A Strategic Upgrade for Aging Façade Access Equipment
The MCR refurbishment project in Melbourne, managed by the GPT Group, focused on extending the operational life of two essential building maintenance units (BMUs) at Melbourne Central. Originally installed in 1991, these EW Cox mast-climbing BMUs had exceeded their intended 25-year design life as of 2016. To address this, the project team sought a comprehensive refurbishment. The objective was to modernize the aging systems to align with current industry best practices and the latest codes and standards, ensuring the 80-meter-high glass cone remains accessible for long-term maintenance.
A primary driver of the project’s success was the team’s ability to leverage original system knowledge. Because EW Cox designed, manufactured, and installed the original machines in 1991, and the local CoxGomyl service team had performed ongoing maintenance since then, they possessed an intimate understanding of both the equipment and the specific site conditions.
This historical expertise provided a significant competitive edge, allowing the team to plan and execute a solution that was both cost-effective and efficient. The internal team’s familiarity with the project ensured the strategy focused on delivering measurable safety and reliability improvements while effectively mitigating operational risks associated with such complex legacy machinery.
As the OEM, the team was also able to replace the original gearboxes with newer models while maintaining compatibility with the existing hardware.
Both mast-climbing BMUs underwent a structured assessment and targeted upgrades to achieve full code compliance with current standards. The refurbishment involved renewing critical components and modernizing key systems to improve overall performance, usability, and user safety.
This included adding a VFD drive for hoisting operations, upgrading the gearboxes with newer models, and installing safer retrieval systems and reset operations in the event of an overspeed trip on the internal BMU.
A significant part of the technical scope involved installing new maintenance platforms within the 80-meter-high glass cone. A safe access solution was engineered to provide the necessary reach and support. The installation of these platforms was completed using a specialized combination of rope access technicians and the BMU itself to lift components safely into position for manual fixing to the cone structure.
The result is a system that operates with higher reliability and meets all present-day façade access requirements.
The internal BMU is positioned above a shopping center that operates 24/7 and welcomes thousands of visitors daily. To manage this, the internal team coordinated flexible work sequencing and strategically implemented exclusion zones to protect the public while ensuring steady progress without disrupting center operations.
A unique challenge during this project was the requirement for the internal unit to remain operational during specific stages to support GPT Group’s marketing operations, specifically for the suspension of advertising campaigns inside the glass cone. This was overcome through close collaboration and planning with all relevant stakeholders.
The completed upgrade, scheduled for completion in July 2025, now ensures safer, compliant, and long-term façade access for Melbourne Central.
