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The 10 Heaviest Buildings Ever Moved in the World

They travel on rails or wheels

By Scott Lewis

Move01 — **1. House of Isa bey Hajinski, Baku, Azerbaijan, 19,841 tons, moved in 2013.** In 1908 oil baron Isa bey Hajinski built a grand three-story home of reinforced concrete, faced with limestone, at 39 Fuzuli Street in downtown Baku. In 2012 city officials launched an ambitious plan to widen Winter Boulevard, leading up to Heydar Aliyev Palast, the city’s main concert hall. The house had to be moved 10.5 meters. Bresser Eurasia, a unit of Dutch structural moving specialist Bresser Groep B.V., was chosen for the job. The team began by excavating underneath the foundation, and sawing 1.5-meter wide slots in the basement’s limestone walls. Then they positioned 950 steel supports, and gradually transferred the building’s weight to the supports. According to project manager Taco Bresser, “No cracks or settlements occurred during our activities.” Then nine concrete skidding tracks with embedded 0.3-m-wide stainless steel plates were constructed, extending to the new, adjacent, destination. A total of 205 hydraulic lock-nut jacks (ranging from 900kN-2,000kN) were positioned along the tracks, and the building was raised 60 cm. According to Bresser, “We developed and engineered the jacking schedule (groups, specific available forces per group) and modification of the vertical and horizontal movement, including the measurements against unwanted forces/movements (e.g. side wind).” Nine powerful horizontal jacks then inched the building into it’s new position. The project required 34 workers, and took five months. (This building should not be confused with the much larger and more ornate Hajinski Palace, also located in Baku, which was built in 1912.)

*Photo Courtesy of Bresser Groep B.V.*

Move01a — A look at the extensive excavation and numerous steel supports for the House of Isa bey Hajinski.

*Photo Courtesy of Bresser Groep B.V.*

Move01b — The house move was part of a large redevelopment in Baku.

*Photo Courtesy of Bresser Groep B.V.*

Move01c — Hydraulic jacks being positioned at the front of the building for the move.

*Photo Courtesy of Bresser Groep B.V.*

Move02 — **2. Fu Gang Building, Wuzhou, China, 16,650 tons, 2004.** This eight-story apartment house was successfully relocated by the Guangzhou Luban Corporation. The building is 34 meters (111 ft) tall. The building was moved 35.62 meters horizontally and it took eleven days to complete the relocation.

Move03 — **3. Zhengguanghe Building, Shanghai, China, 12,000 tons, 2013.** Originally a warehouse of the Zhengguanghe soda factory, this six-story reinforced concrete and brick building was designed by British architect George Wilson and opened in 1935. To make room for a neighborhood face-lift, it was decided to move the structure 38 meters. Twelve hydraulic jacks were placed on the eastern side of the building, while 16 were on the southern side, each capable of lifting 200 tons.

Move04 — **4. Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Most, Czech Republic, 10,000 tons, 1975.** This Gothic church was erected in the late 1500’s, and features slender sandstone interior columns supporting a ceiling with vaults of sandstone arrayed in patterns of stars, crosses and flowers. Thicker columns of the outer walls support upper galleries and are pierced by tall narrow windows. The church building is 60 m long, 30 m wide, and 31 m tall, while the bell tower is 71 m tall. Most, a city of 70,000 inhabitants, is located in north Bohemia’s brown coal basin. Beginning in the 1950’s surface mining expanded, eventually swallowing 116 villages and one city (Most). In the 1960’s officials allowed the Most Coal Co. to demolish the traditional city center, with the exception of the church, which would be moved 841 meters to the new town site. Czechoslovakia’s Ministry of Culture established an expert committee to oversee the project, chaired by two leading Czech engineers, Stanislav Bechyne and Alois Myslivec. Another adviser was Emmanuel Gendel, a Soviet engineer who specialized in moving buildings. In preparation for the move, the internal columns were braced with a web of steel beams. The upper sides of the ceiling arches were sprayed with a cement glue, and the base of the building was enclosed in a concrete ring. The job was performed by two firms, Průmstav Pardubice and ŠkodaPlzeň. Two parallel trenches were excavated under the church, and twin railway lines were installed along the path the building would move. Finally, the weight of the church (over 12,000 tons with all its protective casing) was transferred on to 53 bogies made by Skoda. Beginning on September 30, 1975, propelled by four large hydraulic jacks, the church began it’s 28-day journey, traveling at the rate of 30 m per day. The entire project lasted seven years.

*Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons*

Move05 — **5. Apartment Building, Alba Iulia, Romania, 8,377 tons, 1987.** During the 1970’s and 80’s, the government of Romania, under the leadership of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, carried out a radical urban planning program. Known as “systematization,” the program entailed the demolition of many villages and towns, and the construction of massive multi-story apartment blocks in larger urban centers. The city of Alba Iulia was a prime example, with large modern apartment buildings erected to house forcibly resettled villagers; the population swelling from 41,000 in 1977 to 71,000 in 1992. But an older, five-story apartment building was situated right where a wide boulevard was called for. The work began with excavation under the building, and the placement of supports to transfer the weight off the existing foundation. Then a concrete slab was cast, serving as a sort of tray. Then a network of hydraulic jacks were placed underneath the slab, and the building sliced carefully in two. A new foundation was cast, and a set of 22 parallel rails were installed. The building’s weight was transferred to sets of dollies riding on the rails, and the two halves were gradually pushed in opposite directions 55 meters into their new locations and lowered into position.

Move06 — **6. Afval Centrale (Waste Center), Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 7,716 tons, 2003.** This reinforced-concrete building is 164 ft long, 104 ft wide, and 65 ft wide, and serves as the city’s waste processing center. Residential and commercial garbage is burned in it, generating steam, which is delivered to a nearby powerplant to generate electricity. To make room for a new high-yield incineration plant, the waste center had to be moved. Mammoet, a Dutch firm specializing in heavy lifting and transport work, got the assignment. For the first stage, Mammoet partnered with Dutch foundation specialist Bresser/Van’t Wout to excavate a 6.5-ft deep cavity under the building (removing 20,000 cu m of soil in the process), fill it with a layer of sand and steel plates and place 35,000 cu m of concrete piles. Next, eight “trains” – lines of Scheuerle and Kamag self-propelled modular transports (SPMTs) hitched to each other—were driven into position in parallel lines under the building. The SPMTs rested on 278 axles and 1,112 wheels. On October 18, 2003, the machines’ hydraulics were activated, raising the transporters’ beds into position and lifting the building clear of its support piles. Then the SPMTs, with 2,500 hp in self-contained powerpacks, rolled the structure at 0.6 mph to its new destination 3,280 ft away. It traveled over a 92-ft wide path comprised of steel plates. Once in position on top of new pilings, flat jacks were installed, new permanent supports were poured and the building was lowered.

*Photo Courtesy of Mammoet*

Move07 — **7. Cudecom Building, Bogota, Colombia, 7,600 tons, 1974.** An elegant eight-story apartment building erected in 1955, “Cudecom” is L-shaped, and made of reinforced concrete. It is 50 meters long, 25 meters wide, and 26 meters tall, and rests on two column lines in both arms of the L. It’s original foundation consisted of footings resting on deposits of soft clay that were nine feet thick. Situated at the intersection of Avenida Caracas and 19th Street, it’s location was problematic when city officials decided to widen 19th Street to improve traffic flow as the city grew rapidly. Engineer Antonio Paez Restrepo met the challenge. “In order to be able to move it I had to purchase it from the City of Bogota, and move it using my consulting engineering firm, since they were not up to take the risk involved.” The building needed to be moved 29 meters laterally. The team constructed T-type footings with steel tracks on their upper surfaces. Then a 50-meter wide structure consisting of a series of horizontal beams was built to support the building during the move. This “chassis” rested on 2-inch diameter steel rollers. After post-tensioning the chassis, the column pedestals were demolished and the column loads transferred to the steel rollers on each side of every column without the aid of jacks. Six horizontal hydraulic jacks were used to push the building. The jacks were rented from Spencer White and Prentis of New York City, which also served as technical advisers. Esquerra Saenz & Urdaneta Samper of Bogota was the general contractor; Domenico Parma & Asociados was the structural engineer; and Antonio Paez Restrepo & Cia. was the soils and foundations firm. The workforce included 31 engineers and assistants and 68 workers. The move took nine hours, at an average speed of eight inches per minute. The entire move was televised and 20,000 spectators attended, on bleachers erected for the event. Following the move two floors were added, as well as a mezzanine and a three-story parking garage.

*Photo Courtesy of Antonio Paez-Restrepo*

Move07a — Workers position the horizontal jacks of the Cudecom Building.

*Photo Courtesy of Antonio Paez-Restrepo*

Move08 — **8. Oerlikon Building, Zurich, Switzerland, 6,834 tons, 2012.** Erected in 1889, the three-story yellow brick building was originally the headquarters of Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon, a firm that manufactured machine tools and locomotives. To make room for a new railway line, the 80-meter long, 12-meter wide building had to be moved 60 meters. Structural moving firm Iten AG cut holes in the foundation walls, inserted steel supports, and gradually transferred the building on to a steel framework. The frame rested on 500 steel rollers sitting on six parallel rails. Hydraulic jacks moved it four meters per hour; the journey lasted 19 hours, and was broadcast live on Swiss TV. The move cost $12.7 million.

*Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons*

Move09 — **9. Shanghai Concert Hall, Shanghai, China, 5,800 tons, 2003.** Originally called Nanking Theatre, and designed by architect Fan Wenzhao, it was erected in 1930 in the city’s Huangpu District. It was renamed Beijing Cinema in 1949, and finally called Shanghai Concert Hall in 1959. It seats 1,122 people. In order to make way for an elevated road, the building was relocated in 2003. Given the building’s mixed foundation design, it was decided to cast an 1,800-ton reinforced concrete tray beneath it. Lifting specialist Enerpac positioned 59 hydraulic jacks (each with a 200-ton capacity) and four hydraulic pump stations, with a central programmable logic controller system. The concert hall was then lifted 1.7 meters above it’s original foundation, over a period of six days. It was then moved 66.4 meters horizontally, down ten concrete tracks, over 12 days. “As the tracks could only withstand the weight of the concert hall for about ten days, ten large hydraulic cylinders were installed underneath the building to take the strain,” said Mike Beres, Americas Sales Director of Enerpac Heavy Lifting Technology. “The first day, the building moved less than 40 centimeters and during the first five days, the total distance moved was only 3.5 meters. During the following days, however, the building reached a speed of 2 meters per hour and the longest distance covered in a single day was 16.5 meters.” Once at the new location, the building was raised an additional 1.68 meters, so that a new foundation could be built for it. The move cost $6 million.

*Photo Courtesy of Enerpac*

Move10 — **10. Building 51, Newark Airport, Newark, N.J., USA, 5,000 tons, 2001.** Known as Building 1 when it opened in 1935, this Art Deco building served as the airport’s first passenger terminal, administration building, air traffic control tower and weather bureau. It played host to a number of aviation celebrities, including Charles Lindbergh and Howard Hughes. 50,000 spectators attended the building’s dedication, which featured aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart dedicating a new seaplane. After newer, larger terminals were added, the building was used for offices, and renamed Building 51 in the 1970’s. When plans were made to expand Runway 22R, the decision was made to move Building 51 3,700 feet and have it serve as administrative office space. The building’s total weight was 7,400 tons, but in order to move it, the two side wings, each 1,200 tons, had to be cut off and moved separately. The building’s main section weighed 5,000 tons. Each section was jacked up eight feet and lowered on to 176 rubber-wheeled dollies, transported at a speed of 100 feet per hour, and reassembled at the new site. The move cost $6 million, and was performed by International Chimney Corp. and Expert House Movers, structural moving firms working for Prismatic Development Corp. Following the move it was fully restored, under the direction of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners. The two-story, 33,000-ft structure boasts fluted Botticino marble columns and wall cladding, ornate terrazzo flooring and decorative plasterwork.

*Photo Courtesy of International Chimney Corp.*

Structural movers play several interesting and valuable roles. By moving buildings out of flood zones or back from eroding coastlines, they forestall climate-induced damage. By relocating structures situated in the path of new development, they act as recyclers. And sometimes they manage to preserve precious elements of a country's cultural heritage.

Eight of the moves in the accompanying slide show were accomplished with rails, and two were on self-propelled modular transporters.

Hollis Kennedy House Movers, a five-man crew based in Huntsville, Ala., has been operating since 1973. "We do anything: house-moving, heavy hauls, on-site transformer moves," says Keith Kennedy, a third-generation mover and the current company president. "If crane and rigging companies can't swing some structure because of too-tight quarters, they call us."

"Our bread and butter is still moving houses 10 to 30 miles because they are in the way of highway expansions or a residential development. Usually, I buy houses from the developer and move them to a holding lot." Passersby who see the move become potential buyers. "Most times we don't advertise. We probably buy and sell 10 houses a year. For the new buyer, we put in footings and foundations on the new site, and when the masons are finished, we bring the house in and set it down on top."

International Chimney Corp., Buffalo, N.Y., founded in 1926, is probably the oldest structural moving firm in the U.S. "The main part of our business is design-build repair or demolition of industrial smokestacks," said Rick Lohr, president. "We 90% self-perform on chimneys, and we use subcontractors for moving equipment." The firm is currently working on projects in Pittsburgh, Brazil and Thailand.

The firm's most high-profile job, in partnership with Expert House Movers, was moving the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina in 1999. The 4,400-ton, 199-ft-tall masonry structure, the tallest lighthouse in the U.S., was moved 2,900 ft to protect it from advancing beach erosion. "It was one of the most challenging jobs we've done," says Lohr. "We had restored it 10 years before we moved it."

In the transport phase of any moving project, the structure is either carried on a rubber-tired vehicle (dolly or transporter) or slid on rails. Eight of the moves in the accompanying slide show were accomplished with rails, and two were on self-propelled modular transporters.

Hollis Kennedy House Movers, which typically moves average-size houses, relies on Holland Dollies, hydraulically steerable pieces of equipment with 400-hp auxiliary power units. "Dollies are more compact, reliable, and safer, but are not good for long hauls; they're very slow," says Kennedy.

The Historic Preservation Market

Historic preservation is a significant market driver for the structural moving industry. "The relocating of houses, offices and monuments related to the preservation of cultural heritage is growing as society becomes more aware of the possibilities and decision-makers become more aware of the opportunities and are getting less obstructed by the fear of risks," says Taco Bresser, general director of Bresser Groep B.V., a Netherlands-based firm that has worked in 10 countries across Europe and the Middle East.

Such preservation projects are complex undertakings that usually involve approvals and support from many parties. "In terms of new trends, we execute more and more relocation projects in which the historical or monumental objects are integrated in structures which provide stakeholders with new use," adds Bresser. "Of course, these processes take a long time and need a careful decision-making process in which heritage committees, government, architects, urban developers, civil stakeholders and engineers play their highly appreciated roles. Giving monumental objects a new future by integration in new structures also means the addition of earthquake-resistant foundation solutions or connection to energy storage (as an alternative to the traditional energy supply: gas or oil)."

Moving industrial components and large infrastructure segments represents another large sector of the structural moving market. "The infrastructural segment (railroad bridges, overpasses and industrial works) is changing, since more and bigger prefab elements are assembled next to the final position in a conditioned environment," comments Bresser. For example, Holland Kennedy moved a large steel floodgate from the plant where it was fabricated to a port facility, where it was placed on a barge to be carried to its destination hundreds of miles away. But industrial jobs are much less attention-getting than historical structure moves. "We do much more difficult industrial jobs that people don't give a rat's a** about," says Lohr.

Structural moving techniques tend to change incrementally. "Fifteen or 20 years ago most movers would use a wood mat or hand planks to support the dollies, which was very labor intensive," explains Kennedy. "Now we build roadways out of 5/8-in. steel plates. And we've used unified hydraulic jacking systems since the 1950s. The majority of these jacks are not electronic. Our machine has a main ram with 20 individual cylinders and a 6,000-lb pressure limit. There are hoses running to each jack. The jacks will lift at the same rate regardless of the weight on them."

Within the engineering and construction community, structural moving does not get much attention. "We face a lack of education at polytechnical universities regarding relocation itself," comments Bresser. "We guess it is because relocation is based on a combination of mechanical, civil and geotechnical engineering. Therefore it requires a lot of creativity—out-of-the-box thinking—to think of it as a solution, and a lot of experience to execute."

Editor's note: all weight measurements in article and captions are presented in US tons.

Scott Lewis was Associate Editor of ENR.

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