Q1 Tower is the tallest building in Australia, the 6th tallest residential building in the world and, at 337 metres, officially designated a supertall skyscraper. The iconic building is the defining feature of the skyline and during Queensland’s 150th birthday celebrations it was publically recognised as an icon of the state. It is also home to the SkyPoint observation deck on level 78, a popular tourist attraction. The design is inspired by the Olympic torch of the 2000 Sydney games and by the Sydney Opera House’s sail motif. To provide cover and shade for the plaza area, practicality and human need meet the beauty of design with a series of ribbons which wrap around the tower in a concentric formation.

Unfortunately, a few years following completion, it came to light that the original Building Maintenance Unit (BMU) was in dire need to attention and was not capable of effectively maintaining this iconic building in prime condition. In addition to serious corrosion, it became apparent that the BMU did not provide the necessary reach to provide comprehensive access to all exterior areas of the building. The brief therefore called for a replacement BMU which offered better performance and could also be safely lifted and installed on the roof with minimal impact on the day-to-day operations of the building.

Manntech utilised the existing horizontal track on the roof and delivered a new crane type BMU which would work with the old track while providing improved coverage. Vitally Manntech were able to complete scanning of the whole building which allowed 3D modelling to be developed early in the proves. This helped ensure that the new system would work effectively and gel with the existing features of the building.

The next stage of this challenging project was devising a practical method to transport the BMU up to roof level and assemble it when a tower crane could not be used. Manntech’s design made is possible to use the goods lift to transport each component separately, before using the old BMU as a crane to assemble the new and improved replacement on the roof.

Manntech were the clear choice of provider for this project, offering complete peace of mind with advanced scanning and modelling techniques, along with expertise and ingenuity in the manufacture and installation of the new bespoke BMU.