Unitized glass-and-aluminum envelopes are the most common high-rise construction type in Metro Vancouver, and the most unforgiving of a badly matched access plan or cleaning method.
Curtain wall assembles glass, spandrel panels, and aluminum mullions into a single skin that's hung off the slab edge and sealed at every joint. There's no masonry or stucco behind it doing structural or weatherproofing work — the glazing system itself is the entire building envelope. That has two practical consequences for maintenance: first, the whole elevation reads as one continuous surface, so uneven cleaning or missed panels are visually obvious in a way they aren't on a punched-window facade. Second, every joint, gasket, and sealant run is a potential water path, so condition issues found during cleaning — cracked sealant, failed gaskets, fogged insulated glazing units (IGUs) — are worth documenting even though fixing them isn't part of a cleaning scope.
Vancouver's stock of Class A towers built from the late 1990s onward is almost entirely curtain wall or a close variant (unitized panel systems, structurally glazed systems). That makes this the default building type most property and asset managers downtown are dealing with, even if they haven't thought of their building in these terms.
Access is set by roof condition, not preference. A tower with a certified roof davit (RDS) or track-mounted swing stage system will default to suspended platform work for full-elevation cleaning, since it covers the most glass per hour once rigged. Towers without a permanent system, or with setbacks and mansards that make a swing stage impractical, move to rope access, which handles irregular geometry more efficiently. Ground-accessible elevations — podiums, loading areas — are typically finished with a boom lift or ground crew rather than dropping a full rig for a few storeys of glass.
See our full comparison of access methods for setup time, cost drivers, and WorkSafeBC requirements for each.
| Elevation / feature | Planning-range frequency | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lobby-facing / plaza elevation | Quarterly | Leasing and visitor visibility sets the standard, not soiling rate alone. |
| Waterfront or high-exposure elevation | Quarterly to bi-monthly | Salt-laden air and wind-driven rain accelerate mineral deposit. |
| Service / lane-facing elevation | Semi-annual | Low visibility, exposure still present but tolerance is higher. |
| Full anchor/rigging inspection | Annual | Per WorkSafeBC and CSA Z259 guidance for permanent fall-protection systems. |
Most curtain wall cleaning happens from outside the glass line during business hours, so tenants see the crew work past their windows but aren't displaced. The main coordination point is boardrooms and executive floors, where a scheduled pass can interrupt a meeting or video call — property managers typically circulate a floor-by-floor schedule 48–72 hours ahead so tenants can flag conflicts. Swing stage rigging on the roof and tie-back points sometimes requires brief access to mechanical penthouse or roof-level tenant space, which should be arranged separately.
A curtain wall scope of work should specify: which elevations and which glass (vision, spandrel, mansard) are included; the access method for each; frequency per elevation rather than a single building-wide number; cleaning method and any restrictions (no razor blades on coated or tempered glass, purified water only, pH range for detergents); condition reporting requirements (photograph and log any sealant, gasket, or IGU issue found); and anchor/rigging responsibilities, including who confirms davit certification is current before the crew uses it.
Curtain wall is a continuous, unitized glass-and-frame system hung off the slab edge, so the whole envelope — glass, mullion, and sealant joint — acts as one weather barrier. Punched windows sit in a load-bearing wall, so failures are more localized and the wall itself sheds water independently of the window.
Routine cleaning itself has negligible effect on structural or wet-glazed sealant. What matters is using neutral-pH cleaning agents and avoiding solvents that aren't sealant-compatible, and flagging any sealant that looks cracked, chalky, or pulled away from the glass during the visit so it gets into the building's maintenance record before it becomes a leak.
Ownership or strata is responsible for maintaining the roof anchor or davit system per the engineer of record's design and WorkSafeBC requirements, typically via annual inspection by a qualified person. Contractors performing rope access or swing stage work verify condition before each use but don't own the inspection program.
The service that delivers this scope, with pricing drivers explained.
Read more →Rope access, swing stage, boom lift, and water-fed pole compared head to head.
Read more →The frequency framework this page's table is drawn from.
Read more →Send building height, glazing type, and any known anchor restrictions and we'll return an access plan with the estimate.