2019 Has been an exceptionally busy year thus far for the team at Ascend Rope Access. We’re currently in the final stages of completing two major high-rise cleaning projects on Adderley Street in the historic and commercial heart of Cape Town. Many of these buildings are several decades old and, occasional cold fronts aside, haven’t seen any cleaning whatsoever throughout the course of their lifetime. And so, we were called in to give new life to these aging high-rises.
How did we do it?
Ascend Rope Access specializes in industrial abseiling, which is regarded as a highly efficient, cost-effective, and convenient method for providing a spectrum of cleaning, installation, maintenance, and repair services to high-rise buildings, apartment blocks, skyscrapers, and other such structures. For this particular job, our task was to perform a complete high-rise cleaning job and refurbishment on a 12-story Adderley Street building that had recently been repurposed to an apartment complex, featuring accommodations that range in size from studio apartments to two and three-bedroom units.
High-rise cleaning: services rendered
As with most of our high-rise cleaning jobs, we kicked off with a high-pressure wash, eliminating the decades’ worth of dirt, grime, and organic matter that naturally accumulate on buildings’ façades. We then painted the window frames (first mechanically prepping them), two large atrium spaces, and all of the exterior walls of the building’s twelve floors.
Other tasks required of us were window cleaning, the sealing of the air conditioning units using expansion foam, anchor point installation, and the installation of bird netting to humanely deter birds from nesting on the building. We were also required to perform a lot of concrete repairs on this particular high-rise. The job took a total of three months and is currently in the concluding stages.
Learn more about Ascend Rope Access’ comprehensive array of Maintenance and Installation Services.
Special challenges
Our 12-story Adderley Street building job was fairly straightforward; however, the Ascend Rope Access team did face one minor challenge. The atriums we were asked to paint had balustrades in place for light protection but weren’t stable or strong enough to support our technicians while doing their work. And so, we had to set up temporary safety lifelines so that we could access, clean, and paint every square inch of the atriums as efficiently and safely as possible. This is in keeping with our philosophy of ‘safety first’.
Getting jobs done on time
We also prioritize our clients’ deadlines and so, depending on the requirements, we will bring in as many of our trained and experienced technicians as necessary to get the job done on time. For this high-rise cleaning job, we brought on seven technicians at one stage in the interests of meeting the deadline. And while the project is still currently underway, we fully anticipate not only being on time but ahead of the client’s schedule.
What we do at Ascend Rope Access
Ascend Rope Access specializes in work-at-height maintenance, installation, cleaning, and inspection services and is spearheaded by Project Manager and lead technician, John Craven, who has Irata level III certification. With this qualification behind his name, in addition to 16+ years of experience and an IWH level 3 (South Africa specific) certification, John is among the most experienced and qualified rope access technicians in the country.
If you would like to learn more about our services or make an inquiry about a job you have, please contact us on +27 (0)61 464 3632 or via email at info@ascendropeaccess.co.za. Check out our website for basic information about our services: www.ascendropeaccess.co.za
