"It's always fun to work at a high altitude," says Marcus Björn.
Approximately 5,200 square meters - that's the size of the window area of the kulturhus that is being polished to a shine. The work, being carried out at a height of almost 80 meters, began on Monday and will continue until Friday.
It's the first time the windows in the "high part" of the building have been cleaned.
–The lower windows of the building have been cleaned before; they're easier to access. But now, for the first time, we're tackling the hotel section. We will then evaluate how often we need to clean the windows in the future, says Robert Johansen, property caretaker.
The company Svensk Höjdsäkerhet AB, based in Växjö and Stockholm, has been hired to do the work. The window cleaners come down from the twentieth floor on ropes. There are three of them, with a fourth up on the roof handling some practical tasks. These include dealing with the hose and making sure there's enough water for those hanging from the building.
– You have to not be afraid of heights, notes Marcus Björn, perhaps not realizing that his observation might be the most obvious thing anyone has ever said.
– Two of us have circus backgrounds and one is a gymnast, Marcus, who's also the company CEO, says.
They have all of Sweden as their workplace. For some time, they worked, for example, at a 5G mast in Norrbotten.
– It is always a bit nerve-wracking when you step over the edge and start to descend. But once you're hanging from the facade, you don't think much about the height. It's also a very social job; we laugh and joke with each other.
The company specializes in various types of high-altitude work, although window cleaning is not their most common work. But when the call came from Sara kulturhus, it seemed like a natural fit for Marcus and his colleagues.
On Tuesday, the southern side of the cultural house was cleaned. The area around the entrance facing the square was cordoned off to prevent people from getting splashed with water.
– In fact, we were here when the building was first constructed, and we installed a safety rail on the roof. So it felt natural for us to come back; it's the same rail we're attaching the ropes to now, he says.
Over the course of the week, the window cleaners plan to make 62 descents. On Tuesday, they worked on the south side of the building.
This week, Sara kulturhus's windows are being cleaned to a sparkling shine.
– This job is really enjoyable when it's sunny like today, says Marcus.
– But it's also important to pay attention to what you're doing and not slack too much when the whole town is watching, he laughs.
– Sara kulturhus is a real landmark here. I think we ended up on a lot of Instagram profiles this week. Whenever we look down, we see people looking up taking pictures of us, he says.
Not for those afraid of heights.
The entire hotel and spa are being cleaned.
If it's too hot, there's a risk that the cleaning solution dries before you have time to use the squeegee. However, on this particular day, the weather was perfect.
Marcus Björn is based in Växjö and has been involved in high-altitude work for many years.
Celebrating from the 20th floor.