Glass buildings only pack a punch if all the glass is dazzlingly clean. This makes them more high-maintenance when compared with stone or brick buildings, but a spotlessly clean glass building is a sight to behold.
London’s skyline has changed considerably over the last decade. New glass buildings, both residential and commercial, have sprung up, for better or worse, dominating the city’s landscape. We’re going to take a look at some of London’s most iconic glass buildings, and give a little insight into how they might be cleaned. Home to the Greater London Authority, which includes the Mayor of London and the London Assembly, City Hall was designed by architect Norman Foster and opened in 2002. Located by the River Thames, City Hall as a building has a high profile, both because of its unique design and its association with those institutions. Defined by its curved shape, City Hall is also a venue where events and exhibitions are held.
Cleaning City Hall might require a team of window cleaners using combined methods of abseiling for the higher levels and water-fed poles for the lower levels. The Gherkin is one of the capital’s most iconic structures. Instantly recognisable, the glass building sits in the capital’s financial district. It is defined by its visually-appealing curved outer shell and sophisticated architectural design.
There are two rails which support the window cleaners’ cradle or carriage. A cradle system would need to be used to access the higher levels of the building and for the building’s glass façade to be cleaned evenly and with ease. Window cleaners have to have specialised training to be able to use cradles, and have cradle insurance. The UK’s tallest building, The Shard, dominates the London skyline. Completed in 2012, it is home to offices, a luxury hotel, restaurants and bars, and a retail arcade, among other things.
You’ll certainly need a good head for heights if you’re involved in cleaning The Shard. The building, located in the London Bridge area, is 95 storeys high and comprises over 11,000 panels of glass. It is cleaned four times a year, and takes approximately 17 professional window cleaners three months to clean using abseils – which technically means it is being cleaned all the time. A window cleaning company should stand by its work. If a company fails to carry out a job to the satisfaction of the client, then it should be able and willing to make sure the work is completed so that the client is happy. All Clean Services, for example, offer a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. We always strive to offer the best window cleaning service, but if the client is not happy, we stick around to make sure you are happy. It is the same story for any glass building or building which has a lot of windows: make sure the windows are cleaned as often as they need to be, otherwise your premises will not look welcoming in the eyes of both visitors and employees. To find out more about our commercial window cleaning services, get in touch today.
