Indian Window Washers & Other High Rise News

The chaps from Adventure 18 in Mumbai, India regularly sleep out.

DDB Mudra Mumbai and Adventure 18 urge Corporate India to step Outdoors: MUMBAI: Corporate India is overworked and exhausted. While the rest of the world works 50 to 60 hours a week, corporate India clocks in 80 hours. Their lives revolve around their desks, and their time away from work is the time they spend playing solitaire or browsing the internet. DDB Mudra Mumbai and Adventure 18 saw this as an opportunity to urge corporate India to get away from their dreary workstations and step out and have an adventure. Apart from this, the other challenge faced by the team was execute the campaign in a cost-effective way. The team used a surprisingly overlooked, yet effective medium of communication – Window Washers, to do the job.

Window Washers, dressed up in adventure gear, were sent down office buildings located across the city of Mumbai. In a sight worth a watch, mountaineers, rock climbers and para gliders descended on to buildings across the city. The result was overwhelming. There were a few who were scared, some were amused, but everyone took note of the men in adventure gear. And when the window washers had the attention of the office they revealed their message: “Don’t you wish you were outdoors?” The message continued to give the website address of Adventure 18.

Speaking on this activity, Louella Rebello, Executive Creative Director, DDB Mudra Mumbai, said, “Sometimes you are at work, you look out of the window and wish you could be in the great outdoors instead. We decided to actually put a guy out there telling you to do just that. Adventure 18 was a great partner in making this happen.'” Adding to this, Mohit Oberoi, Owner, Adventure 18, said, “It’s a great concept. More importantly, it’s brought attention to what we do and stand for as a company. That is to give people an unforgettable experience of the outdoors.”

Windows are work ethic wonder: I recently read somewhere that, according to New York window cleaners, a third of all the computer screens they can see through the windows of the skyscrapers they are cleaning are occupied with the electronic version of Solitaire. Somewhere else I read that 11% of US office workers spend between an hour and two hours a day of work time Facebooking and Twittering. Surveys, as we all know, are mostly so much old tat but generally contain a kernel of truth. I prefer to trust the New York window cleaners. In fact, I would be perfectly happy if some of my tax rands were spent on window cleaners to check up on what was really going on in our schools, clinics and Department of Cooperative Governance, and who was actually giving the taxpayers their full eight hours of public service toil, and who was shirking in the coffee room.

View from the Shard: Western Europe's tallest building, The Shard in London, opened its viewing platform to the public on Friday but a group of BBC School Reporters from Bermondsey's Harris Academy were allowed a sneak preview before the official launch.After leaving the second lift, the School Reporters took the short walk up to floor 69 where a spectacular view of London awaited. One student said: "Outside the windows I can see some window cleaners and all they have got is a seat but we've got ground and they must be petrified!"

New Tower Changes Skyline of Zhengzhou: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), which has been active in China for more than 20 years, continues to shape the skylines of rapidly growing cities around the country. In the north-central city of Zhengzhou, in Henan Province, the firm recently completed a partially hollow, 60-story, mixed-use tower with a glass-enclosed roof. The 280-meter-tall structure, which opened to office tenants in fall 2012, is the tallest building in the city. The column-shaped tower has a glass exterior that is screened by aluminum louvers. Oriented to cut glare coming inside, the louvers are set three to seven feet from the glass skin to leave a gap for window cleaning. Painted white, the sun screens were fabricated off-site in three- to five-story sections and then lifted into place. Close up, the building seems to be coated in aluminum, but the glass behind the louvers becomes evident further away.

South Korean firm aims for the sky in L.A. - Korean Air's $1-billion hotel skyscraper, a symbol of South Korea's status as an up-and-coming economic powerhouse will feature 73 stories, 900 guest rooms, office space and stores. The sail-shaped skyscraper will light up at night and dwarf many of its neighbors. Most of the building will be devoted to a hotel, though an operator has yet to be named. Arriving guests would be whisked by high-speed elevators to the “sky lobby” on the 70th floor for check-in. According to the plan, the 71st floor will be a restaurant. The floor above that will house window-washing gear and engineering equipment, clearing the top floor for an infinity swimming pool and observation deck.

Near street level will be about three floors of restaurants and shops, topped by 30 floors of offices for rent. Elevators will be double-decked, carrying two stacked cabs of passengers for additional capacity during peak hours. Perched at the very top of the building will be a decorative “crown” and a mast-like spire that will have embedded LED lighting that can change colors. The display will be eye-catching and visible for miles, but it will not be used for advertising, said Christopher Martin, chief executive of AC Martin. “It's not Coke bottles, it's art,” he said.

With the spire reaching to 1,100 feet, the Wilshire Grand would become one of the tallest structures in the country, surpassing the 1,046-foot Chrysler Building in New York, which has 77 stories. The contemporary design of the Wilshire Grand, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, is intended to set it apart from surrounding granite-clad office towers, said architect David Martin, who is Christopher Martin's cousin.

The world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, has the world's highest windows. Dallas joins the team whose heart-stopping job it is to clean them.

What’s so great about being an architect? You don’t have to look far beyond the advent of the term “starchitects” to understand. This refers to the biggest personalities in architecture and “starchitecture” refers to their signature, high-profile buildings. The wide exposure of starchitects has greatly increased the status of architectural profession to the general public that in some circles top architects enjoy rock star status. Even before the recent explosion of starchitects to the mainstream, architects have enjoyed a reputation of being a highly respected profession. Speaking of starchitects, Frank Gehry is one of the first architects you profile. You can see part of the first segment with Frank Gehry on the Web site. It was quite a coup getting Gehry to participate. But after I explained why the show was so important to me and to architects, he agreed to be involved. And I must say, he did not disappoint! I can’t wait to share the story of the Ruvo Center in Las Vegas in the premiere episode. Cool Spaces with Stephen Chung.

Up, up and away with dirty windows (ORANGE BEACH, Ala.) - A crew of window washers was hard at work March 7 on one of the towers of Turquoise Place in Orange Beach. The gleaming towers are 30 stories high. Click pictures to enlarge.

Lucino Zurita (left) and Juan Lopez with MTB Services, a Grandview window cleaning business, extend their lift a long way across McGee Street to clean The Link walkway to the Sheraton Hotel.

Pyramid daredevils moved on to Dubai for more amazing photos: It is a view of Dubai usually reserved for window cleaners, construction workers - or intrepid photographers. But some Russian tourists have shared with the world a rare perspective of the city by taking photographs from the edge of some of its most famous skyscrapers. Including stunning shots of the Marina and breathtaking views of Downtown, the pair have posted the images to their blog, 'Dedmaxopka'. The Russian duo recently avoided serious penalties when they climbed atop the Pyramids in Egypt for a photo opportunity.

Tower of the Americas by the numbers: A window washer dangles on lines as he works on the east side of the Tower of the Americas on April 2, 2008. Check out the link for amazing facts by numbers on the San Antonio tower in Texas.

Superhero window washers: Patients at Akron Children's Hospital were surprised to see a slew of superheroes hanging outside washing their windows. Go to link for even more photos.