South Brisbane is the newest high rise stock we work on. Almost everything between Melbourne Street and Merivale Street went up after 2012, which means glass curtain wall, aluminium composite panel, frameless balustrades and podium retail that stays open while you work above it. The older parts around Vulture Street and the industrial edges are a different job entirely: brick, painted render and roofs nobody has been on in a decade.

The new towers are straightforward to rig and awkward to schedule. Anchors are certified and the parapets are clear, but the buildings sit over active footpaths, bus stops and restaurant seating, and several have cultural or hospital neighbours who will not tolerate a drop zone in the middle of the day. Composite panel is the other thing to get right here. It takes soft wash chemistry and nothing more aggressive, because the coating is the only thing protecting the core.

South Brisbane at a glance

Building types

Glass and composite panel towers from 2012 on, 20 to 40 storeys

Typical access

Certified roof anchors on almost everything, with clear parapets

Usual frequency

Twice a year for glass, annual for anchors

What we watch for

Composite panel coatings, and podium retail that never closes

Photos

On site in South Brisbane

Abseil Pro rope access technician rigging over a glass balcony balustrade in South Brisbane with the Brisbane CBD behind
Rigging over a balcony edge at South Brisbane, with the CBD across the river.
Abseil Pro technician rigging ropes from a davit arm on a South Brisbane rooftop
Ropes rigged off the davit arm before the first drop.
Abseil Pro technician cleaning rooftop skylights with a pole in South Brisbane
Skylights washed on the roof, on the same visit as the glass.
Abseil Pro rope access technician squeegeeing balcony balustrade glass on a South Brisbane apartment tower
Squeegee on balustrade glass with the street a long way below.
Abseil Pro technician washing patterned glass balustrade panels on rope in South Brisbane
Washing the patterned balustrade glass before the squeegee pass.
Abseil Pro hoses and rope access equipment set out on a Brisbane rooftop before a facade clean
Everything staged on the roof before the first technician goes over.

Local work

On the ropes around South Brisbane

South Brisbane buildings are young enough that most of the work is keeping them looking new rather than fixing what has gone wrong. Glass, composite panel and render on a cycle, plus the height safety certification the building's own contractors need before they can go on the roof.

We schedule around the precinct rather than the building. Hospital, cultural and hotel neighbours all have their own quiet hours, and getting the drop zones agreed once across a few buildings in the same block is cheaper than negotiating it building by building.