As the centerpiece of Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District, the Zayed National Museum strengthens the cultural district’s position as a global destination. Its outer structure is defined by five distinctive wing-shaped towers inspired by falconry, shaped to support the building’s climate performance by drawing cooler air through the museum. To build this complex structure safely and efficiently, the construction team focused on a modular approach that could reduce work at height, accelerate build time, and limit disruption across an active construction site with multiple trades and tower cranes operating at the same time.
On the first floor, four pod-shaped gallery units form the base of the wings and sit above the top-lit central lobby, which is set into the ground to support thermal performance. These pods were prefabricated at ground level on site, then lifted and installed onto their foundations inside the museum. This modular construction approach helped improve safety and quality while keeping the wider construction program moving.
The main contractor, JV BESIX and Trojan General Contracting, approached Mammoet in the early phase of the project to develop the best lifting and installation method for the prefabricated pods and the wing components. The initial plan considered using a large crawler crane, but the museum’s elevated construction area and surrounding site constraints meant this option would require significant backfilling to create enough working space for crawler crane operations, including the superlift. It would also impact ongoing civil activities and tower crane movements.
After studying the lifting requirements and site conditions in detail, Mammoet engineers proposed an alternative method using the Mammoet SK series crane, one of the world’s largest capacity land-based cranes.
With its high lifting capability and long outreach, the SK crane allowed Mammoet to position the crane away from the busiest construction zones, staying clear of tower cranes while still reaching the lift points inside the structure. This reduced congestion, supported safer lifting operations, and allowed other work fronts to continue with minimal disruption.
The crane’s large operating radius also allowed the pods to be picked from their fabrication position and installed onto their foundations with fewer relocations, which improved efficiency and reduced risk.
To suit site constraints and available working space, the SK crane was rigged at two locations.This required a smaller footprint, highlighting the versatility of the SK series’ design to support complex heavy lifts across changing site conditions.
In both areas, the crane was rigged with a 135 metre main boom, and lifts were executed with wind speeds limited to 14 m/s and only under a decreasing forecast.
The heaviest lift reached 612 tons, with a working lift radius of over 150 metres, showing the crane’s capability to perform complex heavy lifts in a congested environment while supporting efficient modular installation. Ground pressure was also carefully managed, with the SK crane maintaining a worst-case ground bearing pressure of 26,9 t/m2 during these lifts, supporting stable operations without excessive ground preparation.
Mammoet engineered bespoke adjustable rigging using strand jacks, enabling controlled tilting, fine adjustment and rotation from fabrication orientation to final installation orientation. This precision was essential to safely install large, irregular-shaped pods within a tight footprint. This type of adjustable rigging approach, also applied on other complex roof and architectural module installations such as stadium and airport projects, helps make bold architectural designs practical to build.
With Mammoet’s early engineering support and the SK series’ lifting performance, the BESIX–Trojan JV was able to install the museum’s key modular components efficiently while minimising disruption across the active construction site.
For more information contact Mammoet Global,
© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved
printer friendly version