Side Story: Large-scale Use of Mast Climbers on Residential Project

Scaffolding

In Kelowna, British Columbia, 1,000 lineal feet of mast-climbing work platforms are being used to build a 300,000-square-foot residential Structure.

Centuria Urban Village is a 16-story concrete and steel construction with a brick exterior for which Fairweather Maltesen Masonry ULC was contracted in November 2006. This residential village hosts 150 luxury condominiums and features unique architectural considerations, including a cascading terraced roofline, multiple recesses, balconies and corners.

Hydro Mobile mast climbers were chosen as the most cost-efficient solution to access every foot of facade, even in the most restricted locations. Twelve M-Series units were used, each of them covering 60 lineal feet and lifting up to 18,800 pounds of materials and personnel. Four P-Series units also were installed in areas where balconies or recesses restricted the access, each of them carrying up to 7,000 pounds. Due to the cascading terraces, some mast climbers even had to be installed with the base inside the building and the masts extended through the roof.

Hydro Mobile mast climbers proved to be versatile as all the steps of the masonry work were easily completed, from the seven-foot-wide decks and the installation of angle irons, vapor barriers and brick ties, to the bricklaying and washing processes.

• Return to the feature story: "The Skinny on Scaffolding"