The Role of Regular Service in Extending the Life of Your Building’s Facade Access System

Planning a façade access system at its design stage can help architects future-proof a building project by providing access contractors and repair teams can use to maintain the property’s functionality and exterior beauty.

Don’t forget, however, that façade access systems need upkeep, too. They extend the life of your building and its appeal; should they fall into disrepair, they could incur preventable costs—not to mention the risk they can create for maintenance downtime and the potential for other exterior damages to occur as a result.

Keeping that in mind is important when initially planning your building’s access system. To achieve a successful result, consider including experts like those on Façade Access Solutions North America’s (NAM) Integrated Design Services (IDS) team. Including them at the design stage can help advocate for and incorporate regular exterior building servicing, resulting in a lasting façade access solution.

Regular Service Ensures Aesthetics

Regular façade access repair, both for the façade itself and for the exterior access system, helps architects ensure that their vision lasts well into the future.

To guarantee easy and regular repairs, architects should consider:

• Accessibility and Maneuverability: Exterior building servicing for access systems includes tasks like cleaning of tracks or cables, adjusting fasteners, replacing worn-out rollers, and more. These jobs can only be completed, however, if repair contractors can reach those components. Therefore, when planning a façade access system, architects should account for the building’s shape (e.g. organic and rounded or protruding angles) and think about how that could obstruct necessary system maintenance.
   
• Integration with the Building Design: When planning access solutions, it’s possible to design access solutions so they are either hidden within the façade or have minimal visual impact. While these are excellent options for aesthetics, architects should remember that they can impact the ability to perform the visual inspections which can determine when façade access repair (and for the system) is necessary. Therefore, when masking the access system in the exterior design, solve for other ways to perform regular inspections so building and safety managers know when maintenance is needed.

When you include Façade Access Solutions NAM’s IDS experts at the design stage, they can develop custom solutions that empower your teams to perform necessary access system repairs without compromising on the architect’s artistic vision. This can result in consistent care that preserves a building façade’s beauty for years.

Regular Service Reduces Risk, Too

By including access system maintenance to your building’s routine façade access repair procedures, you can also extend the access system’s life by reducing risks that include:

• System failure: Without exterior building servicing that includes repairs to the access solutions, a system could experience a breakdown while in use. This could result, for instance, in a scenario where multiple glazing contractors are suspended on a platform at dangerous mid-air heights. In that situation, the workers are exposed to fall hazards, while their combined weight (and the weight of the materials) adds to the wear and tear on an already malfunctioning system.
   
• Building Damage: Façade access repair that doesn’t include access system maintenance can also result in additional, preventable damage to the façade itself. Over time, access systems can develop gaps or leaks at connection points, leading to water damage. Buildups of dirt and debris can also degrade the system’s structural integrity, which can not only damage a building’s exterior aesthetics, but also create the need for costly repairs down the line.
   
• Worksite Accidents: Any degradation of an exterior access system creates the potential for accidents when contractors are at work. Should a system break down while curtain wall or glazing contractors are operating, for example, they face both potential fall hazards and the risks inherent when installing or repairing heavy, prefabricated panels or glasswork. Maintaining the access system on a regular basis can help you protect workers and reduce liability risk.

Consulting with Façade Access Solutions NAM’s IDS experts at the beginning of a new build can help you avoid these issues. When you contact us to join your team’s design-stage conversations, we can develop custom recommendations that make façade access system maintenance easy while maintaining regulatory compliance and aesthetic integrity.  

Reach out for Integrated Design Services Today

A new building project requires numerous decisions on how to bring a vision to life, but don’t forget to put the measures in place that will help your completed vision last. Properly maintaining and repairing your property’s façade access system is one of those measures, and you act on it at your project’s design stage by reaching out to Façade Access Solutions NAM’s team of IDS experts.

For years, we have been providing custom solutions to some of the world’s most iconic structures with custom, regulation-compliant façade access systems that are built last, built to protect, and built to help achieve the aesthetic vision for your building.

To get those lasting results for your commercial building project, contact us today.