Harsco Infrastructure supplies access equipment

MediaCityUK will be the new home for BBC North from 2011, and will be the base for a new education centre for the University of Salford, as well as a wide range of other media-related enterprises.

Harsco Infrastructure has been supplying cladding and glazing contractors with Mastclimbers access for installation of the building envelopes.

The traditional method of installing cladding and other facade finishes usually involves a fixed scaffold for access and the site tower cranes for materials handling.

The use of Mastclimbers on this project provided both access and materials handling, saving hire costs and speeding up construction times.

The electrically-powered platforms travel up and down the facade on steel lattice towers tied into the building.

They are capable of lifting bulky items, including cladding panels, as well as workers with their tools and equipment.

At MediaCityUK, this has enabled the main contractor to off-hire the site tower cranes well before the end of the main construction phases.

Harsco Infrastructure is currently involved with several contractors fitting a variety of systems including glazing, rainscreen cladding and wet render.

Several configurations of mast climbing work platforms have been supplied, including fully independent double deck platforms which allow two trades to work at different levels on different tasks.

Many platforms have been erected on steel support and some are supported by brackets constructed from the Harsco Infrastructure formwork product range, raising them clear of the ground to reduce congestions around the buildings' footprint.

Now, as the buildings reach the final fit-out stage, Harsco Infrastructure is gradually reducing its presence on site.