By fostering long-term partnerships and collaborating closely with tier one clients, Integral Cradles and GIND UK continue to set the standard for complex façade access solutions.
For more than 20 years, the Integral Cradles brand has been synonymous with trust and excellence, delivering advanced and complex façade access solutions for the UK’s most iconic buildings.
The firm has been involved in many façade access installation projects, spanning London’s iconic skyline, including The Leadenhall Building, 30 St. Mary’s Axe, One Blackfriars Tower, and 52 Lime Street, famously known as The Scalpel, to name a few.
One of Integral Cradles’ competitive advantages is its record for repeat business. The firm has a long and proud history of delivering engineering and safe solutions for tier one clients, as managing director Kevin Walton explains:
“We’ve always worked with the approach that everything we do should be collaborative. We work with our clients to develop solutions that begin at concept and continue through to the building’s end-of-life. Providing that assurance throughout the building lifecycle means we build lasting partnerships with our clients, some of whom have worked with us for more than 20 years.”
Long term partnerships
Integral Cradles works with its tier one clients to design and develop bespoke access solutions for skyscrapers of all kinds. The equipment is built by the firm’s manufacturing partner GIND UK at the company’s dedicated facility before the system is then rigorously tested before being delivered to site. There, the specialist team from Integral Cradles will install it at the specified position on the building, navigating any access challenges along the way through meticulous project management. The ongoing maintenance of the systems is then supported by GIND UK – the warrantied maintainer of all of Integral Cradles’ installed equipment.
Some prime examples of Integral Cradles’ key clients and long-term project partners are global construction giants MACE and Multiplex, and leading London firm Canary Wharf Contractors Limited (CWCL). These companies deliver the construction of high-profile and prestigious landmarks across London and for many years have placed their trust in Integral Cradles to develop and install their façade access systems safely and efficiently.
Wood Wharf: A case study
During 2024, Integral Cradles has been working at the Wood Wharf development located at Canary Wharf, installing equipment on behalf of CWCL. Billed as ‘Canary Wharf’s new neighbourhood’, Wood Wharf will provide up to 3,600 new homes, 2 million square feet of office space, 350,000 square feet of retail space and over nine acres of public spaces, squares and parks. There will also be a GP surgery and a school.
Discussing this collaboration, Kevin said: “Our ongoing partnership with Canary Wharf Contractors Limited is a testament to our expertise and dedication to providing bespoke solutions to the client’s needs. During our work with CWCL, we work with the project architects, contractors, and facilities management teams to ensure the façade access solution becomes a seamless part of the building’s operation.”
“CWCL trusts us to deliver a solution that begins from the building’s inception and will last right through to completion. Working closely with the team then ensures we can manage any challenges throughout the programme.”
Recent work from Integral Cradles has seen the installation of three BMUs across various buildings at the development with Building B2 and Building E4 each receiving one BMU and Building J1/J3 receiving one BMU along with one Abseil Davit System.
In June, Integral Cradles returned to the Wood Wharf development for a project at the E3/E4 building. The work involved factory testing of access equipment, with the team currently underway with the installation of a BMU track and access systems to enable access to all of the building’s façades.
Discussing the work, Integral Cradles managing director Kevin Walton said:
“Work continues to progress well at Wood Wharf E3/E4 following the completion of factory testing of our system. Due to Wood Wharf’s bowed elevations, our BMU track system has been specially designed to curve around the building, enabling full façade access.
Kevin added: “It’s testament to our team’s capabilities that CWCL has awarded us further works at the Wood Wharf development. Our bespoke system design provided the client assurance that maintenance can be carried out to all of the building and we are now well underway with the BMU track installation.”
New contract awards
Working on behalf of MACE, Integral Cradles recently completed product installation and factory testing services for the new Woolgate Exchange building in the City of London.
The nine-storey building, newly named Woolgate, has been reimagined by architecture practice Stiff + Trevillion to meet the needs of modern occupiers. Integral Cradles completed the installation of the initial monorails systems at the site in February 2024 and in March 2024 completed factory testing on the internal powered twin-beam gantry at its factory in Madrid.
For key client Multiplex, Integral Cradles has delivered many complex installations over the last decade.
The firm has recently celebrated new contract wins with Multiplex at two prestigious and high-profile London buildings. The first, New Zealand House, is a historically significant building owned by the Crown Estate and housing the New Zealand High Commission.
After receiving an early works order early in 2024 to allow design to commence, Integral Cradles has since been awarded the full package of works to complete the installation of significant, large-scale complex access equipment at the 18-storey building at 80 Haymarket, which was designed by RMJM and completed in 1963, before being given a grade II listing in 1995.
The second contract award with Multiplex is for the provision of façade access equipment at One Exchange Square for LaSalle Investment Management. Located seconds from Liverpool Street Station and the Elizabeth Line, One Exchange Square is a sustainable workspace development billed as ‘one of the best-connected buildings in London’.
Upon its anticipated completion in early 2026, One Exchange Square will boast exemplary environmental credentials, including a BREEAM Outstanding rating, NABERS 5* and Well Platinum.
Discussing the contract award at One Exchange Square and how it supports Integral Cradles’ sustainability commitments, Kevin said:
“The building’s exceptional environmental credentials dovetail perfectly with our commitment to ESG and we’ll be working to design an eco-friendly solution that supports the development’s net zero ambitions.”
Aligning with project partners
With more projects in the pipeline for the remainder of 2024 and looking ahead to 2025, Integral Cradles is prepared to deliver some of the most impressive building maintenance units and storage solutions for some of the construction industry’s largest and most respected clients.
The key to this objective is once again, collaboration, Kevin explains:
“Working together is how we achieve great things. We’ll continue to align our way of working with our contractual partners in the construction industry, so that our solutions are factored into the design and become part of the fabric of the buildings we work on.
“It is this approach that has helped us win and retain work with our long-term partners, and this is how we hope these partnerships will continue to thrive for years to come.”
For more information on GIND UK visit www.gind.uk
