John F Hunt has been employed directly by Belgian developer Ghelamco to undertake demolition, enabling works and the construction of ‘The HiLight’, a new 24-storey structure on the site of the former 1830s Price’s Candle Factory in Battersea. 

This includes the demolition of the existing steel showroom, which sits above podium level, followed by the excavation of a single-story basement, complicated owing to the presence of an existing Thames Water sewer which bisects the site.

Following demolition, enabling works will commence by installing a combination of sheet and secant piling followed by the bearing piles to create a large basement box.  The RC structure will then be carefully built back to ground level in a sequential manner, around and above the Thames Water sewer.  

Basement completed, John F Hunt will build the 24-storey RC frame, starting with the core using the slip form method, following on with the RC slabs. Hunt will then hand over to Ghelmaco’s in-house construction team, ready for the next phase in the creation of The HiLight’s luxury waterfront apartments.

John F Hunt’s Head of Civils and Structures, Lance Wimble, said, “We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to work with Ghelamco on this high-profile historic building. However, it does have its complications, as the site is on a busy bus route and has a significant sewer running underneath it.”

The 250,500 sqft ‘The HiLight’ development will transform the site into 113 landmark luxury waterfront homes with amenities that are heavily focused on health and wellbeing, views of the Thames and easy access to London’s transport links. ‘The HiLight’ will also meet the gold standard in sustainability with credentials such as EDGE Certification as well as being carbon neutral.

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