Mystery object identified

Observant Dock 5 resident Roger Hannaker was curious about a retractable structure which emerged on August 20 from the roof of the yet-to-be-completed Marina Tower.

“Pine Gap in Docklands. Is anyone listening out there?” he wrote to Docklands News.

Roger can be forgiven for being perplexed by the structure.

“It comes out of the roof,” he reported. “The top of the structure is part of the roof. If you look closely, the post seems to be shiny and hydraulic.”

Relax everyone, building owner Hiap Hoe has responded that the structure is the building maintenance unit – or MBU, as it is known in the trade.

On simple buildings, all you need is a couple of davits and away you go. But, with such odd angles to work with, the Marina Tower’s BMUs (yes, there is another for the smaller tower which is yet to emerge) are engineering marvels in their own right.

When at rest, the unit forms part of the roof. When activated, its boom can tilt, extend and swivel to reach all sides of the building to allow window cleaners to do their stuff.

On the western and southern sides, the cleaners need to “hook” themselves to the sides as they descend.

It’s probably a fair bet that the poor buggers who had to design, build and commission these devices probably had a few choice words to say about the architects who conceptualised such a tricky building!