New façade for The Lipstick

GEDA Multilift P12 plays its part in refurbishing Gothenburg's landmark building

The striking red/white building is already visible from far and wide. The “Lipstick”, as it is colloquially referred to, has long become a landmark of the Swedish town of Gothenburg. But even the most beautiful façades require some renovation from time to time. As part of the refurbishment works all the glass elements along the façade are being replaced. A Bavarian construction hoist has been helping give the “Lipstick” a facelift.

If you were to think of Sweden the town of Gothenburg is perhaps not the first thing to come to mind. However, the large town on the West coast of the country has several visitor attractions on offer. One structure is particularly eye-catching. In the centre of the harbour area Lilla Bommen, very close to the four mast Barken Viking and the Göta Ävbron bridge, the “Lipstick” soars upwards.
The idea for this building originated back in 1983 when the Gothenburg municipality wanted to ensure employment and development in the region and the construction company Skanska had the objective of strengthening its market position as a house builder and property owner. The first spade then hit the ground for the 86 metre high colossus with the unusual façade in 1986. Back then due to adverse ground conditions, 90 metre long piles had to be rammed into the earth in order to guarantee stable foundations. After a three year construction period it was finished and the building was inaugurated. Today its 31,625 m² are split between office premises of numerous companies and various shops. The current building owner is the Swedish property company Vasakronan AB.

However, the passage of time has left its mark on the imposing building in Gothenburg harbour and now after 25 years some refurbishment work is due. All the glass elements along the façade have had to be exchanged and replaced with new ones. This means that 22 landings along the “Lipstick” building must be reached quickly and that the safe transportation of people and materials has to be guaranteed – and up to a height of 60 metres. And of course the best technology is required for this. Stavdal, the rental company in charge of these works, enlisted the support of the Bavarian construction hoist specialists GEDA-Dechentreiter GmbH & Co. KG and their local partner BVM AB from Gothenburg. A GEDA Multilift P12 personnel and materials hoist is providing valuable transportation services along the “Lipstick façade”.

GEDA Multilift P12 – unique family benefits

The modular system design of the GEDA Multilift series provides the appropriate lift solution for nearly every construction site installation. The compact, pre-installed base unit which is composed of a car, enclosure, flat cable bin and drive is delivered as one unit – perfect for HGV transportation and container loading. Foundations are not necessary.
The personnel and materials hoist is quickly and efficiently assembled from the car. As far as the steering is concerned the user has the option of either a landing pre-selection in the car or landing level stop by pressing a button. With its hoisting speed of 12-40 m/min, the GEDA Multilift P12 used on the “Lipstick” transports 1,500 kg of materials and/or 12 people quickly and safely up and down. The spacious 3.2 metre long platform thereby also enables the safe transportation of the sensitive glass elements. Despite the high load capacity, the personnel and materials hoist impresses with its low anchoring forces – and with only one mast. The four different platform versions also make them flexible to use and enabling the GEDA Multilift P12 to be adapted to the construction site conditions.
In coastal areas in particular, such as Gothenburg harbour, strong wind conditions must be taken into consideration when using construction hoists. GEDA again scores highly here with its innovative flat cable system. The flat cable conveyor of the GEDA Multilift P12 ensures that the cable, even in strong wind, always remains taut in the flat cable bin and the feared corkscrew effect is avoided.

Safety is the top priority

22 GEDA landing level safety gates in the Standard Basic design ensure the safe transfer between the car and the respective storey on the “Lipstick” building.
Depending on structural conditions customers can choose between high and low landing level safety gates to guarantee safe loading and unloading at landing levels.
The GEDA Multilift P12 is naturally equipped with the usual safety equipment such as limit switches, speed-dependent safety gear, safety stop and overload protection.

The appropriate GEDA Multilift for every construction site

Different platform variants, lifting heights and load capacities ensure that the GEDA Multilift series can be used in a wide range of situations.
It is therefore no surprise that the compact heavy weights of the GEDA Multilift series are now deployed on construction and renovation projects worldwide. Whether on Munich's Frauenkirche, on offshore plants in the far north of Norway or on the other side of the world in Australia – GEDA's unique know-how and quality “Made in Germany” are highly esteemed everywhere.

Perfect make-up for the “Lipstick” – thanks to GEDA

The top floor of the “Lipstick” houses the enclosed, glazed viewing platform “Göteborgs Utkiken” which reveals a breath-taking panoramic view over the town, the surrounding area and the harbour. Thanks to the new façade it will soon be possible to enjoy the view again from the lower storeys and the GEDA height access specialists can again add another spectacular building to their list of deployments.

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