I. Establish Sector-Based Work Zones with Fixed Slewing Ranges
Divide the site into independent sectors radiating from the tower crane's center, assigning a specific slewing angle range to each building. Restrict jib rotation primarily to the assigned sector to avoid repetitive, wide-range lateral swinging.
Position the material storage yard centrally so that round-trip distances to each building are roughly equal, preventing excessive "empty runs" caused by excessive distance to any single building.
Strictly define boundaries; prohibit cross-sector operations except in special circumstances to fundamentally reduce back-and-forth travel.
II. Implement Phased Construction and Centralized Lifting by Building
Adopt a "complete one building before moving to the next" approach. Dedicate a half-day block to delivering rebar and formwork to a single building; only switch to the next building after the current floor's material staging is complete.
Eliminate the practice of alternating material delivery between multiple buildings, thereby reducing unproductive jib movement caused by constant swinging back and forth.
Schedule concrete pouring by building with staggered timing-starting the next building only after the current one is finished-to avoid frequent relocation of work points.
III. Centralize Ground-Level Staging to Minimize Crane Idle Time
Stage all materials required for a specific building on the ground in advance to enable continuous lifting, eliminating the need for the crane to pause and wait for material preparation.
Schedule the lifting of reusable materials and construction debris for daytime hours, separating these tasks from the main structural pouring process so they do not occupy the crane's primary operational capacity.
Lift long or heavy materials in centralized batches to minimize the energy and time wasted by frequently changing the type of load being handled.
IV. IV.Optimizing Slewing Paths and Minimizing Unloaded Travel
Prioritize slewing paths with smaller angles and avoid, as much as possible, large-radius reversals where the jib swings more than 180°.
Strategically plan the movement of loads: deliver heavy loads to the nearest building and return the unloaded crane to the material yard via the shortest path, thereby minimizing travel distance without a load.
Signalmen should anticipate the construction schedule for the next building and clear the area in advance, ensuring a seamless transition when the tower crane shifts between work locations.
Conclusion
When a single tower crane serves multiple buildings, the key to boosting efficiency lies in minimizing frequent shifts between work locations. By restricting the slewing range to specific sectors, employing a continuous hoisting strategy for entire buildings rather than alternating between structures, and coordinating this with centralized material staging on the ground, operations can significantly reduce the frequency of jib reversals. This effectively shortens the hoisting cycle, maximizes the crane's operational capacity, and ensures the synchronized progress of construction across multiple buildings.
