WORKING AT HEIGHT
GETTING ON TOP OF ACADEMY SAFETY
Maintenance work can prove particularly tricky when the site is several metres above ground level. Berenice Northcott, Managing Director of Access North Structures, talks through a recent project for The Bulwell Academy in Nottingham.
Like most schools and academies, The Bulwell Academy has been designed to provide a safe and secure environment for staff to teach and students to learn. A new building completed in 2010, the design brief was to create a facility fit for a 21st Century education; construction consultancy Faithful+Gould appears to have done just that.
The heart of the academy is an internal courtyard, reached via the main entrance plaza. Inverted conics constructed from tensile fabric provide a sheltered canopy for this communal area. With a typical lifespan of 20 years, this PVC structure should maintain its integrity and appearance long into the future. However, up to 10m tall at its highest point, and with such an unusual shape, these ‘peaks’ are far from easy to keep clean.
With any facility, the preparation of a planned preventative maintenance schedule helps to uphold the quality, safety and appearance of a building or structure, with minimal financial investment and disruption. Minor issues are identified and rectified before they can evolve into larger problems, which avoids the need for costly repairs. So, when caretaker James Logan came into position at The Bulwell Academy, this was the approach he wanted to take for the upkeep of the tensile fabrics.
Following an audit of the site, a quote was supplied to conduct a full inspection of the structure, from which a detailed next-step schedule of maintenance work could be planned. It was evident that a full clean was also required, so this was similarly quoted for.
A team of three ANS engineers returned just days later to carry out the inspection. The entire canopy was
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assessed for signs of degradation and a maintenance schedule was devised as a result. Some work, such as the installation of a replacement turnbuckle at the end of the roof was identified as a minor task that should be tackled in the short term, whereas other routine maintenance regimes were recommended at future intervals to maximise the condition of the structure.
“ROPE ACCESS IS
WIDELY REGARDED AS THE SAFEST WAY
TO MAINTAIN TENSILE FABRICS.”
An eight-day deep clean of both the steelwork and fabric was carried out during the Easter holiday. Using only rope access techniques, two IRATA- trained technicians were able to reach even the most restricted parts of the canopy, without the need for heavy plant or scaffolding.
Rope access is becoming widely regarded as the safest way to maintain tensile fabrics – even at significant heights – providing it is carried out by highly trained and experienced technicians. Risk assessments and method statements must be carried out for every individual job, and necessary insurances must be in place, but the technique itself is the safest way to work on complex structures and eye-watering heights.
Once the team is rigged into position using two connection points, they can easily navigate their way around a facility, without the need for any powered access equipment or scaffolding. This keeps costs down, minimises on-site disruption and significantly reduces the environmental impact of the work. Jobs can even be carried out safely at night, should the situation dictate.
PVC is a great all-round, economical membrane, which ticks the recyclability box too. It is a tensile fabric that is built to last, however, adverse weather conditions, accidents, misuse and poor upkeep can all contribute to the deterioration of these tensile fabric canopies over time. Steps should therefore be taken to enhance the life and appearance of the architecture, and facilities managers should rest safe in the knowledge that the work can be carried out safely, cost-effectively and with minimal disruption, if the rope access technique is adopted.
www.accessnorthstructures.com www.tomorrowshs.com
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