Welcome to Façade Gommage - It's All the Rage

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• Welcome to Façade Gommage - It's All the Rage

12 May 2017 | Updated 01 January 1970

In the hotel trade, the exterior of your building says lots about your business to prospective guests (not to mention your staff). So it’s vital that your premises look their absolute best.

However, conventional cleaning methods can not only be environmentally unsound but also can mean months of unsightly scaffolding that can severely impact on trade.

The solution? Some very prestigious hotels in London have taken to Façade Gommage. Carried out from a lorry-mounted boom, this patented technique from London specialists Thomann-Hanry transforms buildings within days - and with no sign of scaffolding or disruption.

Thomann-Hanry are currently working their magic on three landmark buildings - Pall Mall’s historic Reform Club, Sofitel St James’s and the Bulgari Hotel and Residences in Knightsbridge.

Equally effective on stone, terracotta or brick, no water, chemicals or detergent are used. Instead, ultra fine powders are projected under low pressure from a cabin attached to the hydraulic boom, gently cleaning contaminated surfaces.

Completed in 1841, Pall Mall’s Reform Club occupies a building steeped in history. Its distinctive pillars, balusters and lanterns were based on Rome’s Palazzo Farnese. Tasked with cleaning the first elevation within seven days, Thomann-Hanry worked over Easter weekend, using to restore masonry to a pristine condition in keeping with the splendour of neighbouring properties.

Sofitel

Built in 1932 as the HQ of Cox & Co Bank, 6 Waterloo Place was converted into Sofitel St James’s in 2002. With the projected 15 day project currently underway, Thomann-Hanry have been carrying out façade gommage, bird deterrent work and stone repairs to all four of its splendid neoclassical elevations.

Bulgari Hotel

Bulgari Hotel and Residences was built by Sir Robert McAlpine in 2012, its striking design featuring ten floors of sheer Portland stone elevations. Close to Harrods in Knightsbridge, it occupies a location that is not only prestigious but also exposed to the damaging effects of high traffic volumes. With a three day timescale, Thomann-Hanry have cleaned the façade and applied Aqua Fend to protect the surface for up to 20 years.

Picture: Main - Bulgari Hotel, London. Below: Sofitel St James’s and Pall Mall’s historic Reform Club

Article written by Cathryn Ellis | Published 12 May 2017

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