As part of a major renovation project at 888 O’Farrell Street, property owners of a residential complex in San Francisco’s Civic Center neighborhood needed to replace old roof car window washing systems on each of its 2 towers.
The towers at 888 O’Farrell Street stand 10 stories tall and feature a concrete runway along the roof’s edge of each tower. The runways originally accommodated aging roof carriages used for window washing and maintenance projects. Sky Climber was able to provide compact Building Maintenance Units (BMUs) that would utilize the existing runway and anchor points already installed on the building.
The BMUs are customized versions of Sky Climber’s versatile S1 model. Each of these machines are equipped with hydraulic luffing on jibs, approach systems on cradles, slewing rings and telescopic rollers. The S1 is designed to telescope above elevated architectural features and the boom can rotate into corners for tighter drop locations. They are capable of 328-foot drops and will allow window washing teams and maintenance crews to reach the entirety of the newly refinished exterior with ease.
These particular BMU models are ideal for roof carriage retrofits for several reasons. They can utilize existing tracks or runways, anchorages, and façade stabilization hardware already in place. This eliminates any need to penetrate the roof. Plus, these units are compact and easy to install, keeping occupant disruption to an absolute minimum.
Visually these models maintain a very low profile when parked. For this project, the BMU machines also received a custom paint job to match the building and maintain a clean look.
For more information on roof carriage replacements, click the link below.