Ping An Finance Center is the fourth tallest building in the world rising 115 storeys to 599m. The facade of the building is a particularly important feature with 1,700 tons of 316L stainless steel making it the largest stainless steel facade. This material was chosen for its corrosion-resistance, which will keep the appearance of the Ping An Finance Center unchanged for several decades despite Shenzhen’s salty coastal atmosphere.

The specifications of the project demanded a total of 13 Building Maintenance Units (BMUs) to provide comprehensive access and upkeep of this mega-tall building, and its all-important stainless steel facade, with significant challenges involved in providing the required technical capabilities whilst blending seamlessly with the architectural aesthetic.

Four BMUs dedicated to facade cleaning are located at level 59, housed within the building itself. Using a single knuckle jib design they maneuver out from the side of building and achieve an outreach of 9m. The four BMUs at level 97 are also housed within the side of the building and are concealed behind large doors in the facade when not in use. These more complex machines have a range of impressive capabilities to provide comprehensive access solutions for a building of this size. They feature a double knuckle jib design with an outreach of 13m and a drop of 465m. The cradle capacity allows for 250kg, along with scope for hoisting 600kg of materials. The upper levels of the building and the spire presented particular challenges in terms of concealing the BMUs with limited parking space available. Four special machines with hinged jibs are concealed in the corners of the pyramid-shaped spire. A fifth BMU housed within the spire itself is an entirely unique machine designed for this project which achieves a very compact parked position along with an outreach of 29m.

Manntech were chosen to provide the facade access solution for this landmark building due to their impressive track record in the region. With a portfolio including the mega-tall Shanghai Tower providing confidence in their ability to deliver high quality building access systems for the most advanced buildings in the world.