The Canadian construction industry will contribute $151 billion to the country's economy by 2024

The construction sector, currently employing 1.6 million people, will contribute $151 billion to the Canadian economy this year, accounting for 7.4% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). In this context, the commercial construction sector is particularly noteworthy, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 5% until 2029. A fundamental part of this industry's evolution is to be found in office and commercial space, where 19 million square feet of new buildings are under construction in the country.

Sarens has positioned itself as a valuable asset to the Canadian construction industry due to its extensive experience in large-scale projects. Recently, Sarens was responsible for placing 40-ton slabs for the construction of a new commercial concrete tilt-up building on behalf of the client Capo Construction in Richmond (British Columbia, Canada). This building is part of a new commercial space that will boost the local economy due to the need for materials from nearby factories and an increase in employment.

To complete the construction of the new concrete tilt up building, Sarens engineers carried out a detailed study of the site to determine what equipment would be needed to lift the concrete walls that make up the structure for the building. Following the analysis, the Liebherr LR1400 crane was chosen as the primary equipment. This crawler crane has a load capacity of up to 400 tons and has been specifically designed for building construction and public works. A BT crane was also used to assist in assembling and installing the counterweights. The machinery was transported from Sarens' warehouse in Vancouver to Richmond.

The main part of the job consisted of lifting and placing into place the concrete slab walls, weighing approximately 40 tons each, that form the main structure of the building. During installation, the crane's pressure on the ground was a major concern. To mitigate this, a range of crane pads were utilized, allowing the machine to operate without damaging the road surface.

Brett Allen, Project Manager at Sarens, highlighted the main complications of the job: “For the operation, the biggest challenge was definitely access to the site, which was very limited, as well as the total weight of the structure, which could damage the ground. To address these issues, we employed crane pads and an LR1400, a crawler crane that can be configured in different ways, making it very versatile and able to work in confined spaces”.

Sarens has extensive experience in the Canadian construction industry and on similar projects internationally. Among others, Sarens has worked on Toronto's Finch West Station project, installing 30 precast ceiling panels of 3.25 tons each below ground level, and was also able to contribute to the renovation of Union Station, where the team carried out the lifting and subsequent installation of several 9.4-ton iron girders for the flying garden connecting the station's north and south towers.

Sarens is the global leader and reference in crane rental, heavy lift and engineered transportation services. With state-of-the-art equipment, value engineering, one of the world's largest inventories of cranes, transporters and special rigging equipment, Sarens offers creative and intelligent solutions to today's heavy lifting and engineering transport challenges.

With more than 100 entities in 65 countries operating without borders, Sarens is an ideal partner for small to large-scale projects. Sarens currently employs 4,543 highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve the needs of any client worldwide and in all market sectors. https://www.sarens.com/