Canada Water BMU Installation
Zarafa was appointed to design, supply, and install a bespoke 35-tonne telescopic Building Maintenance Unit (BMU) for a landmark mixed-use development at Canada Water, a flagship project led by British Land in partnership with Wates Construction. The BMU system was developed to provide safe, efficient, and long-term facade access for window cleaning, maintenance, and inspections across the complex building elevations.
Our experienced project management and engineering team managed every stage of the process in-house, delivering a turnkey BMU solution that included:
• Initial design and access strategy development to ensure the BMU met all architectural, structural, and operational requirements.
• Coordination with structural engineers, architects, and the main contractor to integrate the cradle system seamlessly into the building envelope.
• Complete control of manufacturing and fabrication, ensuring compliance with relevant British Standards and international codes for BMU systems.
• Off-site factory acceptance testing (FAT) to verify safety, performance, and mechanical tolerances before delivery.
• Logistical planning and delivery of the 35-tonne telescopic unit to the Canada Water site, including specialist lifting and installation methods.
• Full on-site installation and commissioning, with health and safety oversight throughout, including method statements, risk assessments, and lifting plans.
The system provides a highly adaptable facade access platform, allowing building maintenance and cleaning teams to operate efficiently and securely across the varied building elevations. The telescopic boom offers extended reach while maintaining a compact footprint when stowed, ideal for dense urban environments.
This project highlights Zarafa’s capabilities in delivering complex facade access systems for major developments, with a strong focus on safety, compliance, and quality engineering. Our end-to-end approach reduces client risk, saves time on coordination, and ensures a fully compliant BMU installation that will serve the building for decades.
