For every fall protection system, the focus is on saving lives. A holistic, sustainable safety concept for the facade safety system is the best possible gain for construction projects. At the same time, the safety system should integrate into the overall concept of the building, and complement the architecture.

On the basis of two best practice examples in which we played a leading role, we show you how to find the best solution in every respect for your company.

Best practice project 1: Facade safety system for ÖAMTC (Austrian Automobile, Motorcycle and Touring Club)

For the large ÖAMTC headquarters construction project, almost the complete range of INNOTECH products was represented, both outdoors and indoors.

Thanks to the financial planning and perfectly matched developments, not only does the project impress with its particular aesthetics, it also complies with the most demanding safety standards. An optimum interaction of standard and special solutions has been created:

Outdoor area

The star-shaped complex of the ÖAMTC building created a number of challenges, for which the INNOTECH experts found and successfully implemented effective solutions:

• Ring facade/Glass facade
  Anyone who has driven along the Südosttangente (A23) motorway in Vienna will be familiar with the building’s imposing glass facade. From a bird’s eye view, a five-finger form is visible, and this has created a number of internal courtyards. These courtyards were protected by means of a TAURUS rail system.
  
  The system follows the contours, and thus forms a continuous fall protection system. The TAURUS rail system was selected because it adapts perfectly to the constructional conditions, provides continuous safety, and maintains maximum freedom of movement for the people working at height.

• Heliport
  A further significant challenge was to provide safety for the Heliport and the maintenance activities around the hangar. This required the creation of a collective fall protection system for personnel who perform maintenance tasks on this surface.
  
  A BARRIER guardrail system was installed as a collective protection system. This prevents anyone from approaching the fall edge, regardless of their level of training. 

• Wave
  The five-finger form of the ÖAMTC headquarters is not its sole point of architectural interest. For example, the external facade also has a concave wave form, while the roof surface slopes. In terms of safety technology, differing measures were required because of the curves.
  
  And therefore, in addition to the Heliport’s guardrail system, the AIO cable system was installed.This creates a permanently mounted safety system by means of which movement is possible in the area of the fall edge. In addition to the cable system, Posts(STA-10-500) and anchorage eyes(EAP-ABP-10-30) were connected to the same attachment points.
  
  This makes it possible to abseil safely and flexibly from the roof at specific positions of the glass facade.

Indoor area

Special facade safety systems were also installed in the interior of the building, and these enabled safe maintenance and cleaning:

• LED facade
  A violet LED facade, running from floor to ceiling, stretches across the middle of the building. The TAURUS rail system, mounted on the ceiling, makes it possible to maintain and clean the LED panels safely.

• Inside of ring facade/glass facade
  For cleaning the internal glass facade, a TAURUS rail system was mounted on each of the 35 pillars. This has created the ability to maintain from the underside, and so the cleaners are optimally protected against falling.

Because of the building’s challenging contour, INNOTECH was selected as the partner for fall protection, because we developed a highly effective special solution. In addition, together with our partner, we developed the concept in full and overcame all challenges, thanks to our extensive network.

Best practice project 2: Fall protection system for Wuppertal University

At the University of Wuppertal renovation of the glass and concrete curtain facades was necessary. In the course of this refurbishment, a special fall protection system was installed by INNOTECH to allow the cleaning of the facade combination. A number of challenges had to be taken into account when installing the facade cleaning system:

• Concrete curtain facade
  The facade from the 1960s consisted of concrete up to 10 cm thick. In the course of the renovation work, it was merely bonded to the library tower. The result of this process was that the curtain facade in this area was no longer able to bear loads.
  
  It was therefore necessary to bore through the facade and thus attach the safety system to the substructure.

• Glass curtain facade
  The challenge here lay in the distance between the facade and the framework, because just about one metre was available. In addition, the glass facade is continuous from top to bottom.

The problem was resolved through the development of a special solution. A combination of rail and cable systems overcame all technical problems.

• TAURUS rail system on vertical STA supports with BEF-30
  Because of the damaged substructure, all the post spacings had to be reduced to less than a metre. Various load tests were performed as early as the construction phase.

• TAURUS rail system on BEF-10 without posts
  Because of the requirements of the University of Wuppertal, the concrete facade on the library tower could not be subjected to load. By using the rail system, it was possible to find a completely load-free solution.

• AIO lifeline system
  A special construction using an AIO system including corner formation was built for the servicing balcony. This enabled continuous protection without having to detach.
  
  At the end of the servicing balcony, the users can transfer connection from the AIO lifeline system to the TAURUS rail system, thus creating optimum user protection.

Through the installation of the safety system, the cleaning and inspection tasks on the facade can now be performed, thanks to INNOTECH’s technical expertise. The project duration was around 18 months.

Both the customer and our partner, a large facade constructor from eastern Germany, are very satisfied with the communication during the project and with the implementation in general.

Through the superior quality of the products and implementation, the University of Wuppertal benefited in the following ways:

• Approval: With a reduced post spacing of 1 metre maximum, the TAURUS rail system is also certified for the process of rope access technology.

• Light inspection tasks: Thanks to the TAURUS system, there is access to the facades for inspection purposes, and it is possible to replace facade elements, for example.

• Good aesthetics: From below, the TAURUS rail system is almost invisible on the glass curtain facade.

But all the same: This is a prototype project. INNOTECH continues to develop in terms of facade solutions. Thanks to the experience we have gained, we are able to implement the next construction phases even better, and to install the systems even closer to the facade.