The actual project was the installation of a new, professional and certified fall protection system for the very modern facade of the company building in the Upper Bavarian town. This facade requires ongoing cleaning and maintenance.
Once again, this case demonstrates: no two facade projects are the same. And depending on the type of facade, the requirements for the safety system obviously also vary. Lobster Data GmbH decided on an intelligent glass facade system, with slats which react to the ambient solar radiation, and position themselves accordingly – within fixed start and end positions.
To make the inherently dangerous activity of cleaning the facade of the company building in Tutzing as safe as possible, an equally intelligent and modern safety solution was required. What Lobster’s management found was the AIO lifeline system from INNOTECH.
The challenges in detail
However, it wasn’t just the special slats on the Lobster Data building that represented an enormous challenge when protecting all cleaning and maintenance tasks – there was also the special steel substructure and its positioning. In addition, malfunctions on the high-tech facade can occur at any time, and these have to be fixed as quickly as possible. And, of course, the glass behind the anodised metal slats also has to be cleaned regularly.
When planning the safety solution, it was particularly important to bear in mind that these slats move automatically in order to shield the indoor spaces from intensive solar radiation and prevent the room temperature from increasing unnecessarily during the summer. For this, the start and end positions of the slats were of vital importance.
It was essential to install the AIO PASSABLE OVERHEAD LIFELINE SYSTEM so that at no point did it conflict with the moving slats, which would have impaired or restricted the sophisticated functioning of the facade.
In addition, the facade in Tutzing also has a number of clear areas, i.e. sections without slats, as the latter were installed only in front of the glass facades. For this reason, it was also important to conceal the fall protection system as much as possible, in order not to spoil the aesthetics and visual appearance of the building.
The solution in detail
Because of the special circumstances onsite, the clear choice for the management of Lobster Data GmbH was the AIO overhead lifeline system from INNOTECH – in particular with the new AIO-GLEIT-22 slider. For the facade of the company building, a total of 240 linear metres of lifeline system was attached to the metal substructure.
It was possible to adapt the system perfectly to the existing facade structure. Thanks to the detailed arrangements and the prefabrication of the facade elements, no further onsite drillings were needed, and this in turn eliminated additional installation effort and expense and the problem of metal corrosion.
Through deploying the AIO lifeline system, the facade is now universally accessible in 100% safety, without repeated attachment and detachment. Not only does this ensure greater safety for all maintenance and cleaning staff, but it also saves costs, because it is possible to react quickly at all times, and any malfunctions can be fixed immediately.
Why INNOTECH?
Lobster’s management was immediately attracted to INNOTECH’s AIO lifeline system, because the company building created a large number of challenges, and this solution is very adaptable. But in addition, the company’s managers were very satisfied with the project implementation and with the installation. For example, the metal substructure – including all system and edge separations – was very closely inspected by Lobster and Innotech together.
And the corresponding transmission of forces was clarified in detail with the steelwork constructor. This was the only way that the safety solution could be installed without drilling into the facade. All parts were prefabricated by INNOTECH so that this was not even necessary.
As well as training the customer on the system, all other users involved with cleaning and maintaining the facade were also familiarised with every relevant detail of the system’s use. Last but not least, a training video was also produced. This demonstrates all important activities in detail, from donning a harness to attaching to the system.
Summary
The facade safety project for the Lobster Data GmbH company building in Tutzing has once again demonstrated the challenges involved when selecting the optimally suited safety system, particularly on very modern facades. But even very complex facades require regular cleaning and maintenance – and these tasks need to be performed as safely as possible. In the interests of all involved.
Here, to be fully on the safe side, it is advisable to consult a professional, certified manufacturer of fall protection systems. This is the only way to guarantee that a fall with severe consequences can be prevented in advance. And – as seen in the example of Tutzing – there is absolutely no need to spoil the aesthetics of the building for this.
If you are indeed searching for a professional fall protection system for the facade of your company building, then simply contact us. Our experts find the best solution for every challenge. You will find further information about this subject in our guideline for safe facades.
