HARRISBURG, Pa., August 5, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Worldwide industrial services and products company Harsco Corporation (NYSE:HSC) said today that its Patent Construction Systems access services division is providing rental concrete forming and scaffolding systems to two major high-rise towers now under construction in downtown Chicago. The contracts, valued at close to $1 million in total, underscore Harsco's industry-leading engineering capabilities for complex concrete forming and access design, particularly as one of the buildings is shaped as an ellipse.
That building, the 47-story Hyatt Center, will contain approximately 1.8 million square feet of office and commercial space, and is expected to be finished in late 2004. The second building, located at nearby 111 South Wacker, will contain 50 stories and about 1.1 million square feet. It is expected to be finished in mid-2005.
Robert Safier, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Patent Construction Systems, said the two projects continue Patent's long-standing relationships with many of the top construction contractors in the Chicago area. "Being chosen as the preferred access supplier for two of the largest high-rise projects currently underway in the U.S. is especially gratifying, particularly given the present soft non-residential construction market," said Safier. "Both projects were won on our engineering expertise and having the right combination of products."
Among the rental equipment being provided is Patent's self-climbing wall forming system, an integrated design of concrete molds and access, storage, and work platforms that move up as a single unit under their own power using electrically controlled hydraulic jacks. The system serves as a production factory for extruding the central concrete core of the building at a fast pace, usually a three- to four-day cycle per floor.
Patent is also providing a custom-designed wall forming system for its work on the ellipse-shaped core of the Hyatt Center. Because most of the core walls in this building are curved, Patent engineers designed curved support beams for the wall-forming gangs as well as the custom corners where the intersecting walls meet.
Comprising North America-based Patent Construction Systems and the internationally based SGB Group, Harsco's Access Services Segment is the world's foremost provider of scaffolding, shoring, forming and other access solutions for major non-residential construction and industrial maintenance projects. The Segment recorded revenues of nearly $600 million in 2002.
Harsco Corporation (NYSE:HSC) is a $2 billion diversified industrial services and engineered products company employing approximately 17,500 people in more than 40 countries of operation. Harsco's market-leading businesses provide mill services, access services, gas and fluid control products, and other infrastructure products and services to customers worldwide. Additional information about Harsco, including its Patent Construction Systems division, can be found at www.harsco.com.
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