North Melbourne, Australia — Facade Access Solutions, part of Alimak Group, has designed and installed a concealed rooftop safety and facade access system for the eight-storey ANMF Hotel in North Melbourne. The install-only package covers roughly 180 m² of facade, was delivered in 2022 without disrupting the operating hotel, and leaves the heritage streetscape opposite Queen Victoria Market visually untouched.
On Victoria Street in North Melbourne, the ANMF Hotel sits directly across from Queen Victoria Market, one of the city’s most recognised heritage precincts. The new commercial development rises eight storeys, with six levels of accommodation built above a two-level heritage podium and a Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) structure above the preserved facade. For builder Multiplex, the brief was demanding: deliver a complete rooftop safety and facade access package that would protect maintenance workers for the life of the building while keeping the visible architecture completely untouched. Facade Access Solutions was engaged to design and install the system.
Facade Access Solutions delivered an integrated rooftop safety and facade access network made up of:
Crucially, the team anchored into existing rooftop and plant room elements rather than adding new structural members. This decision reduced both cost and impact on the CLT base building while maintaining the highest level of safety performance across the full approximately 180 m² maintenance envelope.
Visual impact was the defining constraint. By carefully positioning anchor points, monorails and lifelines during the design phase, Facade Access Solutions limited the system’s visible footprint from street level and minimised modifications to the CLT structure. The result is a maintenance access network that integrates with the architecture rather than imposing on it, which was a critical outcome for a site this close to a protected heritage precinct.
By the time installation began in October 2022, the hotel was already operating, with guests in the rooms and staff on shift. Disruption was not an option. Facade Access Solutions scheduled the majority of the work on weekends and within strict site noise limits. The rooftop work zone was tight, sitting above the heritage podium in one of Melbourne’s busiest precincts, so material handling, lifts and deliveries all required detailed pre-planning and disciplined onsite execution. The project was completed in December 2022 with no reported disruption to hotel operations.
The package was scoped to deliver value for money without compromising safety or the heritage architecture. For Multiplex and the building owner, that meant maximum safety, minimal structural modifications, full facade coverage of approximately 180 m², and a right-sized, install-only solution with no ongoing service commitment. The successful delivery extended Facade Access Solutions’ relationship with Multiplex following several completed projects together throughout 2022. The partnership was built on consistent execution, technical reliability and the ability to deliver complex rooftop systems on sensitive sites.
In one sentence, what were you most proud of in how the team delivered facade access at the ANMF Hotel without touching the heritage architecture?
“I was most proud of how the team delivered a fully compliant facade access and safety system that achieved complete maintenance coverage while seamlessly integrating with the building and leaving the heritage architecture visually untouched.”
Kenny Nguyen, Project Manager for ANMF Hotel, Facade Access Solutions, part of Alimak Group
Kenny Nguyen is a Project Engineer in Façade Access at Alimak Group’s Australian business, based in Melbourne, and served as Project Manager for the ANMF Hotel installation. He led delivery of the rooftop safety and façade-access system from design through to installation, coordinating closely with builder Multiplex to complete the works on a live, heritage-sensitive site — achieving full maintenance coverage with minimal structural modification and no disruption to hotel operations.
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ContactAn integrated rooftop safety and facade-access system: 12 fixed anchor points, 3 monorail systems (4 m, 5 m and 10 m), 2 horizontal lifelines and a roof access ladder, covering approximately 180 m² of facade — designed and installed by Facade Access Solutions, part of Alimak Group.
Anchor points, monorails and lifelines were positioned to limit the system’s visible footprint, and the team anchored into existing rooftop and plant room elements rather than adding new structural members — preserving the heritage streetscape opposite Queen Victoria Market.
Installation ran from October to December 2022 while the hotel was occupied. Most works were scheduled on weekends within strict noise limits, and the project completed with no reported disruption to hotel operations.
No. This was a design-and-install scope only, with no service or maintenance contract attached.
