Keeping Fairmont Baku, Flame Towers gleaming brightly

When a hotel is housed within one of the most innovative architectural buildings in the world, where there is no straight line in evidence and when it is Azerbaijan's tallest building, cleaning the windows takes on a whole new meaning.

When it is housed within the iconic Flame Towers Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan's capital city, one immediately sees the window cleaning challenge when faced with a building whose towers are curved and shaped like a burning flame.

When looking at the photograph of the complex with this post, one can see a black line near the top of the building or the "flick" of the flame as it is called. An automatic three man cradle is housed within that black line - the maintenance floor - and the contraction swings out and descends slowly so the team can carefully clean each window.

Above the black line, well mountaineers are called for as there is really nothing for a cradle to latch onto. On ground level, it is relatively easy with just extended poles required for the building's rather tall windows.

It has to be said, a head for heights is the most important job requirement for a window cleaner at the Flame Towers Complex!