Liebherr luffing jib cranes feature on prime new Bangkok ‘Three Neighbourhood’ development

Main contractor Thai Obayashi Corp is using three Liebherr luffing jib tower cranes for the construction of one of the most significant new developments currently underway in Bangkok’s central business district.Samyan Mitrtown is being built in an area of the CBD that was not previously considered to be prime commercial land, as it lacked immediate public transport links.The new extension of the MRT subway, which will have its Samyan station nearby when it opens in 2019, has changed that, and the new project will feature a 33-floor residential and hotel tower, a 32-floor Grade A office tower, and a six-storey retail area.

Two of the Liebherr cranes, a 160 HC-L and a 125 HC-L, arrived on site early this year, while the third, another 160 HC-L, will arrive on site in December 2017.

Thai Obayashi’s technical manager, Kanaphot Thongphan, says that the two Liebherr cranes currently on the site are both climbing units.The 125 HC-L, which is part of the Thai Obayashi fleet, was selected because it has a small tower section of 1.6 x 1.6 m, enabling it to fit into a lift shaft. This model can lift a maximum of 6 t, and 1.9 t at the end of its 50 m jib.The 160 HC-L is also a climbing unit, but on that working area of the jobsite the need is for heavier loads, notably lifting precast items that require 2 t at the end of its 55 m jib. Liebherr’s distributor for Thailand, STIT Company Ltd, is supplying this unit to Thai Obayashi under a rental agreement.The third Liebherr crane will also be a 160 HC-L, supplied by STIT on rental, but will be a stationary version.The cranes will remain on site until the beginning of 2019, with Samyan Mitrtown due to be complete and open by the third quarter of that year.

Building up the Three Neighbourhood Town

Samyan Mitrtown, whose name translates loosely as ‘Three Neighbourhood Town’, reflecting its three main functions, is being built at an investment of more than 8,500 million baht (about USD256 million) and will have a gross floor area of 222,000 m².

Located at the prominent corner site of Phayathai and Rama IV roads, the project stands on two hectares of land belonging to Chulalongkorn University, which has its main campus within this vicinity.

The six-storey retail area will have 36,000 m² of net leasable area, and the office tower about 48,000 m². The 33-floor residential zone will include a hotel and a 554-unit condominium.

Target customers for the retail section, which will have substantial space devoted to restaurant facilities and areas for study, are younger residents of Bangkok’s Samyan, Silom and Rama IV areas, as well as students, teachers and commuters travelling into the inner city via the soon-to-be-opened MRT Blue Line.

The developer Kasemsubbhakdi Co, a 49:51 joint venture between Golden Land and TCC Assets (Thailand) Co, is additionally cutting a 200-m tunnel to link the project directly with the MRT station.

The MRT extension will link the central business district with the formerly outlying Samyan district, Chinatown, and the historic centre of Rattanakosin Island.