The Sky's The Limit For Window Cleaning Systems

There’s no doubt that the professional window cleaning sector will continue to make progress, taking advantage of new technology and innovations in engineering and materials to produce even more adaptable window cleaning systems.

The sky's the limit for window cleaning systems: They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and the window cleaning sector is certainly proving this to be true, using innovative materials, technology and designs to answer client needs.  Jochen Wagener, head of marketing for Unger Europe, reveals how window cleaning systems are adapting and developing to keep pace with key market trends.

The only way is up – if the continuing architectural trend for high-rise buildings is anything to go by. The majority of our most iconic buildings seem to prove the theory that size matters, in terms of height, that is. Whether we are talking about the Shard in London, the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt, or the Torre de Cristal in Madrid, the fashion for high-rise, high-tech designs – featuring lots of glass and metal – doesn’t look like slowing down any time soon.

Tall buildings, whether new or established, need regular, thorough and effective cleaning to ensure they present a professional face to customers and colleagues. For the highest heights, ‘robotic’ automatic window cleaning systems, operated by remote control and using chemical-free pure water, are gaining ground. However, if a more ‘James Bond’ approach is preferred, abseiling using traditional squeegees is also still widely used. Operatives can also regularly be seen cleaning high level windows from cradles, using small poles, brushes and again pure water.

Professional window cleaners continue to embrace new methods and equipment – with water-fed poles emerging as another popular choice. These poles allow operatives to clean high buildings and windows safely from the ground, alleviating the need to work at height.

For many years, window cleaners have had the choice of two types of pole system: telescopic or modular. However, telescopic poles can tend to flex as they are extended, with a subsequent loss of control. They also have some weight issues; for example, a six-section telescopic pole will always have six sections as they cannot be removed – so even if you only need to use four sections to clean to the height required, you are still carrying the weight of six.

Modular systems, although better at extending without weakening rigidity, simply become too heavy as they are extended, and the extensions also add width to the poles making them less easy to handle. They can also take a long time to construct or build up, which is a disadvantage in terms of making the best use of operatives’ time.

This presented the sector with a challenge: how do you create a water-fed pole system that will clean up to 65 feet/20 metres in height, but be both lightweight and easy to control? Along with engineering and design techniques, combining the best features of both telescopic and modular poles, using the right materials is crucial – and more and more options are emerging to provide specific solutions.

Carbon fibre, fibreglass and aluminium are all materials that have brought choice and flexibility to the window cleaning sector, helping to create equipment that offers alternatives to suit the situation or building type. Carbon fibre in particular offers an amazing balance between strength, weight and rigidity. In comparison to steel it is stronger, more rigid, and yet it weighs considerably less.

These ‘next generation’ carbon fibre poles provide a better balance between weight and rigidity. Because the poles are lighter they make the job of a cleaning operative that much easier and more comfortable, putting less of a strain on their bodies and enabling them to clean swiftly and efficiently. The fact that they are lighter also means that the operative is less likely to get tired as quickly, so they can clean a larger surface area than if using a conventional system.

However, just because the poles are lightweight it doesn’t mean that they deliver less in terms of rigidity. Even when extensions are added to increase the length and reach of the system, the poles do not bend or become unwieldy. On the contrary rigidity, and therefore control, is maintained, allowing every corner and crevice to be cleaned thoroughly.

As companies and organisations have become more environmentally aware, an increase in the use of solar panels has also brought challenges for the window cleaning sector. Installing solar panels represents a big investment in both time and money, so businesses need to ensure that they are kept in top condition to reap the expected rewards.

The Renewable Energy Association (REA) says that solar power is the fastest growing energy technology in the world. The two main systems currently in use are:

• Photovoltaic (PV) panels – these convert sunlight into electricity and are available in a variety of formats including cladding, roof tiles, and custom glazing.

• Solar hot water systems – these absorb energy from the sun and transfer it, using heat exchangers, to heat water. A variety of collectors are available, which are commonly mounted on roofs in the same way as PV panels.

No matter where a building is sited, solar panels are exposed to the weather and environmental influences 24/7, 365 days a year. Dust, dirt and other deposits not only look unsightly, they affect the performance of the panels. Traffic fumes and soot can build up quickly, especially on systems that are located near roads, railway stations or on industrial parks where there is a constant stream of trucks, vans and cars.

The orientation of the panels is another factor to consider. Because you are looking to achieve maximum exposure to sunlight, panels should ideally be oriented to the south. When oriented in other directions, a build-up of plants or moss on the surface can result. The angle at which the panels are placed can also have an impact.

It’s widely agreed that if the panels lay very flat, then there will be more deposits to deal with. A steeper angle will help, to a certain extent, but dirt may still have a tendency to collect in lower corners. And although rain removes some of the existing dirt, it also deposits new dirt on the surface.

Soiling that is left on the panels stops sunlight from getting through, meaning that less energy is produced, in some cases resulting in a decrease in efficiency of 30 per cent. This is obviously not acceptable, so regular cleaning should be put in place to ensure you protect your investment.

Water-fed poles have already established themselves as a popular choice with professional window cleaners, because they allow them to clean high buildings and windows safely from the ground, alleviating the need to work at height. These pole systems now also lend themselves perfectly to cleaning solar panels, dispensing with the need for ladders or cranes but still cleaning safely and efficiently to help boost solar output.

Cleaning with chemicals also runs the risk of leaving a film on the panels that can prevent the sun’s rays from getting through, so the most effective way to clean is to use pure water. To get to this state the water is processed to remove the minerals and impurities that would otherwise dry and lead to spots and streaks.

Cleaning techniques used on the outside of buildings are now helping to influence how interiors are maintained, and window cleaning equipment is adapting to fulfil a growing need for safe and effective ways to do an ‘inside job’.

Many different businesses and organisations require indoor cleaning systems. From shopping centres, with their central, glass-clad atriums; to museums and galleries that need safe ways to clean around precious exhibits; to manufacturing facilities incorporating roof skylights – indoor cleaning is becoming increasingly important.

Demand is growing for easy-to-use, flexible systems. Companies are looking for more efficient ways to keep their premises clean – and that means efficiencies in both time and money. Methods of cleaning high interior windows that dispense with the need for ladders, but still operate in a safe way, are becoming more popular.

Telescopic pole systems are smaller and lighter, so they are more easily moved around buildings and between floors than bulky ladders, plus they get the job done quickly, without compromising quality. Systems that use pure water don’t need chemicals, saving both money and helping companies with their ‘green’ agendas; plus re-usable, washable pads mean less waste and more sustainability.

Indoor window cleaning systems means that customers are now able to clean places that were previously out of reach, such as ceilings, escalators, conservatory roofs and elevators. Ordinarily, this would require specialist cleaning and logistics to arrange – increasing financial outlay because of the high cost of hiring equipment such as scissor lifts, and causing disruption to the working day because areas have to be closed off while cleaning takes place – but the latest systems provide a solution to these problems.

Thanks to continuous product development and feedback from clients on their changing needs, great cleaning results are now the norm, and not difficult to achieve when compared to the more traditional glass cleaners and paper towels, used in years gone by.

There’s no doubt that the professional window cleaning sector will continue to make progress, taking advantage of new technology and innovations in engineering and materials to produce even more adaptable window cleaning systems. Whether you need to clean inside, outside, or up on the roof, the 21st century window cleaning sector is rising to the challenges ahead, and providing imaginative solutions that deliver the required results.

Indoor Window Cleaning At Height

Not just outdoors: Ann Laffeaty finds out about the increasingly sophisticated window cleaning systems on the market that can be used for cleaning the interior windows of offices, stores and other facilities without causing any disruption or water damage. Traditional window cleaning systems involve buckets, squeegees, detergents and plenty of water. Even water-fed pole systems – which require no detergents – still result in water being sprayed on to windows with the excess left to run down the outside of buildings. Yet an increasing number of companies are opting to have their indoor windows cleaned by professional firms, sometimes while the buildings are still in use. So how do they avoid any run-off water dripping on to staff, equipment and furniture?



Indoor window cleaning systems are designed to closely target the windows to be cleaned. In general they only use a fine spray of liquid – usually pure water - to minimise the amount of moisture and eliminate the risk of water damage.

Unger offers an indoor system that allows window cleaning to be carried out at heights of up to 30 ft without the need for ladders. “Users simply fill their spray bottle with glass cleaner or - even better, deionised pure water - and attach their chosen pad to the pad holder,” said Unger European sales manager Dave Rogers. “They then spray the water directly on to the pad and begin cleaning.”

New Indoor Window Cleaning System from Unger.

The Unger system uses either a microfibre pad with shorter fibres for regular cleaning, or a pad with longer fibres for periodic washing and heavy soiling. The pad is attached to the aluminium swivel head pad holder via a Velcro backing that fits all Unger poles using a thread adapter.

Pure water is recommended since it leaves glass and surfaces spot and streak-free without the need for chemicals, said Rogers. “Water is sprayed directly on to the pad which means there is little or no excess that can splash on to other surfaces,” he said. “And because the water is pure, you can simply wipe the surface until it is clean and then leave it to dry naturally.”

No buckets of water

However, he says it makes sense for building managers to take precautions to protect window sills, walls, furniture, computer equipment and personal possessions from water damage before interior windows are cleaned. “Though since our system does not rely on buckets of water as in traditional methods, there is less risk of any damage occurring,” he said.

According to Rogers demand is growing for easy-to-use, flexible indoor window cleaning systems. “Companies are looking for more efficient ways to keep their premises clean – and that means efficiencies in both time and money,” he said. “Methods of cleaning high interior windows that dispense with the need for ladders - but still operate in a safe way - are becoming more popular.”

He says there are many organisations that require professional indoor cleaning systems. “From the blue-chip global company that needs to keep the glass atrium at its headquarters clean, to the school dining hall with its high windows and the printing works with its roof skylights – indoor cleaning is becoming increasingly important,” he said.

Mineral-free water

“I think the sector will continue to make progress and take advantage of new technology and innovations both in engineering and materials to produce even more adaptable indoor window cleaning systems,” he said.

Managing director of Salki, Leo van Hal agrees that indoor window cleaning is very much a growing business. The company offers the Aqua Clean window cleaning system which can be used for cleaning interior high-rise windows and surfaces.

Mineral-free water is transported to a microfibre glass pad cleaner at the end of a lightweight water-fed pole by remote control. “The system only delivers the necessary amount of water which means there is no mess,” said van Hal. “It also leaves a streak-free finish and the fact that minimal water is used helps to prolong the life of the microfibre pad.”

The Aqua Clean system can be used wherever there is a reach problem and where a conventional solution cannot be carried out, according to van Hal.  “The system is easy to operate and it also saves time,” he said.

He claims the system is unusual because of its remote control operation and because it uses two fine-spray nozzles to deliver the water rather than just one. “The remote control system helps to control the flow of water to create an optimal result,” he said.

IPC Pulex has just launched a new indoor system which combines all the cleaning components into one hand-operated pole. Cleano, which requires no electricity or batteries, consists of a lightweight anodised aluminium frame weighing no more than 950 g; a 750 ml integral tank said to be sufficient for a day’s cleaning, and a telescopic extension enabling the operator to clean at heights of up to five metres from the ground.

A mechanical pump micro-nebulises the distilled or demineralised water while a cloth made from 'honeycomb' microfibre is said to remove oil, grease and dirt without leaving marks or smears.
Luca Bertesi, product manager for IPC Pulex’s Ultra Pure system division, who demonstrated the system at ISSA/INTERCLEAN in May said: “Everything is incorporated into one tool so there is no motor, no tank, no wires and no belts. It is also very safe since there is no need to
use ladders.”

Cleano was conceived specifically for indoor use and the structure of the tool has been designed to avoid drips, says IPC Pulex sales and marketing director Loris Giustetto. “It operates with a minimum amount of water and can be used for quick unplanned cleaning during work hours – even in offices where the desks may be strewn with files or computers or while people are present - without having to interrupt activities or cause a disturbance,” he said.

No moving furniture

Lehmanns’ Lewi Indoor system is claimed to offer the best of all worlds – high-rise indoor cleaning capable of removing heavy soiling in difficult-to-reach places, but with no risk of water damage. The system comprises stabile telescopic poles, a vaporising system for demineralised water and a choice of microfibre pads depending on the level of soiling that needs to be removed.

“Cleaning is carried out directly from the ground and equipment such as buckets, washers and squeegees are not required,” said Lehmann managing board member Joachim Supthut.

“There is no need to move furniture before cleaning takes place - the microfibre pads and special spray nozzles allow water to be distributed evenly and precisely on to the cleaning surface without dropping any on to the floor.”

The telescopic poles allow cleaning to be carried out at heights of up to 10 metres, says Supthut, and the lightweight pump-and-spray system helps to conserve battery life. He says the system is widely in use in environments such as hotel reception areas, shopping centres, atriums and offices and can be used to clean staircases and other smooth surfaces as well as windows.

Expanding sector

Brodex offers a portable indoor window cleaning system with a long reach option allowing cleaning to be carried out at working heights of up to 60 ft. The Misty system uses a fine mist of pure water that is sprayed on to the glass surface by 12v dc battery-powered water sprayers. The water is then mopped away from the glass by an absorbent cleaning head attached to a telescopic pole.

“The whole point of the Misty Kit is that it uses minimal amounts of water and there is no need to cover the area or move furniture,” said Brodex machine services managing director Sean Burke. “The water is delivered in a misty spray which is wiped away immediately.”

The Misty system comes in two formats: a low-level office internal Misty Kit and a high-level, heavy-duty Misty Kit using an eco trolley. According to Burke the system is particularly suitable for cleaning the reception areas of large offices and other establishments, particularly those with high atriums.

He says awareness of indoor cleaning systems is growing and he believes the sector is expanding. “I think all window cleaners will have an internal cleaning tool before long since this type of delivery can be used for various surfaces and applications,” he said.

European Water Fed Poles - Pole Position

Michelle Marshall, Editor of the European Cleaning Journal was kind enough to provide the full print copy to read below.
With the advent of water-fed poles, is there still a need for traditional window cleaning methods such as detergents, ladders and cradles? Will these die out, or will there always be some applications where they are essential? Ann Laffeaty finds out...

Pole position (From the European Cleaning Journal - Edition June/July 2010): It is becoming increasingly hard for window cleaners to justify going about their business in the old-fashioned way, using a ladder and squeegee. The European Work at Height Directive has revolutionised window cleaning and imposed new restrictions on the industry. Working at height is an integral part of the window cleaner’s role and the ladder was once his most important tool. But it was also his most dangerous since an estimated two-thirds of accidents that occur when working at height involve the use of ladders. The new regulations stipulate that if a high-rise task can reasonably be carried out from the ground, that is how it must be done. And the advent of water-fed poles has made the vast majority of window cleaning tasks achievable from ground level. Since using pole systems is also faster and more efficient than ladders – while enabling the window cleaner to access greater heights - it is hard to argue that using a water-fed pole is not a viable alternative in most cases.

So, is there still a need for conventional cleaning methods such as the ladder, squeegee and bucket? Probably not, according to Brodex general manager Ann Forde-Johnston. “Cleaning from the ground is much faster which means window cleaners have more time to carry out their job and earn more money,” she said. “Water-fed poles are also the safest way of cleaning windows. Cleaners are being forced off ladders because of insurance issues – building owners don’t want to run the risk of an accident on their premises.” Brodex offers water-fed poles reaching heights of around 70 feet, though Forde-Johnston concedes that 60 feet tends to be the upper limit when working from the ground. “You can’t really see the dirt on the window at 70 feet and if the pole is too long or too heavy, the window cleaner can’t control it and it can fall. Using an over-long pole can also lead to back or neck injuries.” She said a cherry picker was required at heights of more than 60 feet – though even here a water-fed-pole could be used. “Larger buildings often have a water tank on the roof and window cleaners simply use their poles from the cradle. In fact we often receive calls from architects asking us where to build a water tank into the design to make life simpler for window cleaners.”

Unger’s marketing co-ordinator Axel Droste agrees that water-fed poles are taking over the industry. “Ladders will die out as regulations restrict their use and pole work becomes more widespread,” he predicted. Unger manufactures three modular pole systems enabling work to be carried out at heights of up to 20 metres. The company also has a Classic range incorporating squeegees, scrapers and accessories. According to Droste there is still a need for traditional hand tools for indoor work, low-level cleaning and hard-to-reach areas. Unger also offers a detergent for classic cleaning. “Our RO filter has a second pump that sucks soap out of a canister to supplement pure water in difficult applications, such as where windows have not been cleaned for a long time,” said Droste. “In general soaps and chemicals are not needed but in some cases they can help.”



The IPC Group is another organisation that provides both traditional window cleaning equipment and water-fed poles. According to marketing director Walter Tomasi: “Squeegees and detergents are still useful for particular tasks such as cleaning in internal environments, in places where there is no easy access and for traditional window cleaning. “As for water-fed poles, the limit of this cleaning system has always been the maximum level they can reach - generally considered to be 15-20 metres. But at IPC we thought to go beyond this.” The company has developed the HighRise system, a robot said to be able to clean glass surfaces of any height from the ground via a radio link. “Compared with manual window cleaning alternatives, HighRise makes the task of cleaning high rise façades both safer and more effective,” claims Tomasi.

Window Cleaning Warehouse director Julian Davies says the need for traditional window cleaning methods is now mainly confined to the domestic sector. The company offers both water-fed poles and traditional equipment. “There are still a great many window cleaners working domestic rounds, and one-man businesses can find the capital requirement of buying the equipment for pure water cleaning somewhat daunting,” he said. “However, even these businesses are becoming more aware of the Working at Height regulations.” Where ladders are still being used, safety remains an issue. One company looking to address this is Rojak which manufactures a range of anti-slip ladder stabilisers. “Ladders are essentially unstable and need to be brought up to date,” said Rojak director Barry Weatherall. “We are trying to increase the safety of ladders all the time.” But according to Weatherall, water-fed poles are not without their own health and safety problems. “You see window cleaners using water-fed poles walking backwards into the road where they could easily be knocked over,” he said. “And with all that water being sprayed around you are potentially creating a skating rink during the winter months.”

Ice hazard:
Marketing manager of Ionic Systems Philip Hanson agrees that ice can be an issue in the winter. “Industry guidelines advocate spreading rock salt around the area and cordoning it off if there is a risk of the water freezing,” he said. “But personally I have never heard of anyone injuring themselves from ice caused by water-fed poles, and I read every month about people injuring themselves when working at height.” Ionic Systems launched the Reach and Wash - a mobile, vehicle-mounted water-fed pole system - in 1997. The company also manufactures a range of water-fed poles with a maximum reach of 72 feet. According to Hanson the scope of the tools is growing all the time. “External window cleaning can be carried out with a water-fed pole to heights of 7o feet - which is beyond the reach of ladders anyway,” he said. “Abseiling cleaners tend to use normal tools, but what we are finding in warmer countries is that an increasing number of abseiling cleaners use short-reach water-fed poles. This is because if you squirt soapy water on a window in hot weather it will quite often dry before you get a chance to rinse it off.” Improvements are constantly being carried out in the water-fed pole industry.

Brodex’s Ann Forde-Johnston says the company is developing lighter poles to enable the task to be carried out more safely and claims the company’s own 60 feet carbon fibre pole is the lightest on the market at only 2.6 kilos. Brodex is also working closely with the Federation for Window Cleaners to run training courses. “Using water-fed poles requires a simple technique but if you don’t get it right, it can lead to all kinds of problems,” she said. “We always train customers on how to use our equipment but we are not window cleaners. So we are planning to offer our customers discounted training course from the Federation for Window Cleaners.” So, are water-fed pole systems replacing traditional ladder-and-bucket methods? According to Forde-Johnston the only window cleaning tasks that cannot always be carried out effectively via a pole system is indoor work. “Customers don’t tend to like having water inside, so some of our larger commercial customers carry ladders for indoor use,” she said.

Even that is due to change if the water-fed pole companies have their way. Ionic Systems has developed the Pro-10 water-fed pole system designed for use in buildings with high internal glass windows. This uses a high-powered vacuum to collect, re-purify and re-use the water. And Forde-Johnston adds: “At Brodex we are in the process of developing an indoor system comprising a large reservoir of water and a high-reach indoor cleaning facility. We were mortified at ISSA/INTERCLEAN in Amsterdam that the system wasn’t ready because people were asking for it, but we’re pretty close to launching it.”

Poles not always the answer:
However water-fed poles will never take over the industry completely according to regional operations manager of cleaning service provider OCS Michael Chambers, who says the company’s window cleaners always use traditional tools for high-rise work. “We only use poles at heights of up to 60 feet - any higher than that and we use a cradle or scaffolding,” he said. “And we don’t use water-fed poles from a cradle since you are swinging about in mid-air and they are much more difficult to control.” Despite the development of water-fed pole systems for indoor work, he said OCS was still more likely to use a ladder or mobile platform plus traditional tools for internal cleaning. In fact water-fed poles are not even the complete answer for external work, according to Chambers. “If you had a 60 feet building made entirely of glass with no sun canopies, screens or other obstructions you could clean the entire structure using a water-fed pole,” he said. “But modern buildings often have such features, while older buildings may also have beams or balconies. “I think water-fed poles will become a dominant method of window cleaning but they can never replace traditional methods completely. There will always be a place for the cradle system.”

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Window Cleaners Adapt to Architecture

The most recent edition of the European Cleaning Journal (ECJ) contained an article of the challenges of window cleaning today. Michelle Marshall, Editor of the European Cleaning Journal was kind enough to provide the full print copy to read below.

Cleanable windows - What are the most difficult cleaning challenges that a professional window cleaner has to face? And what equipment has been developed to cope with such tough challenges? Ann Laffeaty looks at aspects of the industry such as high-rise cleaning, large areas of glass and difficult-to-reach areas and discovers how window cleaning is being adapted to make all windows cleanable.

Photo courtesy of Unger

Window cleaning used to be a relatively simple process. One window was much the same as another, after all, and window cleaners required very few tools to carry out their trade successfully. In most cases a ladder, a bucket, a squeegee and a chamois would be sufficient. Where the building was particularly tall, a rail-like structure would be fitted around the top of the building and a cradle would operate from this. But various factors have conspired to complicate the window-cleaning task. On the one side, stringent new health and safety laws have outlawed the practice of cleaning from a ladder above a certain height. Cradles are no longer always a viable alternative either, mainly due to the escalating cost of insurance but also because the shape of modern buildings sometimes makes a rail impossible to fit.

Meanwhile, the fact that architects are becoming increasingly ambitious in their quest for that unique, award-winning design means they are building highly creative structures whose windows are often difficult to clean. Vice-president of Ettore Products Europe Niels Ysbrandy confirms this. “We find that about 10-20 per cent of buildings these days have freaky architecture that looks fantastic and the architects are applauded for it – then six months later the building manager finds it is impossible to clean, or the cleaning cost is 10 times what it should be,” he said. “For example there are buildings that are very difficult to access because they are in a car park or surrounded by hedges or trees. Sometimes it is practically impossible to get to the glass area because it is curved or set at an angle. This can occur in any type of building whether it is an office block, a school or an airport.”

Leaded light windows in historic buildings, pubs and churches also present a problem since these have to be cleaned by hand with a sponge and then a chamois, he said. “Large areas of glass are also a challenge,” added Ysbrandy. “If you have a smooth surface you can clean it very fast and efficiently, but any obstacle will slow down the process.”
According to Ysbrandy water-fed poles have greatly improved the situation. “These can be used from the ground and will clean the windows using pure water, which means there are no mineral deposits on the glass,” he said. “It is not rocket science, but water-fed poles have been the biggest breakthrough in the industry for some years.”

Ettore also offers various tools for hard-to-access cleaning. These include Reach poles that have an angle adaptor claimed to be particularly effective for use on solarium glass. The company also offers telescopic squeegees that combine an absorbent sponge head with a metal handle that extends up to seven feet.
According to Unger’s marketing co-ordinator Alex Droste, one of the major challenges facing today’s window cleaners are the large, high buildings whose entire roof is made of glass. These are often encountered in new train stations and big industrial buildings, for example. “It means you have to walk over the glass in order to access and clean the central areas, which is very hard to do.”

Unger’s answer to high-level cleaning is the HiFlo CarbonTec water-fed pole. This uses aluminium and lightweight carbon tubing to allow the user to customise the length up to 50 feet. “But in terms of height it is limited,” said Droste. “If you have a very complicated job you may need a crane, but then it becomes expensive. Sometimes buildings are cleaned by teams of abseilers but this is not very common in Europe. There is always a high cost and safety factor when dealing with high-rise, complicated buildings.”
He said the growing problem was a by-product of modern building design. “Architects are creating buildings that look very nice, but they don’t ask the window cleaners for their suggestions on how to clean them. Sometimes they are consulted but often they are not – and many window cleaning companies would like to be involved.”

This is exactly what a UK organisation is trying to achieve through the Building Cleanability Awards (BCA). This annual event encourages architects to consider how new buildings are to be cleaned by presenting an award to those designers who create the most 'cleanable' buildings.
The importance of building cleanability is greater now than ever according to BCA chairman Paul Taylor, who is also director of cleaning and facilities management contractor Incentive QAS.
“About 25-30 years ago everything was cleaned by ladder or cradle, but today’s designers have gone mad with their pencils and between them and EU legislation it is very rare that a building these days can be cleaned by ladder,” he said. “Cradles are not always viable because insurance is so expensive and if you look at modern buildings such as the Gherkin in London, where do you fit a cradle?

Another British building that must be a challenge for window cleaners is the Spinnaker Tower that overlooks Portsmouth harbour. It is a 170 metre high structure but the glass doesn’t start until 20 floors up - and then it is in the shape of a sail. You wonder how they clean buildings such as this - as well as other modern structures such as the newest hotel buildings in Dubai. It must be a nightmare.” He says the problem arises from the fact that building owners are increasingly demanding that their buildings should stand out, and architects are keen to deliver on this. “In the US and Australia, building designers consult with the cleaning bodies when designing a building. But in Europe we tend to build to be pretty rather than functional.”

However, this year the BCA has achieved a breakthrough in terms of dialogue with building designers. “For the first time in 16 years, the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists have come on board and are helping to promote the Building Cleanability Awards to their architect and design members,” said Taylor. “This will hopefully lead to a new period of co-operation between designers and cleaners.” Director of the Building Cleanability Awards Richard Chisnell added: “We don’t want to cramp the designers’ creativity and make every building a square box, but we would like to encourage them to think how their creations are going to be maintained after the construction team has moved off the site. “Sometimes it is only once that has happened that the penny drops and they think: 'How are we going to clean this?’”
He said factors that should be considered in the design stage were that no trees, hedges or grass were planted too close to the building and that space for parking cherry-pickers was provided. Sometimes windows should be capable of being cleaned from the inside to make life easier for the window cleaners.

According to Chisnell, incorporating cleanable design features into new buildings would go a long way to facilitating the cleaning task while also ensuring the safety of the workforce. “In recent years a whole generation of abseilers have come on to the scene whose task is to clean the highest-rise windows,” he said. “That is fine as long as they comply with health and safety regulations – in fact, it shows that the cleaning industry has done its bit to move with the times.
“But we want to raise the profile of cleaning within the building industry and we are very encouraged by the fact that the designers have said yes, you have a point, we would like to support it.
“In the meantime the window cleaning industry has been sufficiently flexible and adaptable to rise to any challenge. In fact, that’s why we are the thriving industry we are today.”

Photo courtesy of Mr Longarm