Radisson Blu: Scanclimber restoring highest Latvian hotel

Radisson Blu Hotel Latvia dates back to the early 1960s when the idea emerged to build a 10-storey hotel for a Russian travel agency. This agency was titled as ‘Intourist’ which was responsible for managing the foreigners’ tourism within the Soviet Union. The specifications of the project though kept changing with time from 10 floors to 23 and finally up to 27. With a height of 98 meters, Hotel Latvia is the largest hotel in the country till date.

Since the first construction of this building was completed by 1976, the structure was outdated and needed complete overhaul. It was decided that instead of renovation, the whole edifice must be rebuild. Reconstruction was carried out in two phases where the first phase was completed in 2001 and second by 2006.

Problem

Even though the reconstruction was completed after 30 years of its establishment, the insulation of the building was substandard and there was a strong need of re-insulating the whole structure. For that purpose, the contractors needed certain lifting equipment to carry out the whole operation. The work platforms offered by Scanclimber^® were considered as they could provide an efficient solution under such circumstances. The consultation process with the contractor regarding this project was initiated on 28^th May, 2014.

The challenges

There were certain complications on the construction site and there was a need for a technical solution that could address all these issues. These problems are described below,

• The platform was needed to be installed on the roof of the entry floor (No information about loading capacity of the roof)
• Scaffolding looked too dangerous because of weak roofing material and intense wind
• Lack of space because of the overloaded site.

The Solutions

Platform Installation on Roof of Entrance Block

The structure of Radisson Blu was in a way that the entrance section was a different block built on the ground level linked with the 27-storey building. The work needed to be performed in the project required the platform installation on the roof of the entrance block. Since it was old construction originally, the loading capacity of the entrance roof was unknown. Thus the solution needed to be lightweight yet was required to be efficient. Scanclimber product portfolio contained lightweight work platform which reduced any possibility of weight overload for the roof.

Scaffolding Looked Dangerous

Scaffolding was one option by which the work could be performed. It was used to carry out work for the first 5 floors as well but it looked very dangerous because of weak roofing material and strong wind. Thus, undetermined danger and risk intensity of scaffolding required the necessity of other platform where Scanclimber work platform provided a safer and feasible solution.

Lack of Space (Overloaded Site)

The location of Radisson Blu is such that it is established in the heart of Riga. Since the building was already constructed and the entrance roof was overloaded with the material needed to be replaced inside, lack of space caused a lot of problems. Scanclimber work platforms once erected take least of space at the foundation so it is easier to manage the material at the site.

Bringing in Scanclimber’s Solutions

The customers wanted to take Scanclimber’s lightweight mast climbing work platform and based on the project specifications and site conditions, Scanclimber proposed one SC3500L mast climbing work platform. This work platform could go as high as 81 meters which were going to be moved along the façade with the help of a mobile crane. Scanclimber^® successfully provided the solution regarding the project. The fact that they could provide lighter MCWP (Mast Climbing Work Platform) along with the active technical consultation to the customer was majorly the reason why Scanclimber was preferred over other competitors. Also, since Scanclimber products are designed with premium quality and safety standards, this solution was safer under windy conditions when compared to scaffolding.

Special Features

One of the special features in this project was building the supporting construction below the work platform chassis to spread the load on the roof construction. This was though built by the customer themselves but the technical consultation was provided by Scanclimber experts.

Feedback

In the beginning of the project, there were some difficulties like approval from local authorities at Riga for the continuation of the project. Even with such problems and constant changes in time schedule, the results of using the SC3500L proved to be highly beneficial for the customer at the end. While talking to our Marketing Manager, they were praising the services offered by Scanclimber throughout the project,

The efficient solution combined with dynamic technical assistance provided by (Scanclimber), this was practically the only possibility to complete the project.