Winvic Construction has become the first UK customer for an Israeli remote control crane operating system, represented in the UK by Radius Group.
Winvic Construction took the Skyline Cockpit ground control system on hire from Radius for a 12-week trial along with a Potain MR225 tower crane for its Crown Place Birmingham contract, a city centre purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme.
It proved sufficiently successful for Winvic to keep the Skyline Cockpit system for the remainder of the project. Handover of the scheme to client Crown Student Living is scheduled for December 2025.
Crown Place Birmingham, containing 814 student beds, is Winvic’s tallest project to date and will tower to nine, 12 and 33 storeys when complete. The 14-tonne capacity MR225 crane is being used for several works packages; constructing the hybrid precast and insitu concrete frame, facilitating the installation of the unitised curtain walled façade and vertically distributing internal fit-out materials, such as prefabricated bathroom pods.
The unitised façade is made up of 2,600 external wall panels that are factory manufactured and will be delivered to site complete with brickwork and windows.
Currently the crane reaches to 77 metres, but it will be climbed throughout construction to a maximum height of 102 metres.
The ground-level Skyline Cockpit booth contains a panoramic screen measuring 2.1 by 1.2 metres that shows simultaneous views from seven cameras placed on the crane. The Skyline Cockpit algorithms combine the output from the cameras to create a panoramic view of the site. They also use augmented reality (AR) to display the load line and expected landing spot, as well as real-time indicators including wind speed, slew, lifting, hoist, jib and radius data.
Winvic reports that the benefit of the technology on compact, high-rise projects like Crown Place Birmingham is improved all round visibility. The cameras eliminate blind spots and restricted views created by the building and the close proximity of the lifts to the crane’s mast. They also provide up to 40% zoom resolution, allowing the crane operator to see areas that would typically be out of their line of sight. While safety and efficiency are the most obvious benefits, the physical working conditions for the crane operator are also much improved; the Cockpit comprises kitchenette and welfare facilities.
Winvic managing director Mark Jones said: “Winvic is known for embracing innovative technologies, materials and methods of construction and we’re pleased to be the first contractor in the UK to utilise ground control tower crane technology. It is transformational for the safety and wellbeing of crane operators and an important step for the industry.
“During our 12-week trial period, in collaboration with Skyline Cockpit and Radius Group, we analysed the data and assessed the benefits and we’re delighted to announce that we will continue to use this game-changing technology at the 33-storey Crown Place Birmingham for the remainder of the project’s construction.”
