Transport engineering and heavy lift specialist Mammoet has supported the assembly of laboratories and offices located within the Leiden Bio Science Park West in the Netherlands.
The Nexus Leiden development comprises 9,100 sq m over four large floors. Working closely with the project’s main contractor, Dura Vermeer Bouw Zuid West and concrete supplier Holcon, Mammoet supported the assembly of the building’s shell structure, which was made of precast concrete and steel.
With the construction site nestled in a busy science park, modular construction techniques were employed to minimise the timeline, space and onsite disruption of the building’s construction.
Given there was no available space outside the building site to set up a crane or laydown area for the 2,400 assembly parts, Mammoet opted for just-in-time deliveries for the building blocks – which were manufactured in Germany, along with a prefabricated construction method that enabled the entire structure to be assembled using a single crane positioned inside the building.
“It was important that we were involved from the outset,” said Frank Melse, Mammoet’s director projects Benelux. “We assessed that we would need to assemble the structure from the inside, and in stages. It was equally important for us to understand how we would organise incoming elements and ensure structural integrity during the build.”
At critical times, trucks arrived at the site in two-hour intervals, six to eight times a day, bringing the required materials. One 250-tonne crawler crane, a Kobelco CKE2500, was used to lift the components by being positioned in the centre of the building and having construction proceed around it, in a ‘U’ shape.
Assembly was split into three phases, beginning with the back and side sections; the extension of the two side sections; and finally, the middle section, where the crane had to crawl backwards to create enough ground space.
Melse added: “We also knew that time was critical. With two years to complete the entire building, we estimated that 25 percent of that time would be needed for the assembly of the shell structure. Therefore, it was critical that everything ran smoothly and on time.”
Earlier this month, HLPFI reported that Mammoet had deployed its SK350 crane at the Greater Changhua 2b and 4a offshore wind farms in Taiwan.
