The Royal College of Art has upgraded its working at height safety systems – and the Grade II-listed building has some unusual requirements

New technology and old buildings often don’t mix well. It can be difficult to install state-of-the-art equipment into a listed building while maintaining its heritage, particularly in terms of aesthetics.

The Royal College of Art encountered this problem when it looked to update the working at height safety systems on its Grade II-listed building in Kensington Gore, London.

Heightsafe Systems, a company specialising in fall protection systems, was employed to carry out the work, which mainly involved installing guardrails and safety lines for work on solar panels and gutters, as well as other general maintenance work.