The Edge is the greenest building in the world according to British rating agency BREEAM, who gave it the sustainability score 98.4 percent, the highest sustainability score ever awarded.

The vision of the architects was to design a social hub at the heart of the building. Taking the form of an atrium with bridges and lifts, this core creates a social environment designed to foster a healthy and productive internal working culture.

The scale of the space and the atmosphere it creates make the atrium a natural gathering place. It is lofty but calm, filled with light which filters in through the low-e glass of the atrium. The facade gradually merges into the roof and acts as a window on the building’s inner activities to the outside world of Amsterdam, but also frames the varying surroundings from the inside.

Manntech was tasked with producing a truly customised solution to maintain the complex interior and exterior facades, as well as a solution to mount and maintain works of art.

The outside of the building features a complex series of sloping roofs which are accessed by a special Building Maintenance Unit (BMU) driving on a friction system. For the inside and the all-important atrium three special BMUs and an aerial work platform have been installed. Artworks are accessed with a custom made BMU consisting of four hoists with an aluminum platform.

The challenges of sloping roofs and glass structures meant the access solutions had to complement the design of the building, contributing to the sustainability and social working environment. With 60 years’ experience and a well-earned reputation for reliability, Manntech were the clear choice for this project.