Glass Stronger Than Concrete

The glass bricks are held in place with a transparent high-strength glue.

Glass stronger than concrete: Architecture firm MVRDV has used a pioneering glass technology ‘stronger than concrete’ to replace the brick facade of a high-end retail outlet located in a former Amsterdam townhouse. Described by the Rotterdam studio as the first of its kind, the innovative facade of Crystal Houses Amsterdam uses glass bricks, windows frames and architraves to recreate the city’s traditional architectural style with a style befitting a Chanel boutique.

According to MVRDV, the construction is “in many ways, stronger than concrete”. MVRDV wanted to make a representation of the original buildings and found a solution through an extensive use of glass. Crystal Houses began its existence with the request of Warenar to design a flagship store combining both Dutch heritage and international architecture on the PC Hooftstraat, Amsterdam’s one and only luxury brand street that was previously primarily residential.

The near full-glass façade mimics the original design, down to the layering of the bricks and the details of the window frames, but is stretched vertically to comply with updated zoning laws and to allow for an increase in interior space. Glass bricks stretch up the façade of Crystal Houses, eventually dissolving into a traditional terracotta brick façade for the apartments (as stipulated in the City’s aesthetics rules), which appears to be floating above the shop floor.

The design hopes to provide a solution to the loss of local character in shopping areas around the world. The increased globalisation of retail has led to the homogenisation of high-end shopping streets. Crystal Houses offer the store a window surface that contemporary stores need, whilst maintaining architectural character and individuality, resulting in a flagship store that hopes to stand out amongst the rest.

“We said to the client, ‘Let’s bring back what will be demolished but develop it further’” explains Winy Maas, architect and co-founder of MVRDV. “Crystal Houses make space for a remarkable flagship store, respect the structure of the surroundings and bring a poetic innovation in glass construction. It enables global brands to combine the overwhelming desire of transparency with a couleur locale and modernity with heritage. It can thus be applied everywhere in our historic centres.”

After conceiving the initial idea MVRDV worked closely with a number of partners to develop the technologies to make it possible. Solid glass bricks were individually cast and crafted by Poesia in Resana, near Venice. Research undertaken by the Delft University of Technology, in partnership with engineering firm ABT and contractor Wessels Zeist, led to the development of structural solutions and fabrication techniques, with the use of a high-strength, UV bonded, transparent adhesive from Delo Industrial Adhesives in Germany to cement the bricks together without the need for a more traditional mortar.

Six to ten experts worked every day for a whole year in a place that bore more resemblance to a laboratory than a construction site. Due to the sensitivity of the materials, an extremely high level of accuracy and craftsmanship was required and a technical development team was onsite throughout the process. Since this construction is the first of its kind, new construction methods and tools had to be utilised: from high-tech lasers and laboratory grade UV-lamps, to slightly lower-tech Dutch full-fat milk, which, with its low transparency, proved to be an ideal liquid to function as a reflective surface for the levelling of the first layer of bricks. Despite its delicate looks, strength tests by the Delft University of Technology team proved that the glass-construction was in many ways stronger than concrete. The full-glass architrave, for instance, could withstand a force of up to 42.000 Newton; the equivalent to two full-sized SUVs.

The development of new construction methods unearthed additional possibilities for future building, such as the minimisation of waste materials. In essence, all of the glass components are completely recyclable. Waste materials from the project, such as imperfect bricks, could simply be (and were) melted down and re-moulded or entirely repurposed. Such is also true for the entire façade itself, once the building has reached the end of its life span, the whole facade can be melted down and given a new life. The only exceptions to this rule are added features which ensure the security of the building, such as a concrete ram-raid defence plinth, hidden in a blend of reflective and translucent materials and built to withstand the force of a car crashing into the building. Repair-protocols were developed in the event of any damage, allowing for the replacement of individual bricks.

With a façade made primarily out of glass it was important to ensure that energy requirements were supplied through renewable sources. Therefore, the building was designed around a ground source heat pump, its pipes leading up to 170 metres underground, allowing for an optimal indoor climate throughout the year. A crucial element when dealing with delicate, sophisticated detailing while striving for a proper energy balance at the same time.

Ladder Fall - Manchester, UK

A man has been left with serious head injuries after falling 18ft from a ladder while cleaning windows on a construction site in Little Hulton.

Man left with serious head injuries after falling from ladder while washing windows: A man has been left with serious head injuries after falling 18ft from a ladder while cleaning windows on the Amblecote Green development construction site in Little Hulton. The man, in his 40s, was cleaning the bathroom window of a nearly-completed house on the Amblecote Green development when he fell to the ground. Construction workers at the site off Chedworth Crescent rushed to his aid following the fall around 10am on Thursday.

Emergency services were called to the scene with the air ambulance landing in a nearby football pitch. However the man was eventually taken by road to Salford Royal Hospital for treatment to serious head injuries. It is understood the injured man is not a staff member of City West. Bardsley Construction Ltd said he had been working on the site as a subcontractor. Police cordoned off the house involved plus an adjoining property while investigations took place.

Officers could be seen in the back garden of the house where the accident took place talking to construction staff. People living near the house said they saw construction workers rush to the man’s aid. One woman said: “We saw builders coming from everywhere on the site. “At first we thought it was something to do with the gas. Then the ambulances arrived.”

The development of 34 two and three-bedroom family homes is a joint project between City West housing association and building company Bardsley Construction Limited. The new homes are being built amidst existing properties on the estate off Cleggs Lane. A spokesman for Bardsley Construction Ltd said: “We understand the incident involved a subcontractor using a ladder in the rear garden of a property in Chedworth Crescent to clean the first floor bathroom window.

“The exact circumstances of the incident are being investigated by our on-site health and safety team and operations director in conjunction with Greater Manchester Police and other than expressing our genuine concern for the welfare of the person involved, we are unfortunately unable to comment further while the investigation is ongoing.”

A spokesman for the North West Ambulance Service confirmed that paramedics were called to reports that a man in his 40s had fallen and suffered a serious head injury. A spokeswoman for City West Housing Trust said: “City West Housing Trust is aware of an incident that took place this morning at our Amblecote Green development site in Little Hulton, Salford. “Our priority at present is the welfare of the individual involved.”

Cleaning Windows And Hauling Trash

Raig Thomas, left, washes windows at the Homer Public Library with Clear View owner Bev Vosburgh, right.

‘We’re all about the view’ (By MICHAEL ARMSTRONG) - Bev Vosburgh celebrates milestone anniversaries of two businesses. Cleaning windows and hauling trash might not seem to be businesses that go hand in hand. For 33-year Homer resident Bev Vosburgh, Clear View Window Washing and RRR Trash & Recycling have both proven to be successful small businesses. This year, Clear View celebrates 30 years and RRR celebrates 20 years. Vosburgh has redone logos noting the anniversaries and even had T-shirts printed for her workers. Both provide basic services: keeping the windows of Homer’s homes and businesses clean and hauling away trash and recyclables.

“Here I have two businesses and I never had a business course,” Vosburgh said. Vosburgh moved to Girdwood 37 years and has been in Homer almost a few years longer than her first business, Clear View. She started Clear View when her daughter, Fanya DeForrest, now 33, was in kindergarten and Vosburgh wanted a job that gave her the freedom to be with her daughter after school. “I started Clear View so I could meet the school bus, so I could meet my daughter coming home from kindergarten,” Vosburgh said. “And then it just kept going.”

Clear View washes windows inside and out, no matter the height. Vosburgh came up with her first husband from Wyoming, where she’d learned to love climbing mountains. That’s a skill set essential for washing windows. “I’m a mountaineer,” she said. “I absolutely love heights. I make the guys nervous.”

The crew from Clear View Window Washing and RRR Trash & Recycling pose for a photo. From left are DanAvendano, Bev Vosburgh,Cole Johnson and Kevin Duff.

Vosburgh started out as Clear View’s sole worker, but now has three employees working for her. Clear View uses ladders and occasionally lifts to get up close to windows. “You can’t wash a window properly unless you’re on top of it,” Vosburgh said. Once or twice she has even used technical climbing skills. “I’ve roped up and come off the roof,” she said.

Clear View has washed windows at South Peninsula Hospital, at the four-story Land’s End Lodges and Land’s End Resort, the Homer Public Library and the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center. “We do all the hard stuff, but we also do right down to the little old lady who wants her three windows done,” Vosburgh said.

Some people just want upper story outside windows washed. Others want all the windows washed, inside and outside. Clear View gives free estimates — one of the secrets to its success, Vosburgh said and offers a streak-free guarantee. Vosburgh has developed a technique that makes that a guarantee she can keep. She buys her cleaning supplies and equipment from Ulmer’s. “When you’ve got an extension ladder in a third-story window on somebody’s white carpet, you don’t want to go back,” she said.

The window washing business picks up in the spring and then in the fall, Vosburgh said. “We’re all about the view. Everyone wants them done in the spring. I make my living in May and June,” she said. “And then I come back in September. People want to have them as clean as possible going into a long and dark winter.”

Much of Clear View’s business is for construction projects, where newly installed windows with sticky logos and paint and drywall smears have to be scraped and washed. Vosburgh also has gotten boosts in business from events like the 1989-90 eruption of Redoubt Volcano. “That’s what bought my property,” she said of Redoubt ashfalls. “I was washing windows out there 10 hours a day.” Vosburgh now has a “farmette,” she calls it, on her Waterman Canyon property out Eastn End Road.

RRR Trash & Recycling came about when vandals kept torching the Dumpsters on East End Road and for a while the Kenai Peninsula Borough had closed them. People didn’t want to drive their trash all the way to the Baycrest Hill dump, now a trash transfer facility. Vosburgh also was looking for more regular, year-round work.

“RRR” stands for “rubbish removed and recycle.” For $8.50 a month, with discounts for seniors, RRR hauls away two bags of trash and takes separated recyclables for free. New customers get one month of free service. While other companies haul trash from Dumpsters or curbside trash cans, RRR picks up trash from cans in people’s front porches. “We will go up on your deck. We will go into your garage,” she said.

RRR recently replaced its old Toyota pick up truck with a shiny white truck. A wire bin like a cage keeps bags of trash from blowing away, while garbage cans hanging on the side hold recyclables like paper, plastic and aluminum cans. For businesses who don’t need trash pickup, RRR also hauls just recyclable material like cardboard.

Vosburgh now spends part of her year in Portal, Ariz., but manages her businesses year round from the convenience of a cell phone. Calls to the local number of 235-4174 go direct to her. Both businesses have grown as Homer has grown. Vosburgh said.

“It started very small and I let it be that way,” she said of Clear View. “It turned into a super little business. I have a very loyal clientele.” It’s a business that suited her needs then as a mother and now as a grandmother and a farmer. “I never really wanted to make money,” she said. “I wanted to be home, be a good mom.”

Super SkyScrapers & 8,400 Windows

PBS's documentary show Super Skycrapers devoted an entire 55 minutes to nearly-complete One57, rising to over one thousand feet above Central Park, which the narrator calls the "Billionaire's Building."

How One57 Cleans 8,400 Windows, Got Its Marble, And More: PBS's documentary show Super Skycrapers devoted an entire 55 minutes to nearly-complete One57, which the narrator calls the "Billionaire's Building" (over and over again). There are a lot of dramatic pans of the undeniably stunning views from way up there, but mostly the video dives into the intricacies of the construction process. (Like a meta, moving construction watch.)

Here's what you can learn: how a giant window washing apparatus got hoisted to the top of the 1,000-foot tower last spring; how an Extell exec went to Carrara, Italy, to select slabs for the bathroom in person; how oversized lobby columns had to be heaved through a window and installed; how a small British woodworking workshop has churned out hundreds of bespoke kitchen cabinets; and how everyone, from Gary Barnett to brokers to construction workers, is pretty much in awe of the massive, vaunted superscraper. Warning, there are lots of lines like this—"It's going to be the most luxurious skyscraper ever built!"—but there's a lot to learn about the icon, too, and those who've gotten it to this height.

1) After over four years of construction, footage taken on April 2, 2013, takes viewers inside the construction site and the $90 million penthouse, when it's just bones and windows and concrete. That same day, the roof gets put on.

One57, formerly known as Carnegie 57, is a 75-story (marketed as 90-story) skyscraper currently under construction at 157 West 57th Street in the Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Upon completion in 2014, it will stand at 306 meters (1004 feet) tall, making it the tallest residential building in the city, the building will have 92 condominium units on top of a new Park Hyatt Hotel with 210 rooms.

2) Let's talk windows. There are 8,400 total in the building, so they need to get cleaned somehow. So a company custom-made a 30-foot-long, 20-ton machine that'll have a "telescopic" retractable crane with a basket on its end that will house the cleaners and move up and down the building—but first it needs to be installed on the roof. As he's driving the equipment into Midtown, the project's overseer, who sports a thick New York accent, comments: "$50 million for an apartment and my windows are dirty? I'd definitely be upset."

Ten minutes into the first chapter, we learn that this is, according to the narration, "the Rolls Royce of window washers." We follow its ascent to the top, and hear the crane operator talk about the challenges of maneuvering a heavy object in 20- to 25-mph winds with millions of dollars worth of glass siding at risk. Says the project manager: "Every night, it's tough sleeping just with the thoughts of this piece going up and making everything safe for everybody." Aww. Tense! Cue the dramatic music, and a storm that rolls in and complicates things for everyone.

But then! There's a test run a few weeks later to check if it'll work. Everyone's nervous. Buttons are pressed; equipment hulks around. And then the "most sophisticated window-cleaning rig ever constructed" is ready to roll. The foreman's sweet commentary totally makes this part: "Every machine that we put out, somehow I always make my way back, and make sure the loving tender care that I put into it is continuing after I leave. They're basically my little kids!" He proudly says that the machine can be seen from anywhere in the city, and at first, "Nobody has a clue what it's for. This thing looks like a rocket launcher, ready to shoot out a missile!" Nope, just a very advanced cleaning system for 8,400 very expensive windows.

7) And here's the cute way the piece ends. First, there's the foreman who jimmied in those ginormous lobby columns saying: "One day maybe I'll be able to afford to come over here, and have a dinner with my girl, and at least say, you know, 'I was part of this.'" Then the window-washing rig's mastermind, up on the roof with his big telescopic crane baby, looks out at the city and says: "They're paying a hundred million of dollars downstairs and I got a billion-dollar view here, and I don't have to pay for it. God only knows who's going to be living here." Ain't it the truth.

Up In The Air - Delhi's Window Cleaners

A window cleaner in Delhi takes a break, relaxing in his harness and letting his hands and feet hang completely free. Click to enlarge.

Up in the air: Higher wages and surety of work have workers taking on the mantle of ‘desi’ Spider-Men. Billboards get pasted, bridges get painted and windows are washed far overhead by a giant army of men who are largely invisible to the rest of us. But for migrant labourers, high-rise buildings are a new focus for profit. Usually, a labourer’s job pays little, but people who come to the city looking for jobs when work in the fields is over have little choice. Working on an 18ft-high cellphone tower or cleaning windows on the 16th floor may be dangerous, but it can lead to a doubling of income.

Kundan Saha, 31, moved from Samastipur in Bihar to Delhi over a decade ago, and works as a window cleaner. He used to work as a “spider-man” cleaner, suspended from a rope harness from the roof, but lately he’s been working as a “lift” cleaner, with a trolley on the side of the building. “Lift zyaada aasaan nahin hai, jab seekh lete ho toh dono kaam ek hi hai (The lift system isn’t easier; once you’ve learnt the work, both are the same),” he says, explaining that even the rope harness is carefully secured, though it looks more risky. For window cleaners, it’s regular money. On an average, they earn Rs.600-800 daily. Saha says he makes around Rs.10,000 ($186) each month, and doesn’t have to look for jobs every day.

Rajesh is a window cleaner working on a high-rise in Gurgaon. Because of the high demand, window-cleaning is a relatively profitable job option, with proper safety measures in place. Click to enlarge.

Nitesh S., the proprietor of Rockonn Hygieclean Service, a Gurgaon-based cleaning service, says there is a big demand for professional window-cleaning services, particularly among companies with high-rise buildings in Gurgaon. Since these firms require proper paperwork, most window-cleaning companies look for full-time workers they can train. Nitesh says they have around 50 full-time employees, and he hires more people if required. But even for people looking for more transitory employment, like carpentry, masonry, bricklaying or general labour, Delhi’s high-rises are full of opportunity.

Faishal, 22, or perhaps 23—he isn’t sure—is a painter who has been working in Delhi for seven-eight years. Faishal, who shares a room with two other men near Malviya Nagar in south Delhi, left his village near Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh for Delhi when he was 15. He had been to the small town of Bijnor before, where he had worked as a painter. After he moved to Delhi, he slept on the station till a contractor hired him to paint buildings. He’s been doing such jobs ever since, sometimes working indoors to paint the walls of a house, sometimes suspended in a creaky harness from the side of a flyover to beautify it. Pictured: With seven years’ experience, painter Faishal glides across the side of the Nizamuddin flyover, Delhi, with a brush in hand. Click to enlarge.

Sandblasting is used to clean the metal surfaces and prevent rust formation. Gulab Kumar is squatting on a handmade bamboo platform, suspended under the iron bridge over the Yamuna, Delhi, as he works. Click to enlarge.

There is training of sorts. Faishal says, “Sab bata dete hain, sahi tareeke dikhate hai, poorane log naye log ke saath rakhte hain (They tell us what to do, teach us the tricks. The older people teach new people what to do).” Training takes a few hours and they’re supervised for a few days. Ask him if he feels scared dangling so far above a busy road, and he says, with a touch of bravado, “Jab karte hain toh dar nahin hota hai (When we are doing the work, we are not scared)”. Press him about why he doesn’t find safer work though, and he admits, “Baaki kaam mein profit nahin hai. Pet toh bharna hai (The rest of the work is not as profitable. We have to fill our stomachs).” The Rs.600 Faishal earns for a day’s work is nearly double of what he’d get in a labourer’s job at a construction site on the ground.

Sanjay paints a hoarding frame on Sohna Road, Gurgaon, without any harness to keep him from falling, for a mere Rs 300 ($6) a day. Click to enlarge.

Moreover, says Faishal, work in high-rises is easy to come by. Which is why Mohan Shukla, a 30-year-old embroiderer whose family has lived in what is now Noida Sector 52 for as long as he can remember, is working as a carpenter on a construction site. Building the frames and bannisters requires him to work on top of the building, often hanging over the side on floors where the walls are only partly complete. Shukla is popular—you can’t talk to him without being interrupted by the people passing by pausing to wish him. He worked in a factory in Surat for eight years, but that meant seeing his family for only a few months in a year. When his son was born, three years ago, Shukla decided he needed to stay in Delhi, but the only jobs available were in the booming construction industry—and that meant working in high-rise buildings.

Mohamed Shamshad is a bricklayer who works right on the edge of the buildings under construction, without any harness. Click to enlarge.

So for the moment there is work. But this could begin changing, perhaps sooner than anyone imagines. For instance, Delhi-based Milagrow Human Tech, which makes tablets, computers and robots, launched a window-cleaning robot in June. Rajeev Karwal, founder and CEO of Milagrow says, “Customers in India are very tech savvy and are ready to adopt the latest technology like never before.” Till they do, the high-rises will continue to have their invisible workers.

Window Washing Scaffold Collapse

"They were saying if you call OSHA you stand the chance of getting arrested or going to jail!"

Work to resume today at Hendrick as investigators continue to probe scaffold collapse (ABILENE, Texas): Work is expected to resume today at the site of Hendrick Medical Center’s Project 2010 construction project, where two workers were injured after scaffolding collapsed Monday afternoon. As work continues on the $86 million project after being suspended immediately after the collapse, investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration continue to look into the accident.

Witnesses said Monday the scaffold that collapsed appeared to reach the roofline of an adjacent building, about three stories up. One man, a glass subcontractor, was working on a swing stage — an aerial platform commonly used by window washers — when the collapse occurred. A second man, a framing contractor, was the only person working on the scaffold when it collapsed. He was freed from the rubble after about 90 minutes.

Joe Guillaume, a vice president with Hoar Construction, which is managing the site, said one of the injured workers has been released from Hendrick, while the second man remained in the hospital Tuesday afternoon with minor injuries. He did not identify the two employees. Guillaume said his company’s safety engineer and insurance company officials are working with the OSHA investigator. A structural engineer from OSHA is scheduled to arrive at the site Friday to lend his expertise to the investigation into how the scaffolding came crashing to the ground.

Guillaume said OSHA officials told him that the investigation is expected to continue at the site for at least a week. Elizabeth Todd, spokeswoman for OSHA, confirmed Tuesday that agency investigators were on the scene, but she said she wouldn’t release any information about the inquiry until the report becomes public record. She told the Reporter-News on Monday that such investigations typically can take as long as six months. Contrary to reports from some media outlets, Guillaume said Hoar employees have not been told not to report safety issues at the construction site to OSHA. That was a misunderstanding, he said.

After the scaffolding collapsed, Bill Myers, an electrical subcontractor working at the site, said he had attended a regular safety meeting Monday morning at which Joey Mathews, the Hoar project manager, indicated a worker had filed a complaint with OSHA. “He (Mathews) made it perfectly clear that OSHA did not need to be involved on this site. He said they run a very safe operation, and that you stand a good chance of going to jail for making a false report,” Myers said Monday afternoon. Myers said the nature of the alleged complaint was not disclosed at the meeting, and he could not say whether or not it was safety related. Todd confirmed Tuesday afternoon that OSHA had received a complaint but it was not related to scaffolding.

Guillaume said Hoar officials value safety and want to know of unsafe practices at any construction site. According to Hoar Construction’s website, “OSHA requires companies to maintain ‘recordable incident rates’ which measure the number of accidents in which a worker injured today cannot return to work tomorrow. The national average is 6.4 accidents for each 100 employees working 40-hour weeks for a full calendar year. Hoar’s rate of 2.33 is almost one third of the national average for the construction industry.” Duane Martin, Hendrick’s director of engineering services, said that he believes Hoar operates a safe construction site and that he only knows of minor accidents while the construction company has worked on Project 2010. Martin called it “a complex project,” saying he was pleased with how Hoar has worked without any problems until the scaffolding fell.

Workers KTXS spoke to said during a safety meeting the morning of the collapse HOAR supervisors urged them not to contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) with their concerns but instead go straight to their supervisors. Shortly before Monday's scaffolding collapse, on-site construction workers tell KTXS they were told something that stood out, especially now that an accident happened. "The general contractor made a blanket statement not to call OSHA about anything," said Bill Myers an electrical subcontractor with Long Electric. OSHA is the federal agency that enforces safe working conditions. Workers at the Hendrick site said OSHA had been contacted when they felt they weren't getting adequate drinking water. "They were saying if you call OSHA you stand the chance of getting arrested or going to jail," said Myers, "For making a false report."