April 21 - SPX Power Team has used hydraulic cylinders to lift a 7,500-tonne UniCredit bank in Milan, so that anti-seismic bearings could be fitted or replaced.
The bank is one of several buildings in the Porta Garibaldi area of downtown Milan, which is currently undergoing a face-lift.
"The cylinders played a key role in the process to reinforce the structure of the building and increase its ability to withstand natural disasters such as earthquakes," said SPX hydraulic technologies regional sales manager, Luca Restani.
The project, which was undertaken by Tecnologie Lavori Stradali (TLS) and SPX Power Team distributor Mapptools, was carried out in two stages.
First a steel structure was erected around the concrete piles at the base of the building. These were then used to mount the cylinders and push through the roof to reach the upper concrete slab. This allowed the appropriate anti-seismic locator to be installed.
The second phase of the project involved lifting two concrete slabs and installing anti-seismic bearings between them.
Since lifting the bank, SPX Power Team, Mapptools and TLS have been working on another project, which involves lowering the roof of a building in the Alpine region of Italy.
