Liebherr Derrick crane lifted onto 100-metre Paris tower
30-Second Takeaway
A Liebherr Derrick crane has been installed on the roof of the 100-metre Opus 12 building in Paris to support a new rooftop technical installation. Narrow streets prevented articulated lorries from reaching the site, while the roof could not support a conventional tower crane. The crane was transported in sections, with smaller components carried up in the goods lift and the largest assemblies flown onto the roof by helicopter. A purpose-built steel substructure transfers the crane’s loads into the building’s supporting structure. The crane is expected to be dismantled in early November 2026.
Restricted Site Ruled Out a Conventional Crane
The 26-storey Opus 12 stands in La Défense, west of Paris. Built in the early 1970s, the office building is being modernised for French construction group Legendre, including the addition of a new technical installation on the roof.
The site’s location and structure ruled out a standard tower crane. Articulated lorries could not reach the building through the narrow streets, and the roof could not carry the loads from a conventional crane. Liebherr’s Derrick crane could be broken down into smaller components, transported through the restricted-access site and assembled on the roof.
Crane Components Delivered in Stages
Provided by Liebherr Tower Crane Center in Bad Waldsee, Germany, the crane was transported to France and taken to Liebherr France’s Paris storage yard. There, individual components were pre-assembled before being loaded onto smaller vehicles for delivery to the site.
The building’s goods lift carried ballast weights, pins, connecting materials, spreader beams and smaller components to the roof. The heaviest items transported this way weighed about 1.2 tonnes.
The larger assemblies, including the tower sections and jib, could not fit in the lift. An Airbus H225 Super Puma helicopter flew them from a nearby open area directly onto the roof, using an 80-metre sling line. Six flights delivered the crane components and a spider crane in about 30 minutes. The operation took place in May 2026.
Steel Substructure Transfers Crane Loads
A purpose-built steel substructure was required to support the Derrick crane on the roof. Liebherr Tower Crane Solutions provided the crane loads, static data and technical requirements. Legendre’s construction team used that information to design the supporting structure.
The roof was opened at several points to allow the steelwork to connect with the building’s load-bearing structure. The crane’s spreader beams were connected to the substructure, transferring the crane loads into the building.
Specialist Crane Selected for the Project
Legendre first approached Liebherr France. After assessing the access restrictions and roof load limits, Liebherr Tower Crane Solutions determined that a Derrick crane offered a practical solution for getting lifting capacity onto the roof.
“We do not start with a crane, we start with a challenge. In this case, the challenge lay in lifting several tonnes of material onto a high-rise rooftop in the heart of Paris. Restrictions on access and load-bearing capacity ruled out conventional lifting solutions. Only after analysing those constraints did we conclude that a Derrick crane was the right answer,” said Jochen Wille, Project Manager at Liebherr Tower Crane Solutions.
Around 20 cranes of this type exist worldwide, three of them owned by Liebherr Tower Crane Center. The specialist machine is rented for projects where site conditions rule out conventional cranes, including high-rise work, roof renovations, building extensions and the dismantling of large tower cranes.
The Paris project is an unusual application: the Derrick crane is being used to support a rooftop extension rather than primarily to dismantle another crane. Previous projects involving this crane type include the Çanakkale Bridge in Türkiye, as well as work in Vancouver and London.
The crane is expected to be dismantled in early November 2026. It will be broken down into individual components and removed from the roof, requiring another detailed transport and lifting plan.
About Liebherr Tower Cranes
Liebherr’s tower crane division designs and manufactures fast-erecting, top-slewing, luffing-jib and specialist cranes for construction, industrial and infrastructure work. Its support for complex projects includes technical planning and engineering through Tower Crane Solutions. The Derrick used at Opus 12 came from Liebherr’s Tower Crane Center in Bad Waldsee, which manages rental and used tower cranes, including large and specialist machines. Together, these teams bring the crane, project engineering and rental expertise needed for applications with unusual access and lifting constraints.
FAQ
Why was a Derrick crane used at Opus 12?
The narrow streets prevented articulated lorries from reaching the building, and the roof could not support a conventional tower crane. The Derrick could be transported in smaller components and assembled on the roof.
How were the largest crane components lifted onto the roof?
An Airbus H225 Super Puma helicopter flew the larger assemblies onto the roof using an 80-metre sling line. Six flights took about 30 minutes.
How were the crane loads supported?
A custom steel substructure connected the crane’s spreader beams to the building’s load-bearing structure, transferring the loads into the building.
When will the Derrick crane be dismantled?
Dismantling is expected in early November 2026.
