Tower Crane Location Optimization for High Rise Buildings in The Financial District of Addis Ababa
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Date
2019
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Tower cranes are an expensive investment for construction projects, and the appropriate
selection of their location has a significant impact on the cost, efficiency, safety, and
environmental impact of a construction project. In many cases, traditional techniques
which simply ensure that the crane can reach all the supply and demand points while
satisfying other site-specific constraints are used to find the location for the tower crane.
However, this process doesn’t necessarily mean the crane has been placed in the optimal
location.
As construction sites become smaller, and the use of tower cranes becomes more prevalent,
the role of Site Layout Planning, is becoming more critical. Tower Crane Location
Planning Problem presented in this thesis is a subset of the larger Site Layout Planning
problem. The problem is solved using a metaheuristic optimization technique known as
Particle Swarm Optimization. The optimization integrates constraints such as temporary
offices, plot limits, work information, and crane capacities to search for the optimal
location based on the total travel time.
Six case studies of high-rise buildings in Addis Ababa were analyzed, with 5 of the projects
located in the Financial District of Addis Ababa. In all cases, the optimal location was
found to be acceptably close to the actual location on site, except for the Nile Insurance
HQ Project.
The location selection techniques varied among the 5 contractors, with China State
Construction Engineering Corporation using the most scientific technique which ensured
that the crane could satisfy the demands of the project. Conversely, Rama Construction
utilized the least scientific placement technique, which forced it to dismantle the first tower
crane at great cost.
The primary recommendation of this thesis is that the contractors should ensure that the
crane selected for the project should meet the demands of the projects in terms of capacity,
lifting radius and anchoring requirements.
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Keywords
Particle Swarm Optimization, Site Layout Planning, ower Crane Location Planning