The main building to the Albion Riverside development stands eleven storeys high and incorporates shops, business spaces, cafes, and leisure facilities at ground level, parking below ground and residential accommodation above.
The south facing outer facade consists of aluminium tubing designed to create a shimmer effect as the light conditions and angle of the building alter in relation to the position from where it is viewed.
The roof of the building then continues the convex shape of the south facade, curving simultaneously in three directions, so a conventional building maintenance machine located on the roof would not therefore have been in keeping with the design. SCX Special Projects were approached to develop a bespoke access solution and created vertical travelling mast to complement the aesthetics of the building.
The bespoke 30m tall vertical gantry access mast is capable of traversing the120m around the curved front of the building whilst matching the convex profile of the structure’s facade.
To minimise the weight of the mast, SCX Special Projects designed a trussed structure formed from curved members compatible with the building’s profile.
The system runs on rails set into the building at the top and bottom of the aluminium facia, electronically linked and hidden from view. The on-board monitoring system measures any displacement angle during operation and automatically adjusts the mast to keep it vertical at all times.
A self-levelling man-riding cradle travels up and down the mast to allow two people to clean the building and carry out repairs. A series of actuators keep the aluminium alloy cradle horizontal as it negotiates the curved profile of the building.
The cradle is operated from an on-board control panel. All the remaining electrical controls are enclosed in a cabinet at the top of the mast and can be accessed from the safety of the building when the cradle parks at one of the four maintenance bays on the top floor.
