The new headquarters of the Australian WorkSafe Victoria is to be constructed on top of a traditional 90-year-old building. The 14-storey tower will be the tallest building in the port city of Geelong, the second largest city in the Australian State of Victoria.

Facadexs designed and manufactured a Building Maintenance Unit (BMU) that provides safe access to the glass facade of the tower.

WorkSafe, an organization who takes the lead role in the promotion and enforcement of health and safety in Victorian workplaces was committed to ensure that the maintenance of their new headquarters is delivered by a company that is equally committed to safety.

Our safety standard

For the glass facade of the new tower at One Malop street, we proposed a roof car that traverses along a guiding profile at the roof edge. This roof car is able to suspend window cleaners inside a cradle in front of the facade at every side of the building. This innovative solution meets the requirements of the tower’s unique architecture.

The hoisting mechanism

The hoisting mechanism of this Facadexs solution includes no less than four different brakes, which exceeds safety standards all over the world. For better distribution of the loads on the roof car, the installation includes two hydraulic luffing cylinders on each side of the jib.

All main functions of the roof car (hoisting, traversing, and slewing) are controlled by special safety systems to prevent sudden movements. Finally, the ergonomic design of the cradle further contributes to the prevention of workplace incidents; workers don’t have to lean over to the front in order to do their work.

I could not think of any other client for whom safety at work is of greater importance. Being awarded a job by Victoria’s governmental authority for workplace health & safety is an honor and I believe it is a reward for our efforts to make Building Maintenance Units as safe as possible. It’s a great milestone on our way to consolidate Facadexs as leading supplier of facade access solutions in the Australian market.

Manuel De Rivero, Facadexs Australia

BMU specifications

Traversing trackless roof car
  • Approx. lifting height of roof car: 55 meters

  • Fixed jib with outreach of 4.6 m

  • Traversing along a 76 m (249 ft) rail track.

  • Maximum luffing angle of 55 degrees

  • Fixed base height of 2.0 m

  • Glass-hook replacement unit with a
    max. load of 250 kg

  • Standard cradle with a SWL of 250 kg