Sponsored Content: Sarens assists with roof extension at Anoeta football stadium

August 2018: Sarens was recently on site in San Sebastián, Spain, helping the Anoeta football stadium complete an important roof extension project. The project is spearheaded by the San Sebastian Council and features a new covered seating area that will make it possible for even more fans to watch matches there. 

To make the roof extension possible, Sarens performed tandem lifts of four new steel truss girders, each weighing 400 tonnes and measuring up to 156 metres long. In addition to the main girders, Sarens also lifted four smaller cantilever trusses. 

The operation depended on two Superlift 3800 lattice boom crawler cranes in SWSL configuration. The cranes were chosen specifically for their ability to handle heavy loads while manoeuvring around a limited job site: each crane can bear a load of 201 tonnes and has a maximum working radius of 54 metres. This was an important consideration, since Sarens had to share the available working area around the stadium with several other subcontractors. 

The cranes’ main parts were transported by sea vessel and delivered to a harbour near the work site. Then, up to 100 trucks delivered the equipment to the stadium, located in the middle of the city. Once on site, it took approximately a week and a half to rig each crane, and most of the rigging was performed at night to avoid interfering with other subcontractors and local city transport. 

Up to four crew members worked together during each lift, raising the steel girders in tandem. Because it was crucial to achieve an accurate bolting connection between girders, the final two lifts presented a challenge. The crew had to ensure that each of the girders exactly matched the two that came before. 

This operation was performed on behalf of joint venture client Anoeta Envolvente, which is composed of Altuna y Uria and Construcciones Moyua. Sarens is pleased to have been part of such an ambitious project, and would like to congratulate everyone who helped make it a success!