The bold design and architectural ingenuity of the Hony Center in Shenzhen,China will create a new flagship building and the headquarters of the multibillion dollar investment company; Hony Capital. As such, it will become a hub for high-level international business activities. Beyond the importance of the building itself, the ambitious project called for facade access solutions which would not interfere with the meticulously conceived aesthetic vision developed by architects KPF and Zhubo Design Group, while also providing practical access to the entirety of the building exterior for a range of vital maintenance tasks involving various facade materials.
The building structure is made up of an unusual combination of an external stone core and a stone framework. The stone frame supports a series of glass boxes which form the main body of the occupied space. This ingenious approach creates a light, open, almost weightless effect. Each floor stretches 4.5 metres, floor to ceiling, as standard and appears to fl oat in the air. Additional architectural fl air is provided by the curved, undulating form of the glass facade at the North West and South East elevations.
A single CoxGomyl Building Maintenance Unit capable of meeting all facade access requirements is deployed on the roof-level equipment floor. A crane-type BMU offers a flexible system travelling on a straight track and delivers comprehensive cleaning and maintenance coverage to all facade surfaces with jib luffing movement and an outreach of 20.5 metres. Additional flexibility is provided by the option of using either a 4.2 metre cradle or a special 2.9 metre cradle to suit the needs of specific tasks. Beyond routine cleaning and maintenance access for all facade surfaces, the BMU also provides for convenient replacement of facade panels, whether it is glass or stone materials which are required, with the additional functionality of a goods handling unit.
CoxGomyl’s strong reputation for delivering practical, high-quality facade access systems to meet the each building’s particular access needs cost-effectively is well known among expert BMU consultants and was a key factor in their selection for this project.
