The construction of telecommunications towers and masts is a highly specialized field. In Poland, only a dozen or so companies carry out this work independently, while several dozen others operate by subcontracting to the actual manufacturers. Due to the narrow scope of specialization, most designers, architects, and civil engineers do not have extensive experience with this type of project.
The purpose of this post is to clearly and concisely outline the most important issues that will need to be addressed.
1. The decision to build has been made—where do I start?
Basically—as always—from project.
At AluPro, we have a team of engineers with construction and design certifications. This allows us to comprehensively:
- prepare a complete set of documents for the Building Permit (PZT + PAB),
- undertake investor supervision of the construction,
- provide a construction manager.
But let's focus on the project itself.
2. What information do we need to start the design process?
To begin the design process, we need you to provide us with some key information:
a) The height of the planned mast or tower. If you don't know the exact height, we can calculate on-site visa analysis, which will help determine it precisely. Alternatively, we can make a preliminary estimate of the required height using mapping tools.
b) Structural capacity of the structure (wind load). Here's a very important note: we're not interested in the weight of the equipment mounted on a mast. The vertical trusses support loads weighing several metric tons, while the weight of the antennas, radio links, or enclosures is usually in the tens of kilograms—so it is practically negligible.
In the mast industry load capacity is measured substitute area all equipment exposed to wind (antennas, covers, cable routes, distribution boxes, etc.). Masts and towers are significantly more sensitive to horizontal forces (wind) than vertical forces (gravity).
Replacement area this is the approximate frontal area (plan view) of the device positioned in the least favorable orientation. For simplicity and to allow for a safety margin in smaller installations, we disregard the actual drag coefficients (Cx) and the airflow resistance of components (openings, grilles). We round everything off to full, flat rectangles.
We'd like to hear your thoughts on this.
If the devices will be installed at different heights on the mast (not just at the top), please also provide this information—it is important for the design.
c) Map for design purposes. A map is essential for preparing the project. It is usually provided by the investor. If we agree otherwise, we can obtain it ourselves in cooperation with surveyors.
d) Soil conditions and foundations. The foundation is one of the most important and most expensive components of a mast. There are many options available, and their prices vary significantly. Whether a specific type of foundation can be used depends primarily on groundwater level and geological cross-section.
The only reliable way to provide this data to the designer is to create geological boreholes by a specialized company. As with the map, the Investor is usually responsible for organizing the surveys, but thanks to our network of partner geologists, we can handle this comprehensively.
3. How long does it take to prepare a project?
With complete and correct input data, the design process usually takes about 6 weeks.
4. Building Permit
The completed project serves as the basis for applying for Building Permit. Currently all masts and towers taller than 3 meters (both ground-mounted and rooftop-mounted) require a building permit, and therefore a complete construction design, including structural calculations.
The project is typically submitted to the County Office—this is the Investor’s responsibility. In special cases, AluPro may submit the documents on behalf of the Investor based on a power of attorney.
5. Pricing and Signing the Contract
Once you have a project, you can begin preparing binding valuation completion of the project, followed by the signing of the Implementation Agreement with AluPro.
Sometimes investors need a rough estimate even before a construction project is completed (e.g., for budgeting purposes). Such estimates are possible, but the margin of error can be as high as 30%. For this reason, we do not consider them to be binding offers.
For more complex projects, we recommend having a cost estimate prepared by a specialist cost estimator, who will prepare the estimate based on KNR (Catalogs of Material Expenditures). This is the most precise and verifiable method for estimating investment costs. We particularly recommend it for public tenders, where the reliability and verifiability of cost estimates are crucial.
6. Implementation
Once we have obtained a building permit and agreed on a binding estimate, we can proceed to discussions regarding a construction contract, an agreement, or a service contract (in the case of smaller projects).
This is when the actual implementation begins: prefabrication of the components at our plant, followed by assembly at the final location.
We'll write about the stages of construction (prefabrication + assembly) in a separate post.