KaydeeSayfa was enlisted by Telford Homes in 2023 to provide the Façade Access solution for their new 457-residential-unit development, Alperton Bus Garage. Situated in Alperton, North-West London, the multi-block development required a suitable façade access solution to provide safe coverage of a cumulative 75 storeys. For this project, KaydeeSayfa designed, sourced, and installed a variety of abseil systems, as well as supported with the production of a new Access Strategy, to provide full coverage of the building façade for cleaning and minor maintenance.
The Challenge
During the development of the system design, the scope of requirements for the façade access changed and now needed to allow for Glass Replacement. Due to the increase in SWL and restricted reach required to accommodate glass replacement both the system design and Access Strategy needed to change. This had the potential to jeopardise the project schedule and building handover as without a compliant system or strategy the site would remain incomplete. As such, a solution was needed quickly to avoid significant delays and our team delivered.
The Solution
Access Strategy
With over 20 years of experience in the Height Safety and Façade Access industry, our team has cultivated extensive experience, knowledge, and a robust supply chain of system suppliers and technical designers. Utilising this network of expertise, our team reached out to Sayfa Group™ Europe, which was able to support with the creation of the Access Strategy and allow the project to progress with minimal delay. Our close relationship with Sayfa Group™ allowed our team to coordinate the design with the access strategy during production and closely align the design with the developing strategy. This further reduced the potential delay to the project, as the system design and access strategy were produced simultaneously.
Furthermore, as a system manufacturer, Sayfa Group™ was able to have the systems, intended for use on the project, ready for installation following the completion of the strategy and design, resulting in a rapid and efficient transition from design to installation.
Cast-In Solution
As KaydeeSayfa was brought onto the project at an early stage of development, we were able to propose solutions that would save on both the initial cost of installation and the long-term testing of the system. Our team proposed the use of cast-in bases across the project, which are attached directly to the steel rebar and then cast in when the concrete is poured. This method requires minimal labour to install and due to the bases then forming part of the building structure the future testing requirements are reduced. All in all the cast in approach creates a massive cost saving for the contractor and future owner/managers of the site.
Abseil Rail
As part of the system design our team proposed the use of an abseil rail to maximise the efficiency of the façade access for the abseilers carrying out the future maintenance and cleaning of the façade. The use of EdgeReil™ allows an abseiler to access wide areas of the façade while descending as opposed to single strips of 3m widths, leading to an optimised cleaning and maintenance routine.
Compliance Testing
In addition to initial system installation, KaydeeSayfa is also one of the leading providers of height safety and abseil system testing in the UK. For Alperton Bus Garage, our dedicated Compliance Services Team carried out the initial LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) compliance testing of the various abseil systems on the site, which is required to ensure they are suitable for use. Following building handover, our team will be ready to work with the management to carry out the system testing. With exclusive pre-existing experience our team will have un-paralleled knowledge of the site and installation to provided efficient testing and training services for the lifetime of the building.
Ultimately, the close collaboration between our in-house design and operations teams and our industry-leading supplier led to the successful management of a last minute alteration that could have caused significant delays to project handover. With the use of innovative abseil systems and an early entry point into the project schedule, we were able to deliver a successful and cost-effective façade access solution for our customer and a significant reduction in the lifetime cost of maintenance for the future owner.
