13 March 2026
The sloped facade cleaners: free from giddiness in use
A cold, clear morning at The Circle. The sun breaks over the edges of the building and is reflected in the countless glass surfaces of the business hub. Barely perceptible from the alleyways on the ground, a quiet movement begins high above: The facade cleaning lift glides out over the edge of the roof, over the imposing sloping facade of The Circle. "There's something magical about gliding over the edge of the building with the 'basket'," says facade cleaning specialist Fabian Herzog, smiling as he skillfully operates the controls and brings the cleaning lift to a halt parallel to the glass facade.
Maximum precision for an architectural masterpiece
Together with his colleague Ortega Euristides, he is one of six specially trained specialists who clean the 23,000 square meter ring facade of The Circle on behalf of Flughafen Zürich AG. 2,370 individual glass elements, 38 meters high, 13.5 meters projection, 570 meters running length on the ground - an architectural masterpiece that also requires the utmost precision when cleaning.
"At Zurich Airport, we clean almost everything ourselves with around 250 employees," explains Stojan Cvijetinovic, Head of Special Cleaning at Flughafen Zürich AG: "We only call on external partners such as Pronto AG for a few special tasks, such as the inclined facade of The Circle."
Technology, teamwork and timing
The start of work is meticulously planned. Once the lift has been fixed in place and the two gliders specially developed for The Circle inclined facade have been attached - they keep the distance to the facade constant despite the inclined position - the descent begins. We slowly glide down the glass facade. Meanwhile, Fabian and Ortega clean one pane after the other.
During the continuous descent, the view sweeps across the entire airport area, over terminals, taxiways and airplanes. At first, people and vehicles seem like toys before we get closer and closer to them until we are hovering directly above them. While I am fascinated by the view, Fabian admits: "After five years, I hardly notice the surroundings anymore."
Safety and caution despite routine
Safety is the top priority. "That's why we are also secured with a climbing harness and wear a helmet in the already safe lift," explains Herzog: "In addition, absolutely nothing must fall - not a tool, not a drop of cleaning fluid. Because the road and sidewalk run directly under the facade."
The glass facade is completely cleaned once a year. A team of two takes around 45 minutes to clean one cleaning path, i.e. the 38 meters from the edge of the roof to the ground. In this way, Fabian and Ortega manage five to seven lanes per day, day after day, until the entire facade shines again in the autumn sun.
Working at dizzying heights
The work is physically demanding. Due to the inclined position of the facade, the two men have to lean slightly backwards with every movement. While the lift shimmers in the sun, Fabian Herzog is nevertheless satisfied: "I love this job, even if it is very strenuous." This is precisely why there is no time to look through the windows into the offices.
Meanwhile, five more facade cleaning and maintenance lifts are waiting on the roofs of The Circle, one on each of the six The Circle buildings. They stand on wide rails like a train between hundreds of photovoltaic panels, ready for their next assignment. You can't see any of this from below. Only when Fabian and Ortega or another facade cleaning team is in action is the shimmering work platform visible from far above. You would hardly guess how much experience and endurance is required for this work. For the cleaning specialists, it is a workplace almost "above the clouds" - demanding and unique. And, despite the height, a place where they feel "completely safe at all times", as they say themselves.
