The Reed is a brand-new development located on the South Bank of the Chicago River, featuring 216 luxury residences. Designed by architects Perkins & Will Inc., The Reed boasts 27,000 square feet of amenity space, including a landscaped podium terrace at level 8. The 42-storey building is currently under construction, with an expected completion date in late 2023.
CoxGomyl was approached to deliver a building maintenance system consisting of Davits and a Modular Self-Powered Platform.
CoxGomyl provided an economical solution comprising of 68 davit pedestals, 4 davits located across level 8 and 42, and a 1000 series Modular Self-Powered Platform to be used at both roof levels to achieve an outreach of 2.13 meters. Mounted on steel bases on the roof, the davit system consists of steel arms that can be dismantled and moved to a different set of bases on the roof to access various areas of the building. After use, the davits and the platform can be stored in dedicated areas, so they are out of sight, allowing the roof area to be used for other purposes.
The benefits of this system include the discreteness of the davit system and the minimal requirement for the Modular Self-Powered Platform to achieve an efficient cleaning cycle. As a result, the architectural integrity of the luxury building is maintained while ensuring effective maintenance of its rich dark colour and tinted glass facade.
The client requested that CoxGomyl follow the consultant drawings as closely as possible when developing this solution, with a challenge created by the level 8 podium terrace which covers a larger area than the upper roof. As such, additional pedestals and davits were required at the podium level.
Additional challenges were created by the need for the installation of the pedestals to be completed early in the construction process of the building. The project management team were required to expedite the process and complete all installations safely and efficiently.
The Davit Systems and Modular Self-Powered Platform form part of CoxGomyl’s 1000 Series range of products. The range is designed for use on buildings of low complexity and consist of a collection of relatively standard equipment, to achieve a simple and economical solution.
