Innovative building maintenance solutions for interior spaces

With the world’s boldest architects designing more imaginative buildings which blur the lines between interior and exterior space, building maintenance solutions for indoor areas are becoming increasingly important.

Traditionally, most people have tended to think about building maintenance systems in terms of providing access to the exterior facade of a building. While these facade access systems are of course still vital to the success of any building and necessary for completing ongoing cleaning and maintenance tasks, there are projects where accessing the exterior surfaces is only one part of the client’s requirements.

With the world’s boldest architects designing more imaginative buildings which blur the lines between interior and exterior space, building maintenance solutions for indoor areas are becoming increasingly important. In the course of several projects, Manntech have been called upon to deliver indoor access solutions to meet the unusual needs of unique building concepts.

Markthal, Rotterdam

Markthal, or The Market Hall is a mixed-use development which encompasses bars, restaurants and 228 apartments which form an arch stretching over the bustling central marketplace. The development features a flexible suspended glass facade, the largest of its kind in Europe and the ceiling of the market is completely covered with a breathtaking work of art.

The access solution needed to allow cleaning and maintenance access to every section of market hall interior. Manntech rose to the challenge of these very specific requirements with a 28m long gantry integrated with the artwork on the ceiling. The gantry houses a mobile work platform which is capable of reaching the highest part of the facade at 40m. A second mobile, pivoting and self-hoisting platform is designed to follow the shape of the curved interior.

The Edge, Amsterdam

The vision of the architects was to design a social hub at the heart of this building. This takes the form of an atrium with bridges and lifts at the core of the structure to create a social environment and foster a healthy and productive internal working culture. Realising this vision called for a truly customised access solution to maintain the complex facades both inside and outside the building. For the interior and the all-important atrium three special Building Maintenance Units and an aerial work platform provide comprehensive access. In addition, a custom made BMU consisting of four hoists with an aluminum platform delivers a solution for hanging and maintaining artworks.

Sozawe Groningen, Groningen

The Social Affairs and Work office is a transparent building designed to provide an inviting and approachable environment, with two large meeting rooms, a square with a marketplace for the public and a courtyard for the staff. A key requirement of the project was an indoor Building Maintenance Unit that would cause as little disturbance as possible to people using the meeting rooms and the square while also accessing every part of the interior facade.

Manntech designed two hanging ‘spider’ cranes with self-hoisting platforms. The arms of the hanging cranes can pivot in various places in order to reach every section of glass. The solution also provides a material hoist for weights up to 250 kg. All movements are pre-programmed to provide precision and ease of use for operators.

CJIB, Leeuwarden

This centrepiece of this government building is a large glass atrium which serves as a natural gathering place. Along with other challenging access needs, the project called for a solution to provide effective access to the interior surfaces of the atrium. Manntech met this challenge with a specially designed gantry featuring a hanging, removable platform. This highly versatile and manoeuvrable platform can traverse and slew to reach all interior facades.

From Building Maintenance Units to gantries and work platforms, Manntech have delivered tailored solutions to meet the specific interior access needs of these bold construction projects time and time again.