will the crane operation be noisy?
The crane itself is powered by electricity, so there won’t be any combustion engines powering the crane. Generally, it will be hard to notice the crane in operation unless you’re directly observing it.
How soon after the crane is constructed will the first steel beams go over the parking garage?
Steel erection will begin about a month after the tower crane is operational. There is demolition on top of the Memorial Leighton Heart and Vascular building that will require the use of the crane to get materials down. Once complete, steel placement on top of the heart and vascular building will begin.
The tower crane by the numbers
One: The number of specifically trained tower crane operators in South Bend.
Two: The number of additional cranes needed for the assembly of the tower crane. There will be two cranes on site prior to the tower crane assembly. There will be a second-assist crane to assemble the first-assist crane. Then, once that assembly is complete, the first-assist crane will assemble the tower crane.
16: The number of tractor-trailer loads needed to bring all the components to assemble the first-assist crane.
20: The number of additional tractor-trailer loads needed to build the tower crane.
200: The approximate number of rungs the operator will need to climb to reach the crane’s cab.
Here for you — today and in the future
We appreciate our community’s support and understanding as construction continues on the new Patient Tower. Helpful information about coming to the main entrance of Memorial Hospital as a patient or visitor is available online.