Mammoet completes BMU crane replacement in The Hague with minimal disruption

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Heavy lift specialist Mammoet has completed the replacement of roof mounted façade cranes on two Dutch government buildings in The Hague, overcoming restricted space and urban safety constraints to deliver the project with limited disruption.

The operation was carried out in partnership with Façade Access Solutions, part of Alimak Group, and involved the removal of existing Building Maintenance Units and installation of new Manntech systems. Each unit consisted of sixteen separate components, ranging from 200 kilograms to 3,500 kilograms, requiring precise sequencing and controlled lifting operations.

At the core of the project was a familiar challenge for urban logistics. How do you execute high elevation heavy lifts in a dense city where space is scarce and infrastructure cannot be interrupted?

Initial plans considered the use of a crawler crane. However, concerns over counterweight clearance near a viaduct ruled out this option. Engineers instead selected a Liebherr LTM 11200 mobile crane with a 1,200 tonne lifting capacity, equipped with a Y Frame to increase boom strength.

The crane had to reach lifting heights of up to 180 meters while operating from a single viable position at street level. According to project manager Stefan Plugge, this positioning was critical.

“We had to find a location that avoided both the surrounding buildings and the viaduct. From this one position, the crane could serve both buildings, which eliminated the need to relocate equipment and reduced disruption.”

Mobilization of the crane into the city center required careful planning. Assembly space was kept to a minimum during the first two days, with temporary expansion only required on the third day for boom assembly. This approach reduced road closures from three days to one.

Execution relied heavily on coordination. The dismantling of existing façade cranes was followed by the staged lifting of new components, allowing installation teams to assemble systems on the rooftops in parallel.

Two defined lifting zones were established. Smaller components under three meters were handled separately from larger sections up to 10.5 meters in length. This segmentation enabled tighter control over lifting operations and reduced the duration of nearby canal and road closures.

An adjacent street served a dual role as both a laydown area for incoming components and a temporary storage site for removed equipment. Deliveries were managed using self loading cranes, reducing dependency on additional lifting resources at ground level.

Safety considerations played a central role throughout the project. All lifts were executed using fixed lifting points, avoiding the use of slings. Wind speed thresholds were set conservatively to limit operational risk.

Structural limitations of the building roofs introduced another constraint. To mitigate the risk of falling loads, crash decks were installed on each rooftop before lifting operations began.

Permitting and regulatory compliance also required detailed planning. Working in the administrative center of the Netherlands meant that documentation for lifting plans, safety procedures, and traffic management had to be submitted and approved in advance to maintain schedule integrity.

For project cargo professionals, the operation reflects a recurring reality. Urban environments do not pause for logistics activities, yet infrastructure upgrades must still be completed. The solution often lies in precision planning rather than brute force equipment deployment.