Contemporary building architecture commonly incorporates numerous features which present significant access challenges. The bold forms which have become more readily achievable with advances in construction techniques and technology allow for a greater degree of complexity in the built environment. This has called for leading providers of building maintenance systems such as CoxGomyl to respond with an imaginative, problem solving approach to facade access to achieve comprehensive coverage of all facade surfaces while also delivering practical, reliable and cost-effective access solutions. Even for buildings of lower height and relatively low complexity, features such as recesses, shelves and overhangs are increasingly common and can often create areas of the facade which are difficult or impossible to reach where only the capabilities of traditional BMU systems and cradles are available.
Across a wide range of varied construction projects all over the world, CoxGomyl have shown their ability to rise to the building access challenges presented by these hard to reach areas. A key technology involved in these installations has been articulated jibs. The functionality of an articulated jib allows the BMU to be launched from the roof and safely navigate around underneath challenging building geography to provide comprehensive maintenance access to the underside of building features and to the facade itself.
The China World Trade Centre in Beijing features a tower based on traditional pagoda designs and includes vertical fins which provide natural shade. A particularly challenging aspect of the project in terms of the building access system was the crown design which included a deeply recessed section. As part of a complete BMU system designed to deliver comprehensive coverage, one of the four roof-cased BMUs offers the functionality of an articulated jib capable of manoeuvring around the crown structure and the recessed facade surfaces.
The Torre Caja Madrid in Spain is largely defined by its instantly recognisable ‘archway’ feature which encloses the facade on two sides and forms an iconic crown structure high above roof level. Again, this bold design presented access challenges which traditional BMU systems could not meet, specifically for the underside of the all-important archway crown. CoxGomyl rose to this challenge, delivering a building maintenance system including two articulated jib machines which not only provided full coverage of the archway structure but also offered the flexibility to fold down and when not in use and minimise the visual impact on the building.
The International Finance Center in Guangzhou, China is widely celebrated for its elegant design with curving lines and a slender profile. Effectively accessing and maintaining all areas of this arresting form. The complete building access system was required to complete heavy practical tasks such as glass panel replacement as well as providing full facade coverage. The access system CoxGomyl developed provided a glass-handing hoist capable of lifting weights up to 700 kg in addition to an articulated jib machine which ensured comprehensive maintenance coverage of the facade and provides personal access to a roof-based helipad.
From the most iconic buildings in the world to more regular construction projects, CoxGomyl’s portfolio of deployed BMU systems demonstrates an ability to overcome a broad range of access challenges.
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