A crane-ready building is designed from the hook down. The bridge crane sets the runway beam elevation, the runway beams set the column design, the columns set the foundations, and the clear height under the crane sets the roof line. Get one number wrong in the early drawings and the whole building pays for it. We build high-bay, crane-ready industrial buildings for owners who lift, move and assemble heavy parts: fabrication shops, maintenance bays, test facilities and heavy assembly.
The region has the customer base. Sandia National Laboratories reported a fiscal year 2025 workforce of 16,320 and a total budget of $5.8 billion, and the Sandia Science & Technology Park adjacent to Kirtland lists 47 companies and organizations on a 340-acre campus. Engineering and fabrication supply chains in advanced manufacturing and heavy industry need buildings with overhead lifting capacity, tight floor tolerances and clean, high clear heights.
We start by asking what you lift: the heaviest piece, the span, the duty cycle, the hook height and the number of cranes. Those answers determine the structure, not the other way around. We then coordinate the crane supplier, the structural engineer and the foundation design so the building arrives with a runway that the crane will fit on the first day.
The structural design follows the state commercial code, which adopts the 2021 International Building Code as amended and took effect July 14, 2023, plus industry standards for crane runways and bridge crane design. Crane loads include vertical wheel loads with impact, lateral loads from trolley and bridge motion, and longitudinal loads from braking. Fatigue and deflection limits govern runway beams, and the crane manufacturer provides the wheel loads and clearances.
We submit crane data early so the engineer can design columns, brackets, corbels or separate crane columns accordingly. Where a crane runs on a column line separate from the building frame, the runway can be independent and the building frame can be lighter. The decision affects cost, schedule and the ability to modify the crane later.
The scope includes deep foundations or thickened footings under crane columns, anchor rods set to tight tolerance, the steel frame, runway beams and rails, crane stops, the roof and wall system, a floor slab suited to heavy wheel loads, and the electrical service for crane power. We also build trenches, pits and embedments for assembly work, and heavy pads for test stands.
Runway installation is a precision step. Rails are aligned within tight tolerances for span, elevation and straightness, with survey checks at every stage. We coordinate delivery of the crane itself, usually by the supplier, with our schedule so that the runway is accepted before the bridge is lifted. Where the building relies on structural steel erection for the frame, runway installation uses specialized rigging and is coordinated with the frame.
We schedule and supervise the concrete: column footings or piers, the heavy slab and any pits. Floor tolerance matters, as we explain on our industrial concrete floors page, because crane lifts often feed machine tools or fixtures, so we work the slab to flatness numbers the owner and equipment suppliers specify. For deeper support we draw on drilled pier work, which is the usual choice under heavy crane columns where soil bearing is limited.
Survey control governs the work. Anchor rods, column bases, runway beam seats and rail alignment are all verified by survey before the next trade proceeds. That approach prevents the slow, expensive correction of a runway that was installed a quarter inch out.
Crane-ready buildings are typically manufacturing plants, heavy fabrication shops, maintenance hangars and test facilities. The same lifting concepts apply in an aircraft hangar, where cranes and hoists service aircraft, and in utility buildings with large equipment. Each building type has its own clear height, door and floor demands, so we tailor the structure accordingly.
Light-duty monorails and jib cranes can also be added to ordinary industrial buildings, and we design the supporting structure for them during the shell phase so the owner does not have to reinforce later.
A crane building costs more than a conventional warehouse for good reasons: heavier columns and runway beams, deeper foundations, taller walls, tighter tolerances, and the crane itself. Crane capacity and span are the largest variables: a 10 ton crane over a modest span is a modest add, while a 50 ton crane over a wide bay changes the whole structure. Duty cycle matters, since a crane that runs all day needs a more robust runway design than one used occasionally.
We help owners decide where the extra cost buys value. Sometimes a lower clear height with a lighter crane meets the need; sometimes designing for a future second crane now is much cheaper than retrofitting. We price options so the owner can see the tradeoffs before the structure is finalized.
Crane buildings have a specific order of work. Foundations and anchor rods come first and have to be surveyed before steel is ordered to its final detail. Columns and runway beams follow, and the rails are installed and aligned before the roof and wall system closes the building, since the crane bridge is often lifted in before the last roof bay is closed. The crane supplier's delivery and installation date has to be locked early, because the bridge is a long-lead item and the supplier needs access to a finished runway.
After installation the crane is tested under load, inspected and commissioned. We build time into the schedule for that, along with electrical power for the crane, festoon or conductor bar systems, and the controls. Weather rarely stops this work, but wind can limit bridge lifts, so we plan them for calm mornings. A realistic duration for a mid-size crane building is a year or less from site start to commissioning, with the crane the main long-lead item.
Send us the heaviest piece, the span and the hook height, and we will return a structural concept, foundation approach and a price range for the building and its runway.
The capacity, span, hook height, number of cranes, duty class and the supplier's wheel load and clearance data. If the supplier is not selected yet, we use typical values for that capacity and update when the crane is chosen.
For light and medium cranes, supporting the runway on the building frame is common and economical. For heavy or high-duty cranes, independent crane columns avoid loading the building frame and make later changes easier. We price both.
Very. Span, elevation and straightness tolerances are measured in fractions of an inch, and the crane manufacturer states them. We survey at each stage and correct problems before the crane is installed.
Often, with reinforcement. The existing columns, foundations and roof must be checked for the new loads. We can design strengthening, new columns or an independent runway structure inside the building.
Wheel and point loads from equipment and the heavy assembly work require thicker or more reinforced slabs, and flatness is often tighter. We coordinate the floor specification with your equipment.
Tell us about the property, the building and the schedule.
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