The significance of the Landmark Pinnacle in London’s Canary Wharf is hard to overstate in terms of scale for a building of this type. At 77 floors, this represents the tallest residential building in all of Europe, stretching 239 metres into the city skyline. The development’s clean lines and bold rectilinear form are set to make this tower a key landmark on the banks of London’s resurgent dock area. The building facade is a vital element of the clean aesthetic with a triple glazed construction which adds a continuous skin to the overall design. CoxGomyl was engaged for this facade access project due to extensive experience and expertise working on buildings of such scale and significance.
Beyond a comprehensive access solution for all facade surfaces, the client also required the functionality of particularly large lifting capacity to facilitate tasks including the installation of facade and infill panels, coupled with a low profile. CoxGomyl manufactured two bespoke low profile Building Maintenance Units to meet the specific needs of this project, both providing a 16.9 metre outreach. The two BMUs run on a common straight elevated track at roof level with a simple to operate yet sophisticated control mechanism ensuring the two units operate in harmony.
A challenge was presented by the considerable height of the building and its proximity to the flight paths at the nearby London City Airport. This meant that the construction crane heights were restricted and did not provide the necessary clearance to lift the BMUs into position. This challenge was overcome by temporarily ‘jumping’ or jacking up cranes to increase their height by two metres allowing for the BMU installation to be completed.
As Landmark Pinnacle takes its place among the world-famous landmarks of London, the CoxGomyl facade access system will ensure it is maintained in pristine condition for many years into the future
