Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre - Construction Animation of steel erection & strand jacking

The China State Leighton joint venture team developed a number of innovative solutions for the erection of this complicated steel structure.
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The main working area, a temporary platform had two sliding rails along the North and South sides of the site. The plan was to erect mega column sections in pairs of pre-fabricated box sections with the stubs for the primary floor trusses attached.
Two shore based mobile cranes and an additional crane on a barge within the site were to be used to assemble and erect the steel mega column sections. All of the column sections would be erected by the crane from within the site. The steel erection commenced when the pile caps for the mega columns were completed.
Four 300 ton strand Jacks were to be installed on cross-head beams at the top of each mega column. The type 4 roof truss, end sections, were installed with a lifting Beam at the base of the south columns. The type 1 truss end sections were installed with a lifting Beam at the base of the north columns.
The large roof truss sections, prefabricated in China, would be delivered to Hong Kong by large barges. The plan was to use a marine crane to lift each 900 ton truss section onto the working platform area.
The heavy lifts would take place between midnight and 6 am. Expo Drive East would be closed for each heavy steel lift while Convention Avenue would remain open to traffic at all times.
Each truss section will be supported by the Hebetec air pad system. The jacks can raise or lower the steel. Using air pressure to lift the steelwork, the APS can be used to push the steel laterally along the sliding rails.
The air pad system provides a powerful levelling bed for positioning and connecting the roof trusses. Each truss can be accurately and safely assembled. When the truss sections are level and square, they will slide together on the air pads the central plates of the truss will be bolted and then welded together on site.
The external splice plates will be connected with full penetration, butt Welds. The secondary roof trusses and tertiary roof beams could be installed between the primary trusses by the land-based cranes.
The air pad system elevate the steel assembly on a cushion of pressurized air. The floating structure could then be pushed 27 meters along the sliding rails by the push-pull jacks. The remaining primary roof trusses and other secondary steelwork would be erected in the same way until all of the roof sections are assembled.
The complete structure can be pushed to the final lifting position on the air pad system by the push-pull jacks. The end sections along the north and south sides could then be connected to the main roof trusses.
The longer span, east elevation truss would be delivered onto the working platform in four separate sections by the marine crane. After splicing the trusses together, they would be lifted into their final position using strand jacks. The intermediate posts and diagonals will then be installed to complete the long span truss. To install the final cantilever roof sections above convention avenue in a safe manner the roof steel will be raised approximately 10 meters above the road. The final trust segments could be installed by a mobile crane during a night time road closure for each of the four truss sections.
The roof steelwork will then be lifted to the final level using the strand jacks and safely secured on permanent beams. The levelling bed, air pad system and push-pull jacks could be re-used to assemble each of the long span exhibition structural floors. As each 27 meter bay of the floor is completed the bondek, shear studs and reinforcement will be installed at the safer lower working levels. Mobile cranes could be placed on areas of concrete floor deck and they would be used to install steelwork for the intermediate floors.
The primary floor trusses would be raised at four hoisting points by strand jacks installed in the primary roof trusses. The steel truss connections were detailed to provide maximum clearance during the lifting operations. The structural floor trusses needed to be connected to the mega columns before the composite concrete slab could be cast.
As each floor was completed and lifted into position, the next lower floor could be assembled on the air pad system and levelling platform. The floor framing above Convention Avenue could be constructed by mobile cranes from Level 7 in a traditional bottom-up erection sequence using a crash deck over the road for safety.
On the successful completion of the erection of the primary steel structure the construction methods would then revert to traditional commercial building type works.