Falmer House
Styles Façade Solutions® (formerly Thomann-Hanry®) was instructed to deliver University facade cleaning services at Falmer House, a Grade I listed building suffering decades of soiling and biofilm from its exposed, rain-lashed coastal location.
With the campus remaining fully operational, our scaffold-free Façade Gommage process was essential, reducing cost and disruption. Windows were carefully taped and masked using MEWPs before commercial façade cleaning began. Operating from a self-contained, lorry-mounted cabin, this low-pressure, water- and solvent-free method gently removed the dirt and grime.
Within 35 days, this façade cleaning services project restored over 9,000m² of façade, including the internal courtyard — all without a single pole of scaffolding.
Solutions provided
GETTING AN EDUCATION IN CLEANING IN BRIGHTON
While discussions about the founding of a university in Brighton began as early as 1911, it wasn’t until the 1950s that this became a feasible idea. By 1958, the government had approved the formation of the university, which became the first of the ‘plate glass universities’, established as a company in 1959 and gaining Royal Charter status on 16th August 1961.
The original campus was gradually constructed to the designs of renowned Modernist architect Sir Basil Spence (who also designed the new Coventry Cathedral), with Falmer House opening in 1962. The campus was designed to integrate seamlessly with – and not disturb – the surrounding natural beauty, using materials such as red brick, flint and concrete.
Many of the original campus buildings have won awards for design and subsequently gained listed building status, with Falmer House gaining Grade I listed status in 1993. The campus holds the distinction of being the only university which sits within a National Park (the South Downs), and if you look at a map of the campus, it is said to resemble the outline of a cat.
Styles Façade Solutions® carries out façade cleaning at Falmer House, University of Sussex, using the Façade Gommage process. A crane-mounted platform accesses the upper brickwork while ground equipment stands ready, surrounded by safety barriers, demonstrating the scale of work involved in restoring this Brutalist landmark.
ELEVATED MASONRY RECOVERY WITHOUT DISRUPTION
With Falmer House not having been cleaned in decades, Styles Façade Solutions® was instructed to deliver university facade cleaning services, removing the significant soiling and biofilm build-up which was present across the site. With the building being in an exposed and rural location, with frequent rain and strong winds blowing in from the sea, dirt and algal build-up was prevalent across the façade of the Grade I listed building.
Because the campus remained fully operational, identifying a low-impact solution for cleaning the building was imperative. Our use of the Façade Gommage cleaning process allowed for a completely scaffold-free delivery method, which helped to reduce the costs associated with traditional scaffolding. The project commenced with the precise taping and masking of all windows using MEWPs (Mobile Elevating Work Platforms), which protected the building's interior from any ingress of dust and particles.
The Façade Gommage cleaning process is carried out from a self-contained cabin attached to a lorry-mounted hydraulic boom. As part of our university facade cleaning services, this low-pressure, water- and solvent-free process gently rubs away any surface dirt and grime which has been accumulated over decades to reveal the original colour beneath. The super fine Aluminium silicate powder used in the cleaning process is projected at below 4 bar pressure.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAINMENT AND HIGH-VOLUME DELIVERY
To prevent the spent powder from settling back on the surface of the building after being used, the self-contained cabin acts as a giant vacuum, sucking the powder back into the cabin where it is collected and returned to the Styles Façade Solutions® Yard, where it is sent on for recycling as road aggregate.
Within 35 days, over 9,000m2 of façade (including the internal courtyard) had been cleaned, revealing the original façade’s colour and appearance. All without the need to erect a single pole of scaffolding.
“We are absolutely delighted with the results which have been delivered to the Grade I listed Falmer House. This project once again shows the outstanding results which the Façade Gommage cleaning process can deliver to commercial and heritage properties.”
Andy Thomas, 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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