Manntech refurbishment delivers an innovative facade access solution

Frankfurter Ring 162 (also known as Fashion House) in Munich, approached Manntech with a challenging set of requirements that would call on the engineering know-how gained over many decades of innovation and expertise in the facade access industry.

The existing building maintenance unit servicing Frankfurter Ring 162 had always performed well and satisfied the facade access requirements, however after 59 years of service the BMU had reached the end of its life cycle. While the building itself is a modest 35 meters in height and presents a relatively uniform shape, the significant challenges raised by updating the facade access system required the experience and expertise of the Manntech team. Replacing this system with a standard building maintenance unit presented an issue as the existing tracks at roof level would not support the weight and would therefore need to be replaced or reinforced at a significant cost.

Manntech, therefore, developed an extensive refurbishment solution. This design was engineered to meet the requirements for a highly functional, cost-effective, and sustainable new facade access system while also retaining the base of the old unit. Overall, this ensured that the weight of the system was minimised, therefore utilising the existing track to avoid unnecessarily costly and disruptive work.

The factory refurbished facade access system improves upon the old building maintenance unit with a four-rope suspension system replacing the previous twin-rope setup, electrical upgrades, new cradle, and foldable jib. Manntech’s superior engineering ability was vital in the problem-solving process required to house all necessary new parts into the limited space allowed by the design of the underlying machine housing, which had to retain the exact dimensions.

This project represents an example of Manntech’s commitment to constant development, innovative thinking and high-quality engineering. While it was undertaken to meet the specific requirements of Frankfurter Ring 162, the future possibilities are exponential. Throughout the process, Manntech has essentially created a new building maintenance unit with excellent potential as a compact facade access option for a whole array of similar building access needs across the world.

Manntech are well experienced in delivering custom facade access solutions for existing buildings and can complete refurbishment work with the minimum of downtime and disruption.