Quadomain condominium construction project in Florida

National Concrete Preservation Inc. conducted full concrete restoration work at Atlantic Ocean beach front in Hollywood, Florida with Scanclimber Maxus mast climbing work platforms supplied by Sunbelt Rentals.

Quadomain Condominium Florida

Wind, rain and the coastal salts had taken their toll on the facades of the 250-foot-high Quadomain oceanfront condominium, built in the 60s. It needed a full concrete restoration according to Florida Building Code regulations. The code stipulates that buildings older than 40 years must undergo a "Required Building Safety Inspection" and be certified. National Concrete Preservation Inc. performed a full concrete restoration and Quadomain will soon be certified. The work was performed in Hollywood, Florida using Scanclimber SC5000 MCWPs.

Quadomain condominiums are apartment buildings constructed in the 1960’s. These buildings are situated in Hollywood, on the beautiful Florida coastline. Most of the apartments in this complex have a tremendous view overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Though the Atlantic Ocean is beautiful to look at, there is a downside. Any building located on the shore of the Atlantic is exposed to corrosion. The Quadomain condominium building facades had been exposed to the corrosive effects of coastal salts, wind, sun and rain for 55 years, and now it was in need of a full restoration.

The Florida Building Code regulates building in the state. The Code is based on national model building codes and standards, which are amended for Florida's specific needs. The code incorporates all building construction-related regulations for public and private buildings in the State of Florida. The Florida Building Code stipulates that buildings older than 40 years must undergo a "Required Building Safety Inspection" and be certified. National Concrete Preservation Inc. performed the restoration work, and Quadomain will soon be certified.

National Concrete Preservation is a specialty contractor that uses state-of-the-art products and methods for repairing and preserving concrete and masonry structures for their lifetime. The company has over 100 years of practical high-rise restoration experience.

Nature of Work

The project comprised a full concrete restoration of the buildings. This included various work phases like cutting mortar and taking down debris, redoing balcony rails, washing the windows, adding protective films, replacing all concrete and balconies, etc.

Although the concrete restoration work was a fairly straightforward project, there were still certain challenges pertaining to productivity and local climate. The windy conditions of the Florida coastline can make it very demanding to work at heights. Some common vertical lifting solutions, like swing stages, can be used only in low wind circumstances. The fact that mast climbers can withstand three times stronger winds than swing stages, was one reason why mast climbing work platforms were chosen for the project. Additionally, mast climbers could easily carry several times the payload of swing stages - all with added productivity and safety.

Mast Climber Solution

Five Scanclimber SC5000 (with max payload capacity of 11 000 lb) mast climbers were delivered by Sunbelt Rentals to National Concrete Preservation Inc. for the concrete restoration. The agreement included an option for three more MCWPs later if needed. The National Concrete Preservation Inc. staff were happy with Scanclimber MCWPs since they provided a safe and stable work environment at height in the windy coastal conditions of Florida. Additionally, with mast climbers they could have a higher load capacity when compared to traditional ‘swing stages’.

As Max Sweeney, project foreman from National Concrete Preservation, simply put it:

This is the best machine they ever made because they are safer than regular swing stages. It’s also a question of capacity. On regular swing stages you can set two guys to work, whereas on a mast climber, you can have up to eight guys working simultaneously. The loading capacity allows cutting the work time in half: what we would otherwise do in two months, with mast climbers we do in one month. It’s more expensive but it’s worth it. This machinery is the best on the market and everybody should be using it. I have been using them for 20 years now. There’s nothing better than this. For any kind of work there isn’t anything better than this.

Scanclimber mast climbing platforms proved their value with the telescopic extensions connected to the mast climbers. These extensions allowed the workers closer reach to the building and around the balconies. They also enabled access to building corners and balcony sides.

Concrete restoration work usually produces a lot of debris. This debris, if not removed while the work is performed, generates a lot of extra costs if the cleaning is performed afterwards. With mast climbers it was easy for the workers to load the debris onto the platform during restoration work, which increased the overall efficiency of the restoration work.

Experience of using SC5000 at condominium restoration project

Max Sweeney from National Concrete Preservation Inc, was the project foreman at work site for renovation of Quadomain condominiums. He explains why they used several Scanclimber SC5000 mast climbers at the work site.