More than just a pretty face! [May 2012]

Pradeep Goradia, Chairman, Links Excels in Trade writes about the trends in façade designing and methods of maintaining them
Today, our life is driven by fashion whether individual or professional. Throughout the ages, we have been in a lookout to change our appearances that look the best. Similarly, real estate too has been an extremely dynamic sector with the on-going changing trends. Gone are the days of concrete structures. Today, the buildings have artistic shapes, swanky glass, metal facades etc. One of the most prominent trends in the last few years observed is the usage of glass façade. The skyline of Indian metros is spread with high-rise buildings with glazing, elegant corporate houses with glass facades etc.
This was typically started with BPOs and IT sector when MNCs came to India. They also brought the western style of architecture, concept etc. Today, glass facade has become an industry now with several companies offering plethora of choices in everything from supplying different glass to customisation, cleaning and maintenance etc.   There is no doubt that they give a very sophisticated, hi-tech look. Developers and architects too consider it as one of the most preferred options as it gives the property an unobstructed view of the surrounding. But there are much more to these glasses!
AdvantagesOne of the reasons the developers, architect prefer glass is because it reduces the weight on the foundation and hence makes the building lighter as compared to constructing walls. Glass is highly fire resistant and helps restrict the fire for about two hours till the building is evacuated. It's very important to have the right design element of smoke seals to prevent fire flow. Façade fire resistant technology can hold a fire for a longer time. Today, we have seen the kind of innovation in terms of structure design. Hence, there is no limit to imagination in today’s architecture. Glass can take any shape such as cube, circle etc and thus with glass one can experiment with designs, structure etc.
Besides, the usage of glass makes the area looks far more spacious, wider and creates a sense of feel good factor with long windows, brightness etc. It avoids external wastage. Using the right kind of glass reduces energy consumption. Glass is also very low on maintenance cost. A proper monthly cleaning is all what it needs. However, good labour matters a lot. Care has to be taken to appoint the right kind of cleaners because certain acids used in common masonry cleaners can dissolve the glass surface and damage it permanently.
Every tower should carefully use the kind of glass as it depends a lot on the location, weather, temperature, height of the building, layout plan of the building etc. In all of this, what people are forgetting today is the glass façade should be designed in such a way to minimise the heat and acoustic flow. A very important question arises today is the eco-friendliness of these glass.
Disadvantages Glass generates a high level of solar radiation that in turn traps heat and raises the temperature. It creates a green house effect. Thus usage of higher air-conditioning in turn shoots the power bills. Another problem is, the birds lose their direction due to the reflection of glass. Many a times they hit on the façade resulting in injuring them or dying. Besides, other factor is also to control the acoustic level. There is easy transmission of noise through façade. Hence, the road noise, parallel construction etc. disturb the occupants in the building.
However, the solution to this is now there are various kinds of glasses available that have good insulation to avoid the heat and sound seeping in. There are different choices of glass that can make your building eco-friendly. Laminated glass, tempered glass, coated glass; gen-next glasses etc are different forms readily available and are environment friendly too.
Maintenance Methods Modern architectural design lays great emphasis on glass façade structures. These façade need to be refurbished regularly in order to maintain their appearances. In India, these two prominent methods of glass cleaning are namely Cradle System and Spiderman Cleaning. These two methods are widely used in the industry. However, depending on the structure it requires some kind of customisation for the project. Façade Cleaning is mainly done with access from the rooftop or terrace level where the system is installed. Both the systems are suspended from great heights. Hence, one has to take immense safety precautions and depute trained staff. A project survey is a must to understand the structure, the kind of façade used and also to give prior training to manpower. Checklist, area mandate, do’s and don’ts, declarations etc are a pre-requisite.
Spiderman System Spiderman system is considered as a one-man show. One needs barely two individuals for cleaning purpose. However, if the area of façade is huge then it becomes difficult for a single person to complete as per the target. One individual (Janitor) will be hanging and other (Supervisor) will be based either at terrace level or on the ground. An individual rappels down with the help of poly-nylon rope, which is a maximum load of 1.5 ton. The system installed here is either anchor bolt fastener (i-bolt) or Jibs with counter weight trolley. The person hanging needs to be light weighted and would have a bucket of water. Cleaning liquid, rubber squeegee, applicator and blades to scrap off the dirt stuck on the facade. For safety purpose, they wear helmets, safety shoes and a harness and have access to a separate rope that carries a block stopper and comes in case of an emergency. Spiderman is all about handling the wind pressure. The wind velocity plays a crucial role as a wind with a speed over 25 kms an hour could blow the cleaner away unless he restrains himself to the building. All these precautions are emphasised in the training process.
Cradle System Cradle System is equipment and manpower oriented cleaning method where a crane is installed with the use of track system at the terrace level. Depending on the size of the project and the area of façade, every project has a crane installed. There are various sizes of cranes available -2-man, 4- man, 6-man etc. The benefit of this system is that the area gets cleaned faster as compared to the Spiderman. However, the investment here is higher in terms of machinery and manpower. Equipment and material used are the same such as cleaning liquid, rubber squeegee, and applicator.
TrainingTraining is another aspect that should be imparted before a cleaner is selected for cleaning at heights. To begin with, it is imperative that cleaners be medically checked for ailments that could affect their performance. This medical examination needs to be carried out at the time of induction into the company/contract. It is important to check the below details of the Janitor • Heart disease• High or low blood pressure• Epilepsy / fits / vertigo• Giddiness / difficulty with balance• Impaired limb function• Alcohol or drug dependence• Psychiatric illness• Obesity• Diabetes.
It is important to install safety anchors on the sides of the buildings before commencing descend for cleaning. Since labour in India is uneducated and are skilled only at a particular trade, it is important to have trained and educated supervisors who can check the equipment, usage and give safety instructions to workers.
To conclude, it is a must to include some safety standards within the organisation, if such safety regulations are not drafted by the industry. Ensuring employee safety at all times ensures employee loyalty.

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