Lifting solutions and mini crane hire company, GGR Group, have successfully completed work on a long-term project to help refurbish one of Glasgow city centre’s landmark high rise buildings, St Andrews House.

The 17 storey St Andrews House tower on West Nile Street has been transformed from a dated office building into a brand new 210 bedroom Premier Inn hotel which opened recently.

Originally built in 1963, it was one of Glasgow’s first modern high rise buildings, and over the last two years principle contractor Mansell has been giving it a radical contemporary makeover with some help from GGR Group’s UNIC mini spider cranes.

Since October 2010, a UNIC URW-706 mini spider crane was a familiar sight on the St Andrews House project as it worked from a roof three stories up, lifting materials required for refurbishment and removing old materials from the site. Much of the renovation work involved stripping the building of its interior fittings and old concrete facade, before completely refurbishing it inside and out, then recladding it with glass and aluminium.


The 6 tonne capacity mini crane was selected for this project as its small footprint meant it could work around obstacles in the congested lifting location. With radio remote control operation and a working area limitation safety feature, the UNIC URW-706 crane could lift and manoeuvre building materials safely and efficiently around the site.

Two of GGR’s 2.9 tonne capacity UNIC URW-295 mini spider cranes were also hired earlier this year to work from inside the building, removing mast climbers and installing cladding sections. The slimline 600mm wide mini cranes were then lifted up to a 78 metre high rooftop using the building’s goods hoist then set up ready for action, with the cranes’ positionable outriggers sat across steel beams. Once the goods hoist had been removed the two miniature machines assisted with lifting building materials and fitting the final cladding panels.

Mansell’s Senior Project Manager Paul Dobie comments, "These versatile mini cranes proved to be great multi-purpose lifting machines on our site. They were ideal for working in difficult to reach areas where space was extremely limited so the more challenging lifting operations we faced could be carried out very efficiently."

UNIC mini cranes are popular choice for challenging lifts for tower block renovation and construction projects like this one in busy city centres where access is restricted. These compact cranes have also provided lifting solutions on The Shard skyscraper and St Botolph’s building in central London.

More information about GGR’s range of mini spider cranes and specialist lifting equipment can be found at www.ggrgroup.com