1-27 The Horsefair
Styles Façade Solutions® (formerly Thomann-Hanry®) delivered commercial building cleaning across 4,875m² of Portland stone façade and over 500 Crittall windows, all while the store remained fully open and operational. With busy roads and constant pedestrian traffic on both elevations, scaffolding wasn’t an option, so cleaning was carried out outside normal hours using the Façade Gommage system, mounted on a lorry-based hydraulic boom.
Meanwhile, window repairs and redecoration continued during standard hours, with restorers using MEWPs to carefully restore and repaint over 500 metal frames.
By running round the clock and avoiding scaffolding entirely, the project was completed in just under 20 working days, with minimal disruption to staff, customers and passers-by.
Solutions provided
1-27 HAYMARKET, BRISTOL
Built on, and named after, the site of the historic medieval St James Fair horse market, (which ran from 1137 to 1837), 1-27 Haymarket/The Horsefair is the site of the former Lewis's building. Construction began in 1954, designed by renowned architect Sir Percy Thomas, and the striking six-storey Portland stone structure opened in 1958 and was instantly compared to a sleek ocean liner.
Built for Lewis’s of Bristol, it became the largest department store in Bristol, famous for its roof garden, magical Christmas displays and dedicated lift attendants. The group was acquired in 1981 and the site sold to another department store, John Lewis, until the retailer moved to their new location in The Mall at Cribbs Causeway in 1998.
The site then housed Bentalls (1998–2001) and House of Fraser (2001– 2009) until Primark acquired the leasehold in 2009. With significant development in the local area, the site has been recommended for inclusion on the ‘local list of valued buildings’, which is a Bristol Council-run locally significant building register.
Styles Façade Solutions® reveals the progress of overnight cleaning on the Portland stone façade at 1-27 Horsefair, Bristol, home to Primark. A clear contrast between cleaned and uncleaned stone sections demonstrates the transformation achieved.
COMPLEX LOGISTICS ON A MAJOR URBAN TRANSPORT CORRIDOR
With improvements being made internally, it was decided to refresh the store's exterior – a substantial undertaking involving 4,875m2 of Portland stone façade and over 500 Crittall windows requiring specialist restoration and redecoration.
The catch? The store needed to remain open and fully operational throughout the process. Furthermore, The Haymarket elevation is on the A38, a busy, tree-lined road with multiple bus stops and a dedicated bus lane; while the Horsefair elevation handles constant pedestrian traffic directly outside the main entrance to the store.
Given these significant operational restrictions, traditional scaffolding was not an option. For Styles Façade Solutions®, these types of commercial building cleaning projects are perfect to showcase the flexible nature of working with a team that fully understands the need to be scaffold-free. Due to the number of bus stops, we would also have to conduct the cleaning process outside of normal hours, with window repairs and redecoration happening during standard operational hours. This meant the project would be running round the clock.
The use of the Façade Gommage cleaning process is a heritage-grade system in which ultra-fine particles of Aluminium silicate is blown across the surface of the façade at low pressure to gently lift decades of encrusted dirt and grime. Façade Gommage is conducted from a self-contained cleaning cabin which is attached to a lorry-mounted hydraulic boom, this allows the whole system to be easily removed from site at the end of every shift.
20-DAY OVERNIGHT RESTORATION WITH ZERO TRADING LOSS
To inspect, repair and decorate over 500 Crittall windows, our team of qualified restorers and painters worked from Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs). This equipment allowed for the intricate restoration of the metal frames prior to them being painted with a hardwearing and colour-specific paint.
Combining the extensive façade clean with the window redecoration works, all without the need to erect intrusive, expensive, and time-consuming scaffolding, the entire project was completed in just under 20 working days. Most importantly, the store remained open for business as normal throughout, ensuring minimal disruption to staff, customers and the surrounding area.
“The project delivered for Primark Bristol highlights the benefits of working with Styles Façade Solutions, and the flexibility of using MEWPs and the Façade Gommage cleaning system when undertaking commercial building cleaning and repairs. With the store remaining open and experiencing minimal disruption throughout the duration of the project, it shows how we can deliver first-class results for retail businesses.”
Simon Collins, Business Development Manager, Styles Façade Solutions
See the links below for more examples of the results Styles Façade Solutions® (formerly Thomann-Hanry®) can deliver for your business.
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