Giant Mammoet cranes for national museum construction

Long radius lifting is a primary capability of the SK series cranes. Photo: Mammoet

International heavy lift and transport specialist Mammoet used one of the world’s largest cranes to build the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Mammoet said its 354,000 tonne-metre-rated SK350 crane maximised efficiency and safety when installing large modules on the museum construction site in Saadiyat Island.

The new museum, central to the Saadiyat Cultural District, honours the legacy of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, late ruler of Abu Dhabi, founding father of the UAE and its first president.

Zayed National Museum shares the story of the United Arab Emirates. It opened in December.

The museum’s form, including the unusual wing-shaped towers, is a complex structure. It lent itself to being built in modules which reduced the need for working at height and speeded up the build, all while limiting disruption and minimising interference with the operation of tower cranes on site.

Four pod-shaped gallery units were built on the ground and lifted into place to form the base of the winged towers above the central lobby.

The heaviest load lifted on the project was 612 tonnes. Photo: Mammoet

In from the beginning

Mammoet was involved early on so it could offer maximum benefit for main contractor, JV BESIX and Trojan General Contracting. Initially, a large crawler crane was considered for the lifting work. The elevated construction area and constraints on site would have needed too much backfilling for a suitably large crawler crane with superlift capacity enhancement to work.

Instead Mammoet proposed use of its SK series super heavy lift ring crane. Its capacity and reach allowed it to be assembled further away from the lift points, thereby remaining clear of the tower cranes and minimising congestion. In addition, other work could continue on the site at the same time.

The crane’s capability meant the pods could be picked from where they were fabricated and lifted into their final position without having to stage or relocate them in between.

During the project the SK was set up in two places in two configurations, once as SK350 and also as the smaller, 190,000 tonne-metre SK190 with less of a footprint. Both had 135 metres of main boom.

The heaviest load lifted was 612 tonnes at a radius of more than 150 metres.

Lifts were made under a maximum wind speed of 14 metres a second. Maximum ground pressure was 26.9 tonnes per square metre when lifting.

Installing the large pods with their irregular shape required a load levelling facility achieved using strand jacks between the hook and the load. “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,” Mammoet said.

The Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, opened in December 2025. Photo: Mammoet