08 | Facade maintenance The cleaning and maintenance of a high rise is crucial and can become difficult and expensive if no appropriate provisions are made in advance. Proper planning will help in the facade construction, however cleaning and maintenance costs - including the cost of installation and servicing for the building maintenance unit can still add upto significant sum. Several factors are considered in facade maintenance - access and accessibility, cleaning and treatment, regular inspections, repair and replacement of damaged components. The facade, both glazed and PV parts, will required to be cleaned 2-3 times in the year. Maintenance and replacement of a unitized panel with integrated PV modules would often occur from the outside, thus maximum accessibility is needed. This also includes the ability to transport the unitized panels and install them for damaged glazed or PV panels. Replacement of damaged infill units would normally comprise demounting of gaskets, screws, pressure plates and/or mechanical fixings to release the infill panels from the unitised framework and installation of the replacement panels. For this purpose, building management unit (BMU) is located at the roof of the building, which can be lowered along guides to gain access to every elevation. Due to the complex geometry of the facade, BMU must be able to reach large distances. FBA S BMU by FBA Gomyl is used for this purpose. It is a mechanical and electronic crane suspended from the roof, which moves systematically over the structure while carrying human window washers or any other specialist for the maintenance of the facade. The suspended structure is a working platform of 2m or more by means of a multi-layer drum hoist and 4 independent wire ropes. This BMU can be equipped with an auxiliary hoist for glass changing and other heavy duty maintenance works. It has an outreach of 30m, and the jib and mast can be further customized to reach all the working positions in the facade. Being a unitized system, the facade can be replaced unit by unit.
Figure72: Diagram showing the cradle operation.
Figure73: Internal accessibility from residential balcony.
An additional monorail system is also hung from the underside of the cantilever to maintain the housing facade. This can be concealed with the clading panel on either side of the rail. From below, only a groove will be visible. The facade of the tower can also be accessed from inside, through residential balconies, hotel rooms or the open office. The double skin cavity in offices is 600mm deep and can be accessed from inside through the operable windows for cleaning. The metal grated floor in the cavity also lets one stand and work for small repairs. PV panels can be accessed from the housing units to easily access internal fixings and wiring.
Figure74: Access for cleaning through inner operable windows in office.
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MEGA 2020 | Climate Design
