Leaving aside the Earth

For over a hundred years, humanity is pushing upwards, conquering new heights in the skyscrapers construction and step by step crossing the line of hundred meters, five hundred, kilometer... But it is not enough just to build such a structure, it is also necessary to maintain it in operational condition, and the higher it is, the more difficult it is to realize. Transnational Corporation Tractel Group specializes in the development and manufacture of equipment for the maintenance of the tall buildings facades. Company offices are located in 15 countries and spread on four continents. At the basis of Tractel Group strategic development are technological innovations, expenditure control and global marketing, centered on the products, which are popular with professionals all around the world.

Hearst Tower
Tractel Swingstage Division once again confirms its leadership position in the Facade Maintenance Equipment Industry through successfully launching the Hearst Tower systems. The Hearst Tower, located on the corner of Eighth Avenue and Fifty Seventh Street, is a 46-story glass and steel commercial office building that was constructed within and above the original Hearst office building that was built in 1928. The innovative building, designed by Foster and Partners and Adamson Associates and built by Turner Construction, utilizes a distinctive “diagrid” frame allowing for its dazzling appearance. The “diagrids” were cut back on the corners to form “bird mouths,” that open up most of the floors and allow a much more panoramic view.

The challenge for Tractel’s engineers was to develop a system to access the straight runs of curtainwall, and then transform into a configuration that could access the inward sloping glass in the “bird mouth” areas of the building. The solution created by Tractel utilizes a unique pivoting spreader beam, suspended at three points using Tractel Twin Tirak™ hoist packages, with trolleys and a custom hinged platform with telescoping end sections. The platform can be configured to form the 90 degree corner and then travel on spreader beam trolleys and extend to form the straight diagonal across the spreader beam bar.

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Materials provided by Tractel Group