Facade access systems provide a long-term access solution for varied architectural structures, serving buildings for decades at a time. While routine maintenance can extend the life of facade access equipment, natural wear over time might compromise the system’s dependability. When a building maintenance system becomes uneconomical to repair or approaches the end of its useful life, it may be necessary to replace it.
We take a look below at some innovative replacement projects provided in Australia.
385 Bourke St, Melbourne
385 Bourke Street, also known as the State Bank Centre, is a 169-metre-tall office building initially constructed in 1983. CoxGomyl delivered a replacement facade access solution for the structure comprising of a single building maintenance unit to replace the original EW COX system that had been in service for 40 years. With the BMU located 135m above ground and the building located on a major city street, a crane was unavailable for installation. Therefore, it was decided that the building maintenance unit would be transported via the service elevator.
The goods elevator had a weight capacity of only 2000kg and tight dimensional restrictions, which saw the standard BMU design requiring customisation to ensure it would fit. Most components were transported via this method, except for the BMU cradle, which was lifted to the third level podium roof with a small crane and then pulled upwards using the existing BMU wire ropes.
The Quadrant, Perth
The Quadrant is a 20-storey office building located in the heart of Perth. Constructed in 1991, the tower underwent a major refurbishment in 2014. As a part of this renovation, CoxGomyl delivered a replacement facade access system to ensure that tenants could continue to take advantage of the buildings views of the local river and quay.
As a low-rise building, the replacement unit was delivered utilising a mobile crane. This method was ideal due to its efficiency, with the entire delivery requiring only one-day, thanks to the local teams careful planning to ensure that street closure and relevant permits were organised well in advance.
Darling Park, Sydney
Sydney’s Darling Park precinct is home to some of the city’s most prominent commercial tenants. With three mixed-use towers ranging from 93 to 126 metres constructed between 1992 and 2005, CoxGomyl was asked to deliver three replacement BMUs for the precinct recently.
Each replacement facade access system was delivered using only the goods lifts for installation, which required the building maintenance unit to be broken into components due to the three buildings’ varying capacity and size limitations. The installations team considered the pinch points and floor capacities to ensure a seamless transportation process before combining the pieces onsite.
CoxGomyl works with building owners to provide fit for purpose replacement facade access solutions that preserve the pristine condition of existing structures, while also meeting the facility’s current requirements. Learn more about our replacement capabilities or browse our range of projects.
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