Address: Paddington, London
Client: European Land and Property Ltd / Laing O’Rourke
Gallery
Merchant Square, London
The Merchant Square development contrasts modern architecture with the canal boats in the Paddington Basin. At the centre of this development is the Carmine building, where it is essential that its clean triangular lines are not spoilt by the building maintenance units.
Due to the design and shape of the building, three BMUs were required to access the full façade. Rather than parking the BMUs on the skyline, they are withdrawn from the edge and then dropped behind the façade by a lifting system capable of lifting the nine-tonne building maintenance unit and its two-tonne carriage. Lenze was chosen to be our supply partner to supply the drive system complete with screw jacks.
Each BMU has a parking position where rails at 90 degrees to the façade take its carriage some 7m back into the parking position. Each carriage is driven by inverter controlled geared motors, fitted with spring applied brakes, blowers to permit continuous operation at low speed and anti-condensation heaters, as the installation is often exposed to cold temperatures.
This vastly complicated project was completed on target to achieve the client’s programme and cost expectations.