GANTRY SYSTEMS FOR FACADE ACCESS
Zarafa provide gantry systems which offer a flexible solution to facade access needs. Gantries can be used internally or externally and can offer minimal visual impact on the building's aesthetics.
GANTRY SYSTEMS
WHAT IS AN ACCESS GANTRY?
An access gantry is essentially a bridge-like working platform that can traverse across a roof or interior space, allowing maintenance technicians to reach areas that would otherwise be inaccessible or unsafe to access.
Constructed as a rigid truss or frame (typically from lightweight high-strength materials like aluminum or steel), a gantry system often runs along rails or tracks that are fixed to the building’s structure. This allows the gantry to travel along or across large expanses of glazing or roofing. Gantries are usually equipped with walkways or decks (often with anti-slip grated flooring) and include full safety features such as guardrails, toeboards, and anchor points for harnesses.
In many cases, a gantry can also support a suspended cradle (work platform) or provide abseiling points, enabling technicians to descend vertically along façades beneath the gantry.
Unlike temporary scaffolding or cherry pickers, a permanent gantry offers a built-in solution that is readily available whenever maintenance is required. Because they are designed as part of the building’s access strategy, maintenance gantries provide a stable, engineered platform that greatly reduces the risk of falls and accidents while working at height.
In summary, an access gantry system ensures that even the most challenging architectural features can be reached safely and efficiently for routine cleaning, inspections, and repairs.
ROOF GANTRIES & ATRIUM GANTRIES - KEY APPLICATIONS
Roof gantries and atrium gantries are used anywhere a building’s design includes expansive or hard-to-reach glazed surfaces. These systems can be installed on the exterior or interior of a building, depending on the maintenance needs:
One of the major advantages of gantry systems is that they can be designed to have minimal visual impact on the building’s aesthetics. Since these structures can be custom-fitted to the shape of the roof or atrium, they often blend into the roofline or structural supports. When not in use, a gantry might be parked in a discreet location (for example, nested behind a roof parapet or in an out-of-sight parking bay) so that it does not detract from the building’s appearance. This makes gantries especially popular for high-profile buildings where appearance is important – they deliver the needed functionality for maintenance without ruining the appearance of the building.
GANTRY DESIGN & INSTALLATION SERVICES
Zarafa Group offers full design, fabrication, and installation services for bespoke gantry systems, tailored to the specific needs of your building. We work closely with architects, contractors, and access consultants to develop a gantry solution that fits the building’s structure and aesthetic while providing the required reach and load capacity for maintenance tasks.
Every building is unique – whether it’s a contemporary office with a vast glass atrium or a historic structure with a curved roof – so our engineering team conducts detailed surveys and design calculations to ensure the gantry system will fit perfectly and operate safely.
Bespoke Engineering
Our gantries are individually designed and adjusted to the shape of the roof or atrium in question.. Using modern design software and structural analysis, we engineer the gantry’s truss framework and track layout to navigate the building’s specific geometry. This includes the ability to design horizontal, inclined, or even curved gantries that follow the profile of vaulted roofs or domes, as needed. We can also incorporate telescoping sections or cantilevers into the gantry if the design calls for reaching over obstacles or retracting the platform when not in use.
Lightweight, High-Strength Construction
Most of our gantry systems are built from high-grade aluminum alloy sections, which provide an optimal balance of strength and low weight. A lighter gantry puts less load on the building structure and is easier to move (manual push or smaller motors) along its tracks. Where appropriate, steel components are used for additional strength. All systems include necessary safety elements such as handrails and toeboards, and we design the structure to meet or exceed British Standards (e.g. BS 6037-2 code of practice for travelling ladders and gantries) for safe permanently installed access equipment.
Integration with Other Access Methods
Our gantry solutions can be combined with other facade access systems for maximum versatility. For example, we can equip the underside of a roof gantry with suspension points or an integrated monorail so that a powered cradle (BMU cradle) can be attached to descend vertically from the gantry and reach areas below the gantry’s track. We can also incorporate abseil (rope access) anchor points on the gantry, allowing rope access technicians to rappel down to external façades from the gantry itself. This hybrid approach is extremely useful in atriums where the gantry provides a horizontal base and technicians can then abseil to reach high interior walls or external perimeter glazing that a gantry cannot directly pass over. All such features are designed with certified anchor systems and are tested during installation to ensure absolute safety.
Aesthetic & Low-Profile Installation
Understanding that gantries often reside in highly visible areas (like an all-glass atrium roof), our team takes care to minimize the visual impact. We offer a range of finishes and paint options – for instance, gantries can be anodized or powder-coated in any RAL color to match the surrounding structure. The track and support structure are installed in a way that blends with the building’s existing beams or roof supports, effectively making the gantry an unobtrusive part of the architecture. Additionally, we design parking areas or fold-away sections so the gantry can be tucked out of sight when not in use, maintaining the building’s clean lines.
Our installation process is comprehensive. We handle the logistics of delivering the gantry components to site, any necessary assembly, and installation of the tracks and drive systems. Once the system is installed, it undergoes thorough testing and commissioning.
We perform load tests, functional tests (ensuring the travel motors, brakes, and safety locks all operate correctly), and train the building’s maintenance staff in the safe operation of the equipment. By the time we hand over the system, you will have a fully certified access gantry ready for use, with documentation to show it meets all relevant safety standards.
Engineered Solutions@ Height
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE & REPAIR SERVICES
Beyond design and installation, Zarafa provides ongoing maintenance, inspection, and repair services for gantries and other access equipment. Regular maintenance is crucial for these systems, both to ensure the safety of the operators and to prolong the lifespan of the equipment. Industry guidelines and regulations (such as the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations and BS 6037) require that permanently installed access equipment be inspected and tested at least annually.
In practice, this means your roof or atrium gantry should get a thorough check-up every 12 months at minimum to remain compliant and safe. Our maintenance team is well-versed in these requirements and can schedule and carry out annual inspections, as well as more frequent checks if the system is heavily used or located in a harsh environment.
What does gantry maintenance include?
During a service visit, our trained engineers will inspect all mechanical and structural components of the gantry. This includes checking the track alignment and attachments, examining welds and bolts for integrity, testing the motorized drive units and brakes, and verifying the functionality of safety systems (such as emergency stop switches, safety lanyard anchors, and fall arrest devices). We also perform load testing at prescribed intervals to ensure the gantry can safely bear its rated load. After each inspection, we provide a detailed report and certification that your gantry system is safe for continued use.
In addition to scheduled maintenance, Zarafa offers prompt repair services. If your gantry or moving platform has been damaged, is malfunctioning, or is out of certification, our technicians can diagnose and fix issues ranging from motor or electrical problems to structural repairs or component replacement.
In cases where older gantries have become non-compliant or unreliable, we can advise on refurbishment or upgrades – for instance, retrofitting new control systems, adding safety features to meet updated standards, or even modifying the gantry to interface with new equipment.
Safety is at the forefront of our maintenance approach. Should any critical issues be found during inspection (e.g. worn-out cables, failed anchor points, etc.), we will take the system out of service and promptly work on remedies. With a properly executed maintenance plan, a quality gantry system can serve your building for decades, providing reliable access and protecting the safety of personnel and the public.
RECENT PROJECTS
Our portfolio includes challenging gantry installations on both modern and historic structures.
Waverley Gate, Edinburgh
Zarafa delivered a bespoke gantry solution for Waverley Gate in Edinburgh, a Grade A listed historic building with no prior access systems. Our team designed, manufactured, installed, tested and commissioned three custom gantries with abseiling anchor points to enable unobstructed access to the building’s most challenging facades. These gantries were carefully integrated into the building’s roof areas without altering its character, and they are now in full use along with ongoing servicing by our maintenance team.
Trafford Centre, Manchester
Another flagship project is the Trafford Centre in Manchester, one of the UK’s largest shopping centers, where extensive glazed roofs and dome structures required an innovative access solution. Zarafa provided a large-scale replacement gantry system that allows maintenance crews to safely traverse one of the iconic domes of the shopping centre These case studies demonstrate our ability to solve unique access challenges with creative engineering and to execute installations in complex environments (often working around other construction activity or within tight time windows).
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