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Duo of Raimondi cranes tackle landmark development in downtown Toronto

TORONTO – Two Raimondi LR273 luffing jib cranes have been deployed by the Avenue Building Corporation in the construction of the United Bldg, a 55-story condominium that stands as North America’s largest heritage retrofit project.

The project looks to preserve elements from the 1928 building and 1961 expansion it is being built atop of, with the high-rise, mixed-use building located on University Ave. in the city’s downtown.

Both cranes were installed between December 2023 and January 2024, with each 18t luffer standing at a heigh of 60 and 54 metres, respectively, and jib lengths of 45 and 50 metres. Each machine has a tip load of 4.5t and is equipped with 86kW hoisting gear.

Jim Patullo, president of the Avenue Building Corporation, said that the machines were selected due to their wide swing angles in relation to the necessary site coverage, their small out-of-service radius, ease of installation and lifting capacity performance.

“The versatility of the Raimondi LR273 makes it one of the bestselling cranes for jobsites of this nature in the region,” Patullo said.

This performance sees the LR273 operate at a maximum speed of 204 meters per minute, with a drum capacity of 980 metres.

“Witnessing the participation of our models on such a prestigious jobsite highlights the reliability and high performance of our luffing range, reaffirming Raimondi’s commitment to delivering excellence in every product we manufacture,” said Luigi Maggioni, chief executive officer of the Raimondi Group.

The cranes are scheduled to be on-site for several years, and over the course of the project will be climbed to reach final heights of 65 and 195 metres, respectively.