Two Liebherr NC-B 12-70 flat-tops squeeze into Sai Kung housing site

Developer New Orient Development Ltd is building the project at Lot No. 2195 in D.D. 244 in Ho Chung, to a design by P&T Architects Ltd. The first construction phase covers 7,102 square metres and takes in 26 houses of up to three storeys plus a basement level, with a gross floor area of up to 5,262 square metres. Throughout the foundation, excavation and soil-nailing works, the two tower cranes are tasked with keeping general construction materials flowing across the working area.

Why a flat-top suits Ho Chung

The NC-B 12-70 comes from Liebherr’s Flat-Top range, developed for sites where space is tight. With no A-frame above the tower head, the design keeps overall height down — a genuine advantage in Ho Chung, where residential buildings, hills and watercourses crowd the plot. The crane lifts a maximum of 12 tonnes, reaches a 70-metre radius with a 2,000-kilogram tip load at full jib, and offers a freestanding hook height of up to 76.9 metres.

Container transport and five-metre jib sections

Erection logistics also counted in the crane’s favour. The slewing part of the NC-B 12-70, including the full 70-metre jib, travels to site in standard-sized containers, while Liebherr’s LiConnect quick-connection system lets crews assemble the jib in five-metre sections — a setup that suits Hong Kong’s constrained delivery routes and compact laydown areas.

One mobile crane to take both down

Just as much thought went into the exit as the entrance. Instead of a drawn-out staged dismantling operation, both tower cranes will be removed by a single 100-tonne mobile crane once their work is done. That shortens the dismantling window and trims the logistical footprint at the end of the job — no small matter on a site bordered by established homes, where the compact cranes are part of a construction approach intended to keep disruption to the neighbourhood to a minimum.