THE CRANE IS IN!

Uni’s high achiever

Raphaella Saroukos (Sunday Territorian 5 Dec 2021)

DARWIN City’s skyline has a new feature, marking a milestone for one of the CBD’s most significant projects in recent years.

A Comansa hammerhead tower crane was recently erected at the site of Charles Darwin University’s new CBD campus, along Garramilla Blvd.

The crane will grace the city’s skyline until 2023.

It has a 50m radius and can lift 18 tonnes.

It will be used to transfer construction materials onto the site including Precast concrete panels and steel members, alongside mobile cranes.

Another similar height tower crane will be erected on the Litchfield St side of the site in early 2022.

It will have a rising jib boom so it can be raised and lowered to accommodate the larger crane.

CDU Vice-Chancellor Scott Bowman said the crane signified a crucial step in construction.

“The sight of a massive crane really indicates the scale of the project and the fact that construction is about to ramp up considerably in 2022 as the main building starts to come out the ground,” Prof Bowman said.

“Territorians can expect to see more activity and works on site as the project progresses.”

Prof Bowman said more than 700 jobs would be created during the construction process.

Once complete in 2024, the precinct will house CDU’s Asia Pacific College of Business and Law, disciplines of the College of Indigenous Futures, Education and the Arts, Information and Technology and the university’s art gallery.

It will also house a purpose-built home for the Northern Territory Library, community spaces and more than 230 underground carparks.

Local company Halikos was awarded the $190.1 m design and construct contract for the main building in October.

The tower crane marks a significant milestone for the Darwin construction industry, being the first in more than a year.

According to the Rider Levett Bucknall Crane Index, released in October, the last tower crane in Darwin’s skies was in early 2020 during the construction of Manunda Place.