Don't Tell The Mrs

Jogram Chaudhury and Ali Husain don’t mind the heights as they clean high-rise buildings. His family back home though doesn’t know his job entails him getting onto metal platforms suspended mid-air.

Their families don’t know what work they do: “It takes us one month to finish cleaning a 40-storey building, and 10-12 days to complete a 14-floor building,” says Ali Husain, 35, window cleaner from Bangladesh (Right, in pic). “So in a month on an average we do two buildings.”

Husain has been in Dubai seven years, and he’s been cleaning high-rise windows for six. “No I don’t get scared”, he says. His family back home though doesn’t know his job entails him getting onto metal platforms suspended mid-air. “If they knew, they would ask me to come back home and not risk my life.”His partner at work, and in the suspended air platform, Jogram Chaudhury, from Nepal, says he doesn’t want to tell his wife that he cleans windows of tall buildings as she would fear for his safety.

What about heights? Are either of them scared of being so high up and looking down? Doesn’t it make you giddy? No, not scared, they say. But they concede that not everyone can do their job, not all the men in their accommodation are inclined towards climbing tall buildings. There’s only some of us who are not scared.

What about Dubai? Do you like Dubai? Yes, very much, what’s there not to like? Dubai is great, they both say without an eyelid batted, just smiles, and they look at each other. They’ve never done a mall, but that they say it is not so dangerous because it’s usually not too high.

Rotating SkyScrapers

Residents will be able to control the rotation speed and direction of their apartment through voice activation. Fancy catching a bit of afternoon sun? “Turn left 90 degrees.” Want to mess around with the window cleaner? “Rotate right, max speed.”

There’s going to be a rotating skyscraper in Dubai by 2020: An 80-storey ‘Dynamic Tower’ will be standing in Dubai by 2020 is everything goes to plan, architectural firm Dynamic Group has told us. When built it will be the world’s first skyscraper consisting of separate rotating floors attached to a central column, and inside there will be luxury apartments (natch).

If you’re wondering what a rotating skyscraper actually is, it’s very much as the name suggests. Residents will be able to control the rotation speed and direction of their apartment through voice activation. Fancy catching a bit of afternoon sun? “Turn left 90 degrees.” Want to mess around with the window cleaner? “Rotate right, max speed.”

Proposed back in 2008 by architect David Fisher, the tower aims to be 420m tall, which would make it the second tallest building in Dubai, as well as the second tallest residential tower in the world behind New York’s 432 Park Avenue (which stands at 425.5m).

 

The Dynamic Tower will also generate its own energy through 79 wind turbines placed between each floor, as well as solar panelling that will coat both the roof of the building and the roof of each level. The surplus energy acquired from the turbines and solar panels will produce enough electricity to power five other similarly sized buildings.

The tower will also be the world’s first prefabricated skyscraper, with Fisher saying that up to 90 percent of the tower, excluding the central column, could be built in a factory and then shipped to the construction site. Doing so would not only decrease both the costs of the project and the amount of workers needed, but would also allow for the tower to be built up to 30 percent quicker than a skyscraper of a similar size. Saying that, the project is still set to cost Dhs1,212,007,500 (yes, that’s billions).

It has been quite a while since the Dynamic Tower’s official proposal, and we are yet to see a construction date. However, Dynamic Group, the company behind the project told What’s On that they plan to have the tower finished by EXPO 2020. Although they don’t yet have a confirmed location for where they’ll build.

They also told us that they’ve already registered the patent that guarantees them priority rights to any building in motion in the GCC: this shows that the Dynamic Group are getting very serious about building that dancing tower soon.

Drones Cleaning Windows

The prototype window cleaning drone that's looking for investors.

Window Cleaning Drones: Marcus Fritzsche says "Let the drones clean for you!" In the century of the “Internet of Things” and “Smart Home” it is time to automate also window cleaning. Our drones clean glass facades and roofs even at great altitudes. Our technology is applicable for almost every window size and window form. 

• Brilliant cleaning quality
• Cost-effective
• Cleaning hard to reach windows
• Cleaning up to 40 m2 surface per a 30 minutes flight
• Aviation-like safety features

Marcus Fritzsche with his window cleaning drone. He reached the semi-finals of the Dubai drone competition.

This is the application video for "The UAE Drones for Good Award". It shows a prototype drone for window cleaning and our vision of a complete autonomous swarm of intelligent Window Cleaning Drones. In order to achieve our goals we are looking for partners. If you want to be part of our journey contact us via mail in English or German: info@window-cleaning-drones.com

More Windows With No Maintenance Plan

More Windows With No Maintenance Plan

Pop-Out Windows Would Be a Terrifying Way to Add More Sun and Space to Your Apartment: These window options would fold out into niches and add sun seat to any small apartment. Architect and industrial designer Aldana Ferrer Garcia has created three pop-out window concepts in her More Sky line that provide an extra seat in any room. As an added bonus, popping a squat in your window sill will let you soak up some vitamin D in an otherwise sun-deprived apartment, at least if you're not afraid of heights.

The "hopper niche

The first design, called the "hopper niche," folds out of a window frame like an accordion, allowing the occupant to recline against the glass. Perfect for kicking back with a good book, this window-seat provides an extra recliner where one might not otherwise be possible. As long as you trust your well-being to the strength of the install. 

The "casement niche"

The "casement niche" is a simpler design, rotating out to provide a little spot for someone to sit in the window sill. It does take up a little space when rotated into the closed position though, and you have to cross your legs to fit inside at all.

The "awning niche"

The third design, the "awning niche" folds out for a wide base to lean on rather than sit. You can easily watch all the action below your apartment without leaning outside into the erratic weather and open air.

Aldana Ferrer Garcia's window module offers 'more sky' to city dwellers. Creative initiatives presented at the inaugural Dubai design week.

Aldana - off her rocker.

Of course, if you live in an apartment high off the street below, you have to wonder what exactly these nook windows are made of. Leaning your full weight onto a window pane is a whole different experience from a death-defying 15 stories off the ground. And speaking for all the window washers out there, these things look like a real pain to keep sparkly clean. All that, and they're just a concept, so no one is actually making these things. But while they're only an idea, and potentially a flawed one at that, they'd be  easily the best way to put a thrill-ride right in your apartment. 

Emirati Aims To Clean Up

An automated, unmanned window cleaning system for washing the exterior surfaces and windows on high-rise buildings

Emirati aims to clean up with his window cleaning invention: Emirati Ahmed Ali Alshehhi, 35, has had his own workshop at his home in Ras Al Khaimah since he was in primary school. In 2002, while studying electrical engineering at Valparaiso University in the United States, he proved his flair for innovation by beating 140 other contestants from all over the world in a robotics competition with his creation – a firefighting robot.

Two years later, while working as an engineer in Abu Dhabi, he began noticing newly built skyscrapers around him and their window cleaners – and the extreme conditions under which they work. “It’s such a slow and risky process,” he says. “In Dubai, it’s the number-one source of industrial accidents. Inventors from all over the world have come up with several technologies to overcome this problem, but no technology has yet been able to widely penetrate the market safely and effectively.”

Alshehhi decided to have a go himself, designing an automated, unmanned cleaning system for washing the exterior surfaces and windows on high-rise buildings, with a very lofty goal. “I am focusing my built-up skills towards innovation that shall positively serve humanity in a better way,” he explains.

Ahmed Ali Alshehhi at the Takreer Research Centre in Abu Dhabi.

He started by building and testing several mini prototypes. In 2011, with a view to turning his invention into a sustainable business, he hired AGIP to file his patent application in several countries where the technology has potential. “After nearly three years I got my US patent and later the Canadian patent,” he says. “It is still ongoing in the UAE and elsewhere.”

As a full-time engineer, Alshehhi has found it difficult to find the time to obtain the resources he needs. The project has so far cost him about Dh750,000 out of his own pocket, but he has had support from Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee for the US aspects of the process, and from his employer Takreer, or the Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company.

Last year, he built and tested a full-scale functional prototype, with good results. “Compared with manual cleaning, my system is eight to 10 times faster and also much safer, cheaper and more environmentally friendly,” he says. “I am now working on further improvements.”

New Service Business Model Dubai - Jim Will Fix It

Another new addition to the company’s offerings is window cleaning, which is due to be available by the end of 2015. “Not a mop and bucket,” says Thomas, but a high tech system that’s being brought in from the UK and uses pure water as the main cleaning method to eliminate smears and droplet marks caused by ‘total dissolved solids’ (TDS).

Fixing up the maintenance industry: If you have lived in, or even just visited Dubai in the past seven or eight years, you will have almost certainly seen the purple and yellow Jim Will Fix It vans going from job to job. Their noticeable presence not only speaks volumes about their eye-catching branding, but also the company’s success in redefining the emirate’s approach to home repairs and maintenance.

Offering a range of services including DIY, plumbing, electrics, air conditioning, carpentry, and painting and decorating, the business was founded in 2007 by two men who wanted to change a maintenance landscape which they believed was restrictive and often poor quality. Colin Thomas and Daniel Garner both arrived in Dubai from the UK in the early years of the new millennium – Thomas with Sony PlayStation, and Garner with Morgan McKinley. But despite the heady days of pre-global financial crisis Dubai, there was something that the duo felt compelled to address. So much so that they started their own business to deal with it.

“I was living in a big place in Al Barsha, and the whole nugget of the idea came when the AC broke down,” explains Thomas. “On three different occasions I phoned three different companies. They either needed an annual contract and wanted all the money upfront, or alternatively it was a guy who spoke no English and came with one screwdriver. “We thought surely there’s a better way of doing maintenance than this. So we kind of started from there.”

Joining forces with Garner, the duo “sort of did it backwards” by quitting their jobs before embarking on a six-month research period, culminating in a business plan. “We did our market research - we were stood outside Spinneys and Choithrams every evening for about a week, and that research came back to say quite clearly that there was room for something that was radically different,” continues Thomas. “And that ‘different’ is exactly where we sat. Back home you would never have somebody coming to you saying ‘pay me £3,000 for the year and I’ll look after your house for you’. People would laugh them out the door. So we couldn’t understand why up until then Dubai had been operating in that way.”

The important thing in the early days was for people to try out the fledgling company. “The real key to the business was: can we get the quality service without needing an annual maintenance contract, so people have the option of trying us to work out whether we›re as good as we say we are?” says Thomas. “If we offer them a warranty not only on parts but also the service that we do, then they can have the peace of mind that they haven’t spent a small fortune before finding out whether we’re any good or not, and they have a warranty so if anything does go wrong they have that peace of mind there as well.”

The timing, however, was not ideal. The company launched in 2007, shortly before the financial crisis engulfed most of the globe. But while many new businesses were struggling to stay afloat, Thomas says Jim Will Fix It proved to be somewhat recession-proof. He explains: “It was quite clear within a month or so that the recession was very much upon us here in Dubai and at that stage there was a big question mark of whether or not the business would work. “But what became clear was that things break even in a recession, and you either lived with it or you get it repaired. It kind of grew exponentially from day one. And that’s continued for the last seven years which has been fantastic.”

Part of the company’s early success, according to Thomas, has been its balance between offering a full range of services, and building a reputation for honesty with clients. “We couldn’t just look after one particular facet, like a plumbing service,” he says. “We really needed to offer people enough of a breadth that we were almost a one-stop-shop for their maintenance needs. “That said if there was something too specialist, unlike some companies that claim to be experts in everything, we had to be prepared to walk away from it if it wasn’t within our core expertise. That’s really helped us build a rapport with our customers. They know if it’s a job we’ve taken on then we’re good at it.”

This kind of rapport has helped Jim Will Fix It compete against other companies in the facilities management sphere, but for Thomas there is a much more important differentiator. “What you tend to find with those guys is that they’re very much competing on price, while we’re very much competing on quality,” he explains.

“For us it was important that we had the right staff - really capable people who come to us with qualifications. For example all our AC guys are three years qualified in the Philippines and then we retrain them again, so they go through a really rigorous training process with our senior technicians to ensure they’re the required quality.  “Then we have ongoing training. So every three months they go through a refresher course on customer training, and then we have a refresher team on the road that just trains, trains, trains and shadows each of our teams.

“It’s permanent because we have to maintain that quality, even as we’re growing at a very quick rate.” The company’s tag line – ‘one call, one visit, job done’ – is “more than just a mantra”, according to Thomas. He explains that the quality of service needs to be strong throughout the entire process, starting with the initial call to the bookings team. “The first call is critical because that call is for us to be able to determine that we’ve got the right person there, make sure we have the materials we need to do that job, and make sure the customer understands exactly what that job is. “And that’s followed up by the fact that our staff are all English speaking - they are able to communicate, and are constantly retrained in communication with the customer. “They are there to eke out the maximum amount of information so that we can go there in one visit, can get the job done, ensure it’s going to be right, and that we’ve got all the right materials to proceed.”

The company also has back-up plans in place, just in case the job turns out to be more difficult than first expected, or if parts aren’t available. “We now have a fleet of very big vans that float around Dubai and work as mobile warehouses as well,” says Thomas. “So if we do have a job where those parts aren’t available, there’s a good chance they’ll be in the mobile vans, so we can get the parts to people quickly and still get everything done in that one job. “However, there are always going to be those jobs where you’ve got specific items, so when a technician is still on the roof, for example, from the roof he can call the parts team in office, and they will call in immediately the part details. The parts team will then call our driver who is already in the area of the supplier. So in effect from diagnosis to part being available, it can be as quick as half an hour. It’s something we’ve really worked on perfecting as we’ve got bigger.

“We’ve now done 55,000 jobs and we’re kind of at the stage where we’ve seen everything before, without a doubt, and we’ll know how to deal with it.” The focus on quality is something that Thomas and Garner were adamant about from the very beginning. While starting out, they took advice from friends who had also launched businesses in Dubai, and decided that there were certain things they would leave in the hands of other professionals. “We sat down with those guys to learn from their mistakes, and what that told us was that we didn’t need to worry about the bureaucracy of setting up. We could focus on our business and find a facilitation company to look at the set up requirements. We’ve got a great one that we still use to this day.

“There’s a real decision to make when setting up a business, which is what will you spend money on, and what will you focus on yourself. We knew that our product delivery had to be better than the lowest common denominator operators, and the established operators as well, and we couldn’t just match it, we had to be significantly, demonstratively better. We wanted to focus on that.” That focus paid dividends almost immediately.

Despite the challenges the founders faced in the form of competition and a generally poor perception of the maintenance industry, the quality that they were so intent on establishing shone through. “Within probably six months of us starting, Dubai’s word of mouth kicked in massively for us and it made our significant advertising efforts pale in significance,” says Thomas. “Expat Woman was probably the best source we had for word of mouth and we were getting 60-70 percent of our work on referral alone. For us that was absolutely critical.

“As well as that, there were just huge amounts of hard work and graft. When you’re signing the cheques yourselves, and it’s money you’ve earned yourselves [the start-up money came from the founders and their families] it makes you beyond hungry to make sure it works. “So for us it was ridiculous hours, ridiculous days. I lost a huge amount of weight, and for the first six months I spent a lot of time on the road going to the jobs, being on the roofs in 50C heat to ensure our service delivery was right, and I’m able to talk about jobs knowledgeably, which was absolutely key.”

Having established a strong following, and ensured a consistent quality of service through continual training, a system of spot checks, and customer feedback, the company began to expand its offering.

In order to provide the best possible service, Thomas explains that he and Garner keep a close eye on new products and procedures available in other parts of the world which could enhance their offering in Dubai. One example is the addition of duct cleaning to their AC service. Thomas explains that they have brought in a specific piece of equipment from the US which cleans AC units and ducts much more quickly and efficiently than they were previously able to do. Another new addition to the company’s offerings is window cleaning, which is due to be available by the end of 2015. “Not a mop and bucket,” says Thomas, but a high tech system that’s being brought in from the UK and uses pure water as the main cleaning method to eliminate smears and droplet marks caused by ‘total dissolved solids’ (TDS).

With any new product, there needs to be a tangible benefit to the customer and the company, explains Thomas. “If we can keep our quality level, but use the technology to make it faster while maintaining that quality, and get to the point where we reach a really nice competitive price, then it means it’s feasible for the Dubai market, and feasible for us. “There’s a bit of chicken and egg situation with new products, in as much as we know it’s being used in a certain way, but can we tweak it to get the quality we need, and can we get the economies of scale that we need to get to a price that will make it mainstream in Dubai?” The answer for an increasing number of products appears to be yes. But while the breadth of what they are able to do is increasing, the geography in which they do it is not. Yet.

“At the moment we’re in Dubai, and the reason we’ve stuck to Dubai so far is that for our services and the reputation we have here, we have a really strong amount of growth year on year, every year,” continues Thomas.

“But we are looking at Abu Dhabi, without a doubt - it’s just a case of how soon we will roll it out.

“We also get approached on an almost weekly basis for franchises abroad. To date we’ve decided not to do that. It’s so critical that anything we do, we do to our quality level, and to package all of that up into a little manual is not really possible in the way it might be for a fast food outlet. ‘If our key is quality, then it doesn’t really franchise that well, in our view, and we have to stick to maintaining that quality.”

Speaking with Thomas, it is clear that his business is about much more than making money. The company’s dedication to quality service is matched by the partners’ assertion that it should be a place their employees feel comfortable working. People are at the heart of what they do, and the quality they are keen to provide at every turn is a constant reminder of this. Having helped fix the reputation of the maintenance sector in Dubai, no doubt Jim Will Fix It will continue to be at the forefront of its development in the future.

Window Cleaning Rescue, Lawsuit, Pigeon Poo & Cross Dresser

Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) and other emergency crew carried out a daring rescue operation today when a cable reportedly snapped on a window cleaning trolley, trapping two men outside the 17th floor façade of a high-rise in Jumeirah Lakes Towers.

Dubai Civil Defence's daring rescue of men dangling from 17th floor: Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) and other emergency crew carried out a daring rescue operation today when a cable reportedly snapped on a window cleaning trolley, trapping two men outside the 17th floor façade of a high-rise in Jumeirah Lakes Towers. While the men have been brought to safety, the surrounding area remains cordoned off to public with some restaurants near the lake area closed according to one proprietor, as emergency crew remain on the scene.

DCD confirmed the incident occurred at Tiffany Tower, located at Cluster W, and a spokesperson told Emirates 24|7: “We received a call at 10.29am and emergency vehicles from Al Barsha Fire Centre were dispatched. There were two men trapped in a window cleaning trolley due to a mechanical issue. “The DCD crew worked quickly and rescued the two men. They are now safe and secured.”

An eyewitness to the incident further said: “I was walking out of the building when I heard the commotion. When I looked up, I could see two men dangling from the ropes as the window trolley had come away from the building façade. Residents are being asked to move their cars, the eyewitness further said, as emergency crew secure the site.

Miracle Fall Survivor Whacked With Lawsuit (SAN FRANCISCO) - A window washer who miraculously survived an 11-story plunge into a car in San Francisco has been sued by the man who was driving the car. Pedro Perez made headlines in November when he fell from a scaffold toward California Street in San Francisco's financial district. As Perez dropped more than 100 feet, Mohammed Alcozai rounded the corner in his Toyota Camry, and Perez smashed into the roof.

Perez, 58, barely survived, breaking his arm and pelvis and suffering severe brain trauma. He was put into a medically induced coma for a week. In is April 9 lawsuit in Superior Court, Alcozai says, "Perez and Century Window Cleaning were negligent in the operation of the window washing equipment, which caused defendant Perez to fall." Alcozai claims the negligence not only damaged his car but injured him too, costing him lost wages, lost earning capacity, personal injuries, pain and suffering and emotional distress. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigated the accident but has not yet released its findings. Neither Alcozai's attorney, Andrew Wolff, nor the owner of Century Window Cleaning responded to requests for comment.

David Staneck struggles to see out of his window due to pigeon poo.

Tenants at two public housing blocks in Melbourne are peeved at a pigeon poo infestation that is making a mess of their windows and footpaths. The birds have, quite literally, made their mark on high-rises in South Yarra and St Kilda. David Staneck, who has lived in the Inkerman St flats for the past year, said he couldn’t see out his window due to the amount of pigeon poo glazed over the glass.

The 60-year-old said a Department of Health and Human Services representative told him cleaning the block’s windows would cost $80,000 and couldn’t be done because the department didn’t have the money. “In some places it is quite disgusting,” Mr Staneck said. “I had a cracked window on my floor replaced right after I moved in. When the man came to replace it, he thought all the windows were frosted. “If there was as much filth on the Housing Minister’s window, I am sure he wouldn’t have it.” The birds have, quite literally, made their mark on high-rises in South Yarra and St Kilda.

Pigeon poo builds up outside the high-rise in St Kilda.

The department refused to say whether tenants had been told the windows were too expensive to clean and wouldn’t disclose how many complaints had been received in the past year. “The department acknowledges that from time to time, there is a problem with pigeon waste,” spokeswoman Lisa Massey said. “We look into these matters on a case-by-case basis.”

Prahran state Greens MP Sam Hibbins said the State Government needed to do more than just putting up “don’t feed the pigeons” signs and should invest in a long-term solution. “These conditions would not be allowed with any other public building such as a school or hospital,” Mr Hibbins said. He said he would submit a Freedom of Information request for the cost of cleaning the windows and would raise the matter in Parliament this week. Housing Minister Martin Foley said this was the first he had heard of the issue and promised to “look into it and fix it”.

#onlyinGloucester: A cross-dressing window cleaner - Our city is unique. The people are unique. The things we see are unique. Over the years we've found plenty of quirky stories to entertain you from wildcats in the Forest of Dean to people being invaded by ladybirds, naked Pagan weddings and more. But you've seen some things that have tickled you too. A topless man lying in the middle of the road, a cross dressing window cleaner, a tractor on the pitch at Kingsholm, and a woman carrying a huge lamp down the road at night. We searched for #onlyinGloucester and #only inGlos on social media and this is what we found.

Perhaps he should team up with this guy in New York..

Window Cleaner Falls To Death

The building from which a glass cleaner fell to death in Dubai on Saturday morning. 

Window cleaner falls from 10th floor of Dubai building - Dubai Police investigation is underway to determine the cause of fatal accident: A young worker fell to his death from the tenth floor while cleaning the glass façade of a building in Dubai early on Saturday morning. Rasalmia, from Bangladesh, in his late 20s, fell from a building in Deira’s Port Saeed area.

Col Adil Al Suwaidi, Manager of Al Muraqqabat Police Station, confirmed to Emirates 24|7 that the cleaning worker fell from the 10th floor of the building and died on the spot. Advising the maintenance and cleaning company supervisors and engineers to provide all the required safety and security facilities for employees who work at such heights, Col Al Suwaidi added that an investigation is underway to determine whether there were any lapses in providing security to the worker.

The Colonel added that the body of the worker had been sent to the forensic laboratory. According to the station head, the necessary measures for workers’ safety seemed to be in place, but authorities are investigating further to rule out any security lapses. The investigation will determine whether the worker fell due to his own security lapse or if some foul play was involved.

Passersby saw the victim’s dead body lying at the entrance of the Business Avenue Tower, which houses several offices. One of Rasalmia’s colleagues was on a floor above the tenth and two co-workers were cleaning the glass façade of floors below the tenth when the tragedy happened at around 6am.

According to Rasalmia’s relatives, the victim’s co-workers became aware of the accident from the vibrations of the iron rope from which a cleaning cradle hung. It is not yet clear what exactly caused his fall. Security staff of the building confirmed the accident but an official of the cleaning company declined to comment. Rasalmia shared his room with eight colleagues who are saddened by his sudden death.

Witnesses describe ‘horror’ of finding man’s body after suspected fall from Dubai tower: Eye witnesses have described the grisly scene after a man’s body was found at the base of a tower in Dubai on Tuesday. Staff from the Radisson Royal Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road made the grim discovery outside the Nassima apartment block of the same building. A staff member told 7DAYS the man appeared to have been “a resident or a guest” of one of the apartments.

Police officers cordoned off the area and are currently investigating. They have not yet confirmed the cause of death or released details about the circumstances of the man’s death. However, it is thought that he fell to his death. “At first we thought it could have been a cleaner but I doubt it because he was wearing Adidas shorts. The windows are sealed so I don’t know how he managed. He could have fallen or jumped from the rooftop. Police are here to investigate,” a witness said.

The incident is thought to have taken place between 4pm and 5pm. A passerby who was walking to a nearby coffee shop on the same street told 7DAYS: “He was lying on the pavement. It was horrifying to see. They covered him up but I could still see his leg hanging out.” Vehicles and officers from the Dubai Police Crime Scene Investigation department were also at the scene but declined to comment.

Someone Give This Guy A Squeegee!

Someone give this guy a squeegee!

Watch Jetman fly in formation over Dubai - The future is here, & it's handing out Jetpacks: Dubai is an unreal city, where the buildings are gigantic, the police drive lamborghinis, and drones rescue window washers. And, very rarely, home to aerial acrobatics from brave people in jetpacks.

To infinity and beyond.

Previously, pilot Yves “Jetman” Rossy flew his custom-built flying wing with jets on it over the Grand Canyon. He's able to propel himself through the sky at upward of 190 mph, controlling his jet suit with a throttle in his hand. He can go as high as 12,000 feet. Here, he leaps from a helicopter, dances with an airplane, and then meets up in the sky with a jetpacked pal. Watch the video, captured in glorious high-definition 4K, below:

Just for you Jeff Brimble!

A Day In The Life Of A Window Cleaner

Peter Manzi the managing director of Clearwater in the company's water purication plant where the equipment can filter up to 75,000 litres of water per day and is stored in these containers.

A day in the life: keeping Dubai water and windows up to scratch - Peter Manzi is the managing director of Clearwater, a window cleaning and maintenance company based in Dubai. The 53 year old Briton arrived in the UAE nine years ago having seen a new water purification system in the United Kingdom and sensed a window of opportunity opening in Dubai with the emergence of the property market. He began with three employees, which has grown to a staff of 20. The purification system he employs removes the sodium, calcium and magnesium to leave the water chemical free and windows streak-free.

6am

I have always been an early riser, not naturally, it’s because I have seven children, aged nine to 29. Only four of them are here at the moment, but Christmas can become chaotic. I get the kids ready for school. I live in Arabian Ranches with the kids at Jess Ranches, so I’m lucky enough to be able to walk them there. We have recently restructured the company so domesticity is a respite.

7.45am

I have a cup of tea and some toast and then pack the wife off to work. She is in property so is constantly busy. I swim 20 lengths every morning, it focuses my mind, strengthens my body and creates a positive energy that doesn’t leave me for the whole day.

8.45am

Clearwater has changed tack from the corporate world and rope access on high towers to the residential space. We moved from concentrating solely on window cleaning to adding a maintenance service. The service is a 24-hour operation so we have to be ready to react day or night to people with plumbing problems, AC maintenance or electricity concerns. When I began the business I partnered with the Lootah family, which helped with the licensing and the business development. That partnership ended 18 months ago as the Clearwater business didn’t fit with their core business. However, the family are still a valuable and dependable resource. We have the contract for cleaning the windows of all the Eppco and Enoc service stations. This has to be done at night which generally means the morning is more than busy.

11am

I often have site visits or contract negotiations. We recently signed the contract to do deep cleaning [when one tenant leaves and a home is readied for another] on 100 villas and preventive maintenance for 42 villas on Jumeirah Golf Estates. There has been a real movement in the business confidence of the city and it is showing in our contracts book.

1pm

I have lunch – usually a smoked salmon sandwich – which is generally eaten at my desk. I would like to expand regionally but for the moment I am relying on organic growth. The maintenance business is a very competitive field. It requires professional, prompt service and now we are seeing the benefit from the referrals. The past few years have been difficult but the fact that we have stayed in the market, delivering a competitive package, is now paying dividends.

3pm

There are usually more site visits in the afternoon whether it’s checking on the maintenance team or to see if an overnight clean has been done correctly. I believe in our product and the water purification system that we use [for window cleaning] so I have diversified into selling bottled cleaning water for interior windows. It was a natural extension as one can see a myriad of products in every supermarket that use countless chemicals to clean windows.

Our product is environmentally friendly and we keep our carbon footprint as low as possible. Our fleet of vans run on bio diesel, sourced from the Lootah family. The bottled water business is still in its infancy as the patent costs and the scale of distribution is huge but we are in Géant and Lulu. It probably needs a Dh3 million investment to push that side of the business, which at present I feel would be challenging, but you don’t get many cleaning products that are safe enough for your children to drink and kind to the environment. I am planning for a very good 2014 with 50 per cent growth in manpower and 28 per cent growth in profits. When you look at global commerce right now there are few better places to be in business than here.

6pm

I leave for home and make sure the kids have done all their homework. If there is something on the TV, or Chelsea, I may watch but generally the business always needs some attention. Supper is usually pasta at 8pm.

10.30pm

It’s lights out and straight to sleep as long as there has not been too much stress that day.

Window Cleaning Equipment Falls From 32-storey Tecom Tower

Below Al Shaiba Tower in Dubai.

Window cleaning equipment falls from 32-storey Tecom tower (Dubai): 1 dead, 1 hurt - Five vehicles damaged: A window cleaning equipment snapped from the 34-storey Al Shaiba Tower A in Tecom, killing one person and leaving one person injured. According to eye witnesses, the two passers-by were in the area to deliver fruits and vegetables. "One of them tried to run away upon seeing the object falling down. He was hit while he was running," said a building employee. While both men were taken to hospital immediately, the seriously injured man, a Pakistani, did not make it, according to unofficial sources. The nationality of the injured person is not known yet.

The accident was caused by the collapse of a window-cleaning cradle, installed on the building. According to the building management, the company was hired to install the equipment only. "They were attaching it to the building floor by floor. When they reached the 31st floor, it collapsed," said a building manager. As a result, one balcony of an apartment on the 31st floor was hit, after which it plunged down. "My wife and her father were at home when it happened. I was at work," said the Egyptian resident of the apartment. "She called me to say that there was a lot of glass and I had to come home. When I entered the apartment, I saw a huge hole in the wall. The entire balcony had come off."

Below the building, the damage is great. Five vehicles have been crashed, four of them are totally damaged. One of the vehicles is a truck belonging to the unfortunate delivery men. "I was sitting on the terrace to drink a coffee while it happened. Suddenly I saw the object flying down. I took my coffee and I started running," said the Syrian Mahmoud Kattan (30), who works at Hair Fiesta, the hair salon under the building. His colleague Ibrham (34) from Egypt had a day off, but was woken up by the loud sound of the collapse, as his apartment is located on the 34th floor. "I suddenly saw the object flying by my apartment window. The sound was crazy, I was in shock.”

Similarly, Bonita (36), a South African resident on the 32nd floor was shocked by the intense noise when the object fell down. "At first, I did not dare to come close to the apartment window. I heard that loud sound and then saw a cloud of dust. It was as if the building was going to collapse." When she decided to take a look out of the window, she saw a body lying on the street. "At that point, he was moving his arm, he was still alive." The accident took place just after 11am and Dubai ambulance and police personnel are still at the scene. The area has been cordoned off, although residents are permitted to enter the building.

The accident created a whole in the wall of the living room.

This apartment balcony on the 31st floor was hit by the cradle.

EARLIER STORY: Window cleaning equipment fell from the 32-storey Al Shaiba Tower A in Tecom, injuring at least two people. The equipment landed on a couple of passers-by, causing serious injury to one, Dubai Ambulance personnel told Emirates 24|7. A supermarket staffer in the building said the seriously injured person was a Pakistani delivery boy who worked in the area. Cars parked next to the building were also damaged., with at least four badly damaged. The area is still cordoned off. The accident took place just after 11am and Dubai ambulance and police personnel are still on the scene. "I suddenly heard a loud noise as if the building was falling apart," said Bonita Carr, a South African resident living on the 32nd floor. "When I looked down the balcony, I saw something had fallen down."

Window cleaning cradle collapse: man dead after accident in Tecom, Dubai -  One man was killed and another injured when a window cleaning cradle fell from a 34-storey building in Tecom after its ropes snapped. The accident happened early on Tuesday morning at the Al Shaiba Tower in Tecom. The victim died in hospital on Tuesday afternoon. The falling cradle damaged 12 vehicles parked in front of the residential building, throwing up debris in a 200-metre radius. Stones and pieces of equipment were strewn under cars and across the pavement. Colonel Abdul Qader Al Banay, Director of Jebel Ali police station had earlier told Gulf News two were injured when the cleaning platform fell and some cars parked under the building were also damaged.

2 arrested after 3 injured in Tecom tower window-cleaning cradle plunge:  Two men have been arrested after a window-cleaning cradle plunged from a Dubai skyscraper, injuring three people below. The trio, who are all Asian, were on the street next to Al Shaiba Tower in Tecom about 10.45am yesterday when the unmanned platform fell from the 34-storey building. Initial reports suggested one man had been killed. However, last night the head of Jebel Ali Police Station, Brigadier Abdul Kader Al Banay, said three men had been injured and were being treated at Rashid Hospital. He said one of the men was in a critical condition.

An eyewitness shared what he saw, along with graphic photographs of the accident, on a blog. He said: “There was a strong sound of squeaking glass smashing followed by a boom. People rushed to the street to find the damage on the ground. “With God’s mercy only, the cars parked in front of the buildings were empty except for an unlucky delivery truck. The poor labourer unloading the truck received a direct hit.”

Meanwhile, Al Banay said: “The cradle collapsed and the men tried to escape but pieces of the machine fell on them.” Al Banay added: “The cradle landed on a deep-freeze van. Five other vehicles were also damaged.” Police said they have arrested the cleaning company owner and a supervisor who were responsible for putting up the equipment on the building. They are continuing to question them. The eyewitness said: “Police and rescue workers arrived almost instantly at the scene and the paramedics tried to rescue the badly injured man.”

Two injured as window-cleaning equipment falls in Dubai’s Tecom tower: Two men were injured and several cars damaged on Tuesday morning when window-cleaning equipment fell from a 34-storey tower in Tecom. There were unconfirmed reports that one of the injured men later died in hospital. “The whole building shook,” said a resident who lives on the 30th floor of Al Shaiba Tower A. “I was sitting with my cat on my lap and we both shook because of the noise.” By the time the resident, who asked not to be named, went downstairs to check on the noise, police were there and an ambulance had already taken away the two injured.

One of the two men was delivering fruit and vegetables to a supermarket at the building. “There were vegetables and bananas strewn everywhere,” said the witness. “The whole street was scattered with pieces of metal.” Several cars parked next to the entrance of the building were severely damaged, while other nearby vehicles also had minor damage. Apartment windows on one of the upper floors of the building also appeared to be damaged. One resident said she was afraid for her safety as similar equipment is mounted on the roof of tower B of the complex.

Maintenance cradles are safe, Dubai Municipality official says: An official at the civic body said on Wednesday that residents should not have to worry for their safety when cleaning and maintenance works are carried out in their building as all equipment are approved by the Dubai Accreditation Centre. The affirmation came a day after a cradle used to hoist workers on the exterior of a building fell from a 34-storey residential building in Tecom on Tuesday killing one man and injuring another passer-by.

According to Dubai Municipality, either the building owners or the building’s administration are responsible for providing an adequate and reliable maintenance service which includes providing cradles used to clean the glass panels. “Buildings with window curtains have to be designed and built in a way that allows room for cradles to be used on as there are several models of cradles. Before the building is approved, the building’s management has to first test the cradle and ensure that it works properly, and that can only be done by obtaining a certificate of inspection from a private company that attests such equipment,” said Ahmad Khalil, principal safety engineer at the Building Department, Dubai Municipality.

Khalil explained that the private companies attesting the equipment have to be approved by the Dubai Accreditation Centre, and that the responsibility of providing periodic maintenance has to be carried out by the building’s administration. “The management of buildings should never look for ways to cut costs and should always ensure that they are providing residents with services that have been verified and approved by the relevant authorities,” he said. Khalil pointed out that accidents may arise from faulty cradles if the equipment has not been regularly maintained, if the maintenance companies hired do not have the license to operate such equipment, or are generally incautious to following safety procedures.

Men injured in Dubai window-cleaning cradle fall expected to recover:  Both men injured when a window cradle fell from a 34-storey tower on Tuesday morning are expected to make a full recovery, the regulator of the free zone where the tower is located said on Thursday. The Dubai Technology and Free Zone Authority, the regulator for Tecom, the area where Al Shaiba Tower A is located, said a preliminary investigation has been completed. “While we are prohibited from disclosing full details at this time, we can confirm that no fatalities resulted from the incident,” it said. The authority said one man remains in hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. A second suffered minor facial injuries and has already been released from hospital.

“We will continue to work with Dubai Police and other authorities throughout the course of the investigation and will take appropriate action once the process has been completed.” The two men were hurt when the unmanned cradle fell about 10.45am. Several cars were damaged and some windows on surrounding buildings appeared to be damaged. Tecom Investments released a statement, saying it had been in touch with the two injured men “to check on their welfare and gain a better understanding of what occurred”.

Authorities deny reports of fatality in crane fall in Dubai: Tecom, DTMFZA say two workers were injured in the accident, preliminary investigation completed. Authorities have denied reports about a man’s death after a window-cleaning platform crashed from the 34th floor of a tower in the Tecom area on Tuesday morning. The Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority (DTMFZA) on Thursday confirmed that there was no fatality in the incident as reported by a section of the media.

The DTMFZA said it has completed its preliminary investigation into the incident at Al Shaiba Tower A.  “While we are prohibited from disclosing full details at this time, we can confirm that no fatalities resulted from the incident.” The authority said one man was in hospital following prompt medical treatment and is expected to make a full recovery. “The second man sustained minor facial injuries in the accident and has already been discharged.  We will continue to work with the Dubai Police and other authorities throughout the course of the investigation and will take appropriate action once the process has been completed,” its statement added.

Tecom Investments also issued a similar statement. “We are pleased to confirm that the incident at Al Shaiba Tower A did not result in any fatalities, contrary to initial media reports. DTMFZA and Tecom Investments have been in direct contact with the two men injured in the incident to check on their welfare and gain a better understanding of what occurred. We will continue to liaise with DTMFZA, the regulator for the area, and provide our assistance in resolving this matter,” it said.

Khaleej Times had reported that the men were working under the platform, on the ground floor, when the collapse took place. Eyewitnesses said they were stunned when they heard a loud noise and saw the crane come crashing down on top of three workers. The crane also caused damage to six vehicles in the area, one of which was still occupied by its driver, as well as the injury of two passers-by. As a result of the collapse, windows on the 31st floor were also damaged.