GIND UK congratulates sister company Integral Cradles on the successful completion of a sophisticated external multi-level façade access installation at New Zealand House, and is delighted to be appointed to provide ongoing maintenance services for this prestigious Grade II listed building in partnership with Multiplex.
Located at 80 Haymarket, the 18-storey New Zealand House was designed by RMJM and completed in 1963, before being given Grade II listing status in 1995. The building comprises four podium levels and a 14-storey main tower and has served as the New Zealand High Commission’s main base in the UK since opening. Notably, it was London’s first air-conditioned building and the first to feature continuous glazing on all elevations.
After receiving an early works order in early 2024, Integral Cradles was awarded the full package of works to complete the installation of significant, large-scale complex access equipment at this prestigious location owned by the Crown Estate. GIND UK will now ensure this sophisticated system continues to operate safely and efficiently throughout the building’s lifecycle.
Working on a Grade II listed building presented unique structural challenges. The existing building’s loading allowance required track supports to be positioned at 8.3-metre spans, demanding careful engineering to ensure the façade access systems could be installed without compromising the building’s structural integrity or historic fabric.
GIND UK’s maintenance expertise will now protect this carefully engineered installation, ensuring the system continues to meet both heritage requirements and the practical needs of modern building maintenance. Understanding the unique constraints that shaped the system’s design allows GIND UK’s teams to provide maintenance services that respect the building’s listed status whilst ensuring optimal equipment performance.
The external installation at New Zealand House comprises an extensive suite of access equipment that GIND UK will maintain, providing complete façade coverage across the building’s 18 storeys:
- A 40-metre abseil monorail providing flexible access to upper levels
- Level 04 BMU: A traversing BMU operating on 210 metres of track, featuring dual 750kg auxiliary winch with both lifting and abseil capacity
- Level 19 BMU: A traversing BMU operating on 191 metres of track, featuring dual 1,500kg auxiliary winch with both lifting and abseil capacity
The combined 401 metres of BMU track represents one of the most extensive traversing systems GIND UK will maintain on a single building, demonstrating the scale and complexity of this prestigious maintenance contract.
Discussing the maintenance appointment, Kevin Walton, Managing Director of GIND UK and Integral Cradles, said:
“We’re proud of what Integral Cradles has achieved at New Zealand House. This part-complete installation showcases exceptional engineering and attention to detail to the external part of the building, particularly given the structural constraints of working on a Grade II listed building. GIND UK is now delighted to be maintaining this sophisticated system, ensuring it continues to operate at peak performance throughout its lifecycle. Our expertise in maintaining complex façade access equipment on heritage buildings makes us the ideal partner for this prestigious site.”
The maintenance contract at New Zealand House further strengthens GIND UK’s portfolio of prestigious London sites and demonstrates the trust that tier one clients place in the company’s specialist capabilities. By maintaining equipment across high-profile developments, GIND UK continues to reinforce its position as the UK’s leading specialist in façade access maintenance.
Kevin added:
“This appointment at such a historically significant building owned by the Crown Estate demonstrates the confidence placed in GIND UK’s maintenance excellence. We congratulate the Integral Cradles team on their outstanding achievement and look forward to supporting this installation for years to come.”
