Erecting the Torre Caja Madrid. Structural considerations

Abstract

Above and beyond the special considerations that need to be taken into account in any high-rise building, the architectural and engineering designs for the Torre Caja Madrid called for techniques more typical of large-scale civil works than building construction per se. This article reviews the features of the building process that stand out for their singularity. A brief general description of tower erection is followed by a review of the ancillary building equipment deployed and construction surveying, along with a detailed account of how the most significant structural members in the tower were erected. A whole separate section is devoted to the highly complex and spectacular procedure used to build and position the crown, the socalled ?arch? that houses the upper machine room storeys.