Liebherr tower cranes deliver precision on Lyon's complex Ki project

Three flat-top Liebherr tower cranes managed structural lifting across Lyon’s constrained Ki site, combining reach, capacity and precise positioning throughout construction.  www.liebherr.com Liebherr deployed three of its EC-B series flat-top tower cranes to handle structural lifting operations for the Ki urban development project in Lyon, France. The flat-top technology allowed construction firm GCC Auvergne Rhone-Alpes to execute complex lifts within a highly constrained commercial and residential building site. Spatial constraints in urban mixed-use construction The Ki construction site is located in the Part-Dieu business district, bordered by a shopping center and the 115-meter Tour Oxygene. This layout required equipment capable of operating with minimal clearance margins. The project involves 21,000 square meters of premium office space, 85 apartments, and 2,000 square meters of green outdoor areas, requiring continuous heavy lifting over a 14-month construction schedule. By deploying flat-top cranes, the contractors were able to safely overlap jib operating radii in a dense metropolitan block. Flat-top crane configuration and clearance parameters The primary lifting asset, a 340 EC-B 12, was mounted on an 8-meter foundation chassis to achieve a hook height of 73 meters with a 57.5-meter jib, enabling a maximum lifting capacity of 12 tonnes across the highest residential tiers. A second crane, the 205 EC-B 10, operated at a 68-meter hook height with a 52.5-meter jib. This unit was configured to clear the adjacent high-rise facade by exactly three meters, a tolerance that required calculated slewing arcs and load path modeling to ensure safe operation under varying wind conditions. A third unit, the 150 EC-B 8 operating at a 47-meter hook height, supplied materials to the lower podium sections. Architectural integration and material logistics The use of these specific crane configurations facilitated the erection of glazed frontages, a central landscaped courtyard, and terraced rooftops designed by architect Sou Fujimoto. Structural materials retained from the previous building demolition between 2022 and 2024 were reintegrated into the new framework, requiring precise material handling capabilities to support circular economy construction principles. The equipment maintained continuous material flow to support the construction process up to its scheduled completion in 2026. Additional Context: This section details technical specifications and competitive benchmarking not included in the original product announcement The Liebherr EC-B flat-top crane series competes directly with equipment such as the Potain MDT CCS City series and the Wolffkran Clear line. Flat-top designs eliminate the need for a tower head and tie-bars, allowing multiple cranes to overlap slewing paths in confined spaces with lower overall height requirements. While competing systems utilize proprietary software for optimized load curves, the Liebherr EC-B units focus on rapid assembly connections and flexible foundation options, like the 8-meter chassis deployed in Lyon, which provide required clearance adjustments without mandating custom tower sections. These systems are benchmarked by their maximum lifting capacity at the jib end, hook height flexibility, and the precise load positioning controls required for high-density infrastructure projects. Edited by Natania Lyngdoh, Induportals editor, assisted by AI. www.liebherr.com Powered by Induportals Media Publishing