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Bespoke Building Maintenance Units to preserve Malaysia’s new tallest building

A precision-engineered facade access solution was designed and supplied, with building maintenance units which are specially tailored to meet all practical maintenance needs

The Exchange 106 is an addition to the skyline of Kuala Lumpur which has been eagerly anticipated for a wide array of reasons.

In terms of scale, this colossal new office building will climb to 106 floors and reach 492 metres in height which will make it the tallest building in Malaysia and South East Asia, overtaking the previous record holder Petronas Towers by approximately 40 metres. Architecturally, the building is noteworthy for its unique, eye catching illuminated crown design which in itself covers 12 storeys and 48 metres.

The building’s importance as a key part of Kuala Lumpur’s social and economic development is also hard to overstate. Located in the heart of the city in the Tun Razak Exchange area, also referred to as Kuala Lumpur International Financial District, The Exchange 106 is the centrepiece of an important global hub for international business and finance. This emerging economic area has been compared to London and New York, with The Exchange 106 taking on the iconic, landmark status of buildings like Canary Wharf, The Shard and Freedom Tower, serving as both the physical home of commerce and also standing as a symbol of the economic power in the area. For a building of such impressive scale, visionary design and social significance, a BMU system capable of delivering effective access strategies was paramount.

The_Exchange_106

Starting at the highest point, the distinctive feature of the illuminated crown is serviced by a single building maintenance unit. With a telescopic jib providing an outreach of 23.5 metres in combination with luffing functionality and a slewing cradle, the BMU is capable of launching the cradle up and over the challenging architectural features while remaining concealed within the centre of the crown itself when not in use.

Three further BMUs located within the building itself at level 90 service the main facade surfaces. The three machines share a common circular track and are specifically engineered to launch from four dedicated openings while again remaining concealed from view in their parked position. This is achieved with telescopic jibs which are capable of extending to 24.7 metres and offer an impressive range of movement. In order to navigate in and out of the building and provide all the required access coverage, each BMU is engineered to rotate at three separate points. The base of each unit can rotate up to 120 degrees, a knuckle on the jib arm itself provides 90 degrees of rotation and the cradle is also capable of rotating up to 110 degrees.

Once again, Manntech have delivered a precision-engineered facade access solution, with building maintenance units which are specially tailored to meet all practical maintenance needs whilst also remaining sympathetic to the visual aesthetic.