The Herald Sun Building is an iconic structure located in Melbourne's CBD. It was originally built in 1928 to serve as the headquarters of the Herald Sun newspaper publication. Today, it houses apartments, offices, and retail spaces. Its facade was heritage-listed to preserve the building's 100-year-old design.

To preserve and maintain the facade, a lightweight and easy-to-install rope access solution was required. The solution had to blend into the building design to maintain its aesthetic appeal.

Solution

Our rigid rail system was chosen as the ideal solution, as it could mount to the exterior of the building with minimal damage or impact to the structure.

Rope access

The system was powder-coated to match the exterior colour of the building, allowing it to blend seamlessly into the architecture, and making it nearly invisible to the naked eye.

The continuous rail system enabled rope access technicians to move laterally across the building facade, providing uninterrupted access to all areas for ongoing maintenance.

Rope access

The benefit of our rigid rail’s aluminium build was the significant weight reduction, making the installation process a lot easier. Moreover, it provided a clear advantage over steel systems as it would not put unnecessary weight or load on the building structure itself. An added benefit of using aluminium is that it significantly increases the lifespan of the system, allowing it to last as long as the iconic building it’s installed to.

Rope access

Project outcome

“It’s amazing to see how seamlessly the rigid rail blends into the facade. It looks like it is part of the architecture, which is a great outcome for such an iconic building in Melbourne's history,” Murray Voss, Technical Manager, said.

Project details

Project: Herald Sun Building, Melbourne VIC

Solutions: Rigid Rails, Rope Access

Industry: Commercial

Architecture & Design Team

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