How Lighter Engineering, Intelligent Automation and Lifecycle Thinking Are Redefining Façade Access
AMS: Designed for Today. Built for 2056.
by Richard Horkavy
Sustainable façade access starts with looking beyond installation day. It means considering the materials, installation effort, energy and maintenance a system requires throughout its working life. AMS brings these considerations into the design, alongside reliable operation and long-term customer value.
When selecting a Building Maintenance Unit (BMU), conversations often begin and end with one question: What does it cost?
It is an understandable focus. The purchase price is one of the most visible figures in any tender evaluation. However, the most important question is not what a BMU costs on installation day. It is what that BMU will cost over the decades that follow. Imagine a building owner looking back in 2056 at the façade access system installed today. Would it still be considered the right choice?
The answer is unlikely to depend solely on the original purchase price. It will depend on safety, reliability, energy consumption, maintenance requirements, downtime, and the system’s ability to continue serving the building efficiently over its lifetime. This long-term perspective is the thinking behind the Manntech Articulated Mechatronic System (AMS): a next-generation façade access solution that combines lightweight engineering, intelligent automation, and digital controls to reduce lifecycle costs while supporting safer and more sustainable building maintenance.
Looking Beyond Purchase Price
A BMU is not simply a capital investment. It is an operational asset that will influence building maintenance activities for decades. While tender evaluations often focus on acquisition costs, many of the most significant expenses occur long after installation. Building owners and facility managers eventually ask different questions:
- How much maintenance was required this year?
- How often was the system unavailable?
- How quickly can replacement parts be sourced?
- How complex are repairs?
- How much energy does the system consume?
- How much operational effort is required over time?
These factors are rarely visible during procurement, yet they can have a significant impact on a building’s operating costs. As a result, more owners, consultants, and contractors are shifting their focus from acquisition cost to total cost of ownership, evaluating the full lifecycle impact of façade access systems rather than installation costs alone.
A Lifecycle Perspective Is Also a Sustainability Perspective
Sustainability is often discussed in terms of materials, manufacturing, and emissions. However, for building equipment with service lives measured in decades, sustainability must also be evaluated across the entire lifecycle. A façade access system influences:
- Structural requirements
- Transportation logistics
- Installation activities
- Energy consumption
- Maintenance frequency
- Spare parts requirements
- Equipment longevity
The more efficient a system is throughout its lifetime, the lower its environmental and operational impact can be. This principle guided the development of AMS.
Rather than simply introducing additional functionality, the goal was to rethink how façade access systems could deliver greater performance while reducing complexity, weight, and long-term resource consumption.
What Is the Manntech Articulated Mechatronic System?
The Manntech Articulated Mechatronic System (AMS) was developed to combine the advantages traditionally associated with telescopic and articulated BMU designs while reducing many of their limitations. For years, project teams often faced a compromise. Telescopic systems offered straightforward operation but relied on heavier structures and a greater number of wear components. Traditional knuckle-jib systems provided lighter construction but frequently required operators to coordinate multiple movements manually.
AMS bridges these approaches through synchronized digital controls. The system coordinates articulated movements automatically and converts complex motion sequences into smooth, intuitive operation. Rather than managing multiple drives independently, operators benefit from simplified movement while retaining the efficiency advantages of a lightweight articulated design. The result is a BMU solution designed for increasingly complex buildings without introducing unnecessary mechanical complexity.
Smarter Engineering, Lower Lifetime Cost
One of the most significant advantages of AMS is its potential to reduce costs throughout the building lifecycle. Its lightweight design can reduce system weight compared with conventional alternatives, lowering rooftop loads and helping simplify supporting structures. The modular approach may also reduce transportation requirements and support more efficient installation processes. For contractors, the benefits can begin before the building becomes operational.
AMS installations have demonstrated assembly times of up to 40 percent faster than traditional systems due to modular construction, reduced component counts, and lower crane requirements. In suitable applications, components can even be transported through elevators rather than requiring large external lifting equipment. The long-term financial benefits become even more apparent during operation.
One of the most effective ways to reduce maintenance cost is to eliminate wear points before they become maintenance issues. This philosophy is reflected throughout the AMS design through simplified mechanics, fewer moving parts, and reduced maintenance requirements. Fewer components can lead to:
- Fewer wear points
- Reduced spare-parts requirements
- Lower maintenance effort
- Less downtime
- Improved operational availability
Combined with lower energy consumption associated with the articulated design, these efficiencies contribute to lower total cost of ownership throughout the BMU lifecycle.
Designed for Complex Architecture
Modern buildings continue to push architectural boundaries. Curved façades, terraces, setbacks, inclined elevations, and restricted rooftop spaces create challenges for conventional façade access systems. AMS was specifically developed to navigate these increasingly demanding environments. Through synchronized controls, sensors, and automated motion planning, the system continuously monitors its position and movement path. Pre-programmed routes allow BMUs to move accurately around architectural features, helping reduce collision risks and improve operational consistency.
At FOUR Frankfurt, AMS was developed to navigate inclined façade sections and sensitive projections while maintaining smooth and predictable operation. Intelligent synchronization of multiple drives enables coordinated movement paths that would be difficult to achieve using traditional control methods alone. Each BMU can store up to 640 automatic positions, supporting repeatability and reducing the potential for operator error.
The result is a façade access solution capable of supporting some of the world’s most architecturally ambitious buildings.
Proof in Practice: FOUR Frankfurt
The development of AMS is perhaps best illustrated through FOUR Frankfurt, one of Germany’s most ambitious mixed-use high-rise developments. The project’s unique geometry, inclined façades, and strict local requirements presented significant challenges for conventional BMU solutions.
Rather than relying on heavier telescopic alternatives, Manntech developed a customized AMS approach using articulated BMUs with synchronized controls and intelligent movement planning. The system enables horizontal movement along inclined façade sections while automatically navigating sensitive architectural features. The project demonstrates how lightweight engineering and digital automation can work together to improve accessibility, safety, and operational efficiency for complex building geometries.
Why Early Design Consultation Matters
The greatest opportunities to improve façade access often occur long before construction begins. Early collaboration between architects, consultants, owners, and façade access specialists can help optimize rooftop layouts, improve maintainability, reduce installation complexity, and avoid costly design changes later in the project. As building forms become more complex, façade access can no longer be treated as a late-stage consideration.
By involving façade access specialists during early project phases, teams can evaluate lifecycle implications earlier and develop solutions better aligned with long-term operational requirements. For many projects, early consultation can influence not only accessibility and maintenance but also overall project efficiency and total cost of ownership.
The BMU Decision Is a Lifecycle Decision
The BMU selected today may still be serving a building three decades from now. That decision will influence maintenance efficiency, safety performance, energy consumption, operational uptime, and long-term building costs for years to come. AMS demonstrates how lightweight engineering, intelligent automation, and lifecycle thinking can work together to create a more efficient approach to façade access. The question is no longer simply what a BMU costs on installation day.
The more important question is:
If this BMU is still maintaining the building in 2056, will it still be considered the right choice?
For building owners, consultants, architects, and contractors planning new projects or BMU modernizations, the answer often begins with evaluating lifecycle value rather than acquisition cost alone. Because the most sustainable BMU is not necessarily the cheapest one to buy. It is the one that continues to deliver value, reliability, and performance throughout its entire lifetime.
AMS in Practice
The value of automated façade access becomes clearer when it is applied to real buildings. The following Manntech projects illustrate how intelligent positioning, tailored BMU engineering, remote monitoring, and automated movement can help address demanding façade and rooftop conditions.
Park Hyatt Chicago, USA
At Park Hyatt Chicago, a constrained rooftop garage, narrow passageways, and a two-storey penthouse complicated the replacement of the building’s original BMU. The new system was designed to work with the existing track and reach across terraces and decorative façade elements. Its mechatronic system automates launch and return, replacing a manual deployment process involving 25–30 steps with a one-touch operation.
FOUR Frankfurt, Germany
FOUR is a key example of AMS being developed for complex façade geometry. Sensors and synchronized drives allow the knuckle jib to move horizontally along inclined façade sections and navigate sensitive projections. Each BMU can store up to 640 automatic positions, helping improve repeatability, reduce operator error, and support safe façade maintenance. The BMUs were also designed to meet local requirements for equipment to remain within the building’s edge when parked.
Grosvenor Place, Sydney, Australia
At Grosvenor Place, two fixed-positioning knuckle-jib BMUs were installed as part of an upgrade to the existing façade access system. Each unit has a 5-tonne crane capacity for future plant replacement. AMS, remote monitoring, and automated drop positioning help simplify maintenance and reduce the risk of operator error. The project was also planned around limited rooftop space and the need to keep building operations running during installation.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is AMS too new?
No. AMS has been successfully deployed on nine BMU installations worldwide since 2022 and continues to expand across new projects.
Is AMS more expensive?
While procurement costs vary by project, Richard emphasizes that AMS should be evaluated based on total cost of ownership. Reduced weight, lower maintenance requirements, faster installation, lower energy consumption, and improved uptime often deliver significant lifecycle savings.
Is AMS difficult to operate?
No. AMS was specifically designed to simplify operation. Intelligent software coordinates multiple articulated movements automatically, making operation comparable to traditional telescopic systems.
Is AMS only suitable for complex buildings?
No. While AMS excels on architecturally challenging projects, its reduced maintenance requirements, lighter structure, and automation capabilities can benefit a wide range of buildings.