Characteristics of Equipment Planning for Multi-Crane Building Construction Sites

This paper purports to provide answers to the following questions with regard to multi-crane building construction sites: (1) Do such construction sites differ from smaller sites only in magnitude, or are there unique characteristics that stem from the size of the site and the multitude of cranes? (2) Is equipment planning for such projects similar to that of projects serviced by a small number of cranes? (3) How is equipment planning affected by the site’s surroundings? (4) Does the visibility of multiple cranes in the near and far surroundings of the project affect the approach to equipment planning? Answers to these questions were sought after through the investigation of several measures, based on case studies of mega building projects in Europe, all located in busy urban surroundings. On-site interviews focused on multiple research variables, of which four are used here: project planning stages, planning parties, plan formats, and the cranes on site. The study found that multi-crane sites are characterized by unique features; equipment planning for such sites differs significantly from that conducted for regular sites; the site-surroundings interface plays an important role in equipment and logistics planning for such sites; and the awareness of reputation plays a role in crane selection. The study’s main contribution is in reducing the knowledge gap that exists with regard to the unique determinants of equipment planning for multi-crane projects and to its importance to the success of such projects.