Indian scenario
“In India, it is not mandatory or statuary to put up the Façade Cleaning System, which is not the case in other countries. It all depends on choice of a client. Now there are more and more clients willing to spend for dedicated system. Developers and corporates have realised that, it is better to clean façade regularly rather than spending a lot of money in replacing the façade at a later “In India, it is not mandatory or statuary to put up the Façade Cleaning System, which is not the case in other countries. It all depends on choice of a client. Now there are more and more clients willing to spend for dedicated system. Developers and corporates have realised that, it is better to clean façade regularly rather than spending a lot of money in replacing the façade at a later date. They have also realised that for replacement of façade at any given stage will need proper façade access/cleaning system, rather than erecting scaffolding. The façade cleaning system can also be used for installation & future maintenance work, ” explains Khushru.
Rakesh adds, “There is a huge market for façade cleaning in India but more than 80% of the market is captured by the unorganised sector. There are instances of clients getting their façade cleaning done by the traditional “Jhoola walas”, who work at a very low price. On the other hand, in places where trolleys of any make have been installed, only 20% are in working condition while 80% trolleys / BMUs have broken down. There is a huge shortage of trained mechanics to handle the installation and operations of these permanent solutions, i.e. trolleys / BMUs. India needs more professionals and trainers to develop more number of technicians to bridge the gap between supply and demand of BMUs.
High rises should have BMUs
The geometry of building envelopes day-by-day are getting complicated. There needs to be a system to reach the place on the façade to clean and maintain the glass, says Mahesh Arumugam, Managing Director, Meinhardt Facade Technology, Chennai. Leading façade consultants across Australasia, Meinhardt has presence in about 28 countries and has a staff of over 3000. “A regular cleaning cycle is a must for such structures because dust settles on glass. If one tries to clean the glass after a long period, the glass could develop scratches, the sealant may get damaged or the glass could deteriorate. In order to preserve the performance of the façade, in terms of air infiltration, water leakage, etc., periodical cleaning is essential. This will give the façade long-lasting life.”
Talking about the type of BMU which depends on the building envelope, Arumugam says, “The design element of some structures is such that façade access becomes difficult.” In designs where every floor is shifted at an angle by a few metres to the inside and the distance between the top and the ground floor is over 30m, the access to the inclinations even with the rope system becomes difficult. “Hence in such cases we have recommended installation of winches.”
Any BMU system has to be planned at the concept schematic stage itself.
“In case of high rise vertical buildings, roof-mounted BMUs are ideal, as one cannot put up self-climbing cradle above 40m. This is because of power fluctuations above 40m. Otherwise the cradle could go off the wheel. It cannot restrain. In case of inclinations in design, cradles could be used with proper guided channels inside the façade. This can be done two ways. One with the channels designed inside the extrusion so that the four-wheel roller can run with the hose and the cradle can hold parallel to the façade with a 250mm gap. Alternately, the cradle could run with the controlled rope.
“In case of a stone facade, at every three-metre height, there should be tie-back points at the junction of the granite so that the cradle can tie back to the façade.
Some clients are positive and install the BMU at the schematic stage while some others do not plan and are sceptical to invest on such systems. In such cases, clients depend on the facility management companies and vendors who are given the maintenance contract. “These vendors go up on gandolas or use cradles with counterweight on the rooftop. In the absence of BMU systems, such alternatives lead to accidents and maintenance turns into a risky affair. It is essential that architects look at the BMU systems at the drawing stage itself, especially in the case of high rises. Vendors are not very experienced to clean very tall buildings and they tend to go in for temporary alternatives which can lead to loss of life.”
