Manntech designs facade access solution for the Central Bank of Iraq, Baghdad

The Central Bank of Iraq Tower is a 37-storey building located on the banks of the Tigris River in the Al-Jadriya district of Baghdad, Iraq. This stunning building’s lead architect is Zaha Hadid, known for her free architectural geometry, giving the projects she designs expressive identities. The tower is made of entirely usable space and will be Iraq’s second largest tower upon completion.

The building is due for completion in 2023 and marks a new era of generational architecture for Iraq. Its well-designed exoskeleton frame is what has made the Central Bank of Iraq Tower so recognisable. Its structure frames the facade, composed of an alternating pattern of open and closed elements.

The exoskeleton is solid and purposeful at its base before gradually opening as the tower rises skyward. This opens the building up to more views across the capital. The design weaves hard and soft architectural lines together and uses terraced landscapes to engage with its surroundings.

Manntech was approached to design a fit for purpose Type 6 building maintenance unit which is a stationary BMU anchored on the roof. One of the biggest challenges Manntech had to overcome, aside from the building’s unique and intricate design, was the tower crane’s limited capacity, which was only 5 tons in comparison to the machine’s total weight of 110 tons.  As such, the Manntech team reconfigured and customised the facade access system to enable the assembly on top of the building.

Manntech’s Type 6.4 BMU was chosen for this building for several reasons, such as its extensive outreach and rotating hoist unit, which provides flexibility in reaching challenging areas of the facade. The building maintenance unit also comes equipped with a 6-rope safety drum unit, a telescopic cradle and a hoist unit that can lift 2 tons.