Millcroft Scaffolding has started work on the contract to provide an essential logistics gantry for the major works project at Blashford Tower on the Chalcots Estate in Camden. Situated on Adelaide Road in northwest London, Blashford Tower comprises 72 flats over 19 storeys and is one of five high rise
By crafting tailor-made solutions like a 21-metre Table Lifting System, Doka caters customers’ specific needs and boosts the efficient construction of the second highest building in Detroit. Doka is playing a key role in shaping tomorrow’s Detroit today by acting as an all-in-one supplier for the 209-metre (685-ft.) skyscraper and
International formwork and scaffolding specialist, Doka, has been rewarded for its commitment to service and design excellence in its UK business with the recent award of BS EN ISO 19650-2:2018 certification for Building Information Modelling (BIM) processes and management. Compliance with the standard demonstrates that Doka provides information in accordance
Following the delivery of sanitation facilities earlier this year for Arena Church in Nottingham, Midlands contractor, G F Tomlinson has transformed another disused space to help vulnerable city residents who need it most. As part of the company’s commitment to delivering social value in the region and building on its
Formwork, falsework, heavy duty support, ground shoring and safety & access systems specialist Altrad RMD Kwikform (Altrad RMDK) has provided temporary works to assist with the construction of 19-35 Baker Street. 19-35 Baker Street is a 10-storey commercial, retail, and residential mixed-use building in the West End of London, constructed
A complex shoring solution supplied by Groundforce Shorco for another Tideway excavation. Groundforce Shorco has provided specialist equipment to support a second Air Treatment Unit (ATU) excavation on the Thames Tideway Tunnel, London’s Super Sewer project. The project requires a number of ATUs to be installed along the route of
Doka has expanded its product portfolio with the addition of Ringlock modular scaffolding. Customers worldwide can now obtain formwork and scaffolding from a single source and benefit from seamless planning, reliable assembly and disassembly, rapid availability, and a professional rental process. This allows construction projects to be realized even faster
SOCOTEC UK’s Monitoring team were approached to provide a temporary/rental system to monitor the railway assets adjacent to the temporary works on a railway bridge, located on River Way, Harlow, Essex. The client, Essex Highways, and Network Rail required assurance that any structural movements were in-line with predicted ground movements
Methodology for calculating carbon is shared by Groundforce Shorco. Specialist shoring supplier Groundforce Shorco has developed a carbon calculator for temporary works and is making it available not just for customers but the shoring industry as a whole. This altruistic offer is part of the Vp plc subsidiary’s commitment to
Vinci Construction Grands Projects and Bachy Soletanche JV, the Costain, demanded mining support to install an air treatment unit (ATU) at Tideway’s Deptford Church Street site in Lewisham. The ATU will control and treat air exhausted from London’s 25km long “super sewer” tunnel. The Costain has installed the ATU alongside
Millcroft Scaffolding has started work on the contract to provide an essential logistics gantry for the major works project at Blashford Tower on the Chalcots Estate in Camden. Situated on Adelaide Road in northwest London, Blashford Tower comprises 72 flats over 19 storeys and is one of five high rise towers that form the Chalcots Estate. The £22m design and build recladding and fire safety works contract is part of Camden Council’s commitment to deliver a new standard of safety for residents. GRAHAM, awarded the Blashford Tower contract in September 2021, is delivering the project in two stages. The first stage involved extensive design work and tests to determine how the safety improvements would be implemented. The ongoing second phase includes setting up the site and installing an A1-rated cladding system, a curtain wall, new windows, and the replacement of brickwork to the underground level. Millcroft’s integral role in the project is to provide scaffolding, which will form a logistics gantry and distribution route and provide safe access to the site accommodation for workers. This entails the erection of a heavy-duty gantry extending from the face of Blashford Tower towards the site welfare facility, with scaffolding spreading to the Adelaide Medical Centre adjacent to Blashford Tower. The tower’s location and tight site constraints, including limited storage, have presented several challenges for Millcroft’s team. This is a live site with residents remaining in the tower until work on their respective floor level starts, when they will be moved to temporary accommodation. Further complications arise from the need to always keep the pedestrian ramps along the tower’s east and west sides clear, as it serves as vital access to the medical centre. The tower’s location has also required careful consideration. The site runs adjacent to Network Rail tracks at the bottom of a densely vegetated slope. A ground investigation was conducted to assess the slope’s stability and confirm its capacity to withstand the additional force and loads imposed by the gantry and scaffolding. Additionally, as the scaffolding is being erected on Network Rail land, the design of the scaffold had to be submitted to Network Rail for approval. Billy Jones, Managing Director at Millcroft, said, “GRAHAM is a long-term strategic partner and valued client of ours, and our Pre-Commencement team has been working with them on this project for around three years to ensure all aspects of our scaffolding meet the required standards and design for this complex site. We started on site at the beginning of November and expect to complete our part of the contract installation works by February 2024.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
By crafting tailor-made solutions like a 21-metre Table Lifting System, Doka caters customers’ specific needs and boosts the efficient construction of the second highest building in Detroit. Doka is playing a key role in shaping tomorrow’s Detroit today by acting as an all-in-one supplier for the 209-metre (685-ft.) skyscraper and providing one of the fastest self-climbing formwork solutions on the US market. The Hudson’s Site project is a mixed-use development located in downtown Detroit, Michigan, USA. The project includes two buildings: a 209 meter (685-ft.) high-rise tower and a 70 meter (232-ft) mid-rise building separated by a through-cut. The tower will house modern offices, event venues, high-tech residences, and a luxurious 5-star hotel. It is expected to be completed in 2024 and will be the second tallest building in Detroit after the Renaissance Center. Experts are expressing high anticipation for this project, considering it a potential game-changer for the city. The Hudson’s Site project on Woodward Avenue is considered a bold and even iconic project. Its scale, prime location and the rich history of the neighborhood make it a colossal undertaking. Doka’s role in crafting a 49-storey masterpieceTo meet the special requirements of the project with limited on-site space in this urban area of Detroit, Doka developed a key to eliminating the need for traditional crane lifts between level-to-level transitions. Doka’s engineers came up with a self-climbing Table Lifting System solution, spanning a total of 21-metres (68,9-ft.) that is exclusively designed to lift slab formwork across six levels of the Hudson’s Site Tower. The hydraulic Table Lifting System not only increases efficiency by strongly improving the speed of material hoisting but also helps ensure safety – a paramount aspect in every Doka endeavour. Additionally, the adaptability of Doka’s Framed formwork Frami S Xlife system proved essential in navigating the project’s 112 different column cross-sections. Brian Gulick, Superintendent with Barton Malow, recognizes Doka’s professional support, saying: “It was crucial for us to have Doka on board. Doka’s personalized Table Lifting System enabled us to operate the construction site without the use of crane lifts between level-to-level transitions, which helped us to optimize construction speed.” Doka’s cutting-edge BIM Revit model is designed to analyse potential suspension points of the climbing systems of the core and slabs and to detect and prevent possible clashes on site by re-coordinating the schedule in advance. Doka ensured early on that the right solutions were in place for this complex project by collaborating closely with all stakeholders, which enabled the project to stay on track and meet its ambitious schedule. Global expertise, local precision in engineeringDoka’s engineering services for the Hudson’s Site project epitomize the global fusion of expertise of the engineers in the Austrian headquarters and the Doka team in the US. This dual approach ensures that the project benefits from cutting-edge solutions provided by Doka that are tailored to meet the specific demands of the local construction environment in Detroit. Doka’s engineers faced further challenges, such as providing the right formwork solutions for the skyscraper’s unequally-shaped core. Doka crafted a custom-made formwork solution featuring the large-area formwork Top 50, and the Super Climber SCP, which is recognized as one of the fastest self-climbing formwork solutions on the US market. A mini crane mounted at the top level of the Super Climber, supported the installation of heavy steel embeds, which significantly reduced the crane’s period of use. This tailored solution achieved an average five-day cycle time instead of the usual seven-day cycle time, resulting in significant acceleration of the construction while increasing efficiency and safety. What’s more, an integrated concrete placing boom facilitated the concrete pouring of the core, slabs and columns. A self-climbing Xclimb 60 Protection screen was designed for slab edge protection, as were several screens with integrated storage platforms as an extra feature. Project: Hudson’s Site TowerLocation: 1200 Block of Woodward Ave – Detroit, MIType of structure:High Rise, Residential & CommercialHeight: 209 m (685 ft.)Storeys: 49Developer: BedrockGeneral Contractor:Barton Malow CompaniesConcrete Contractor:Downtown Concrete Partners (JV between Barton Malow Concrete & The Colasanti Companies)Architect: SHoP ArchitectsStart of construction: 2017Overall completion: 2024Cycle time: 5 daysSq. Ft: 1,500,000 ft2 Products used:Core: Super Climber Platform SCP, Large-area formwork Top 50 SFacade: Xclimb 60 Protection Screen with integrated storage platforms & stair towers, self-climbing Table Lifting SystemSlabs & Shoring: Dokamatic S Table, 10k Shoring, SuperDekWalls & Columns: Framed formwork Frami S XlifeServices provided: DokaCAD 9 for AutoCAD, DokaCAD 9 for Revit, BIM with Doka, Doka Manuals, Engineering and Pre-Assembly Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
International formwork and scaffolding specialist, Doka, has been rewarded for its commitment to service and design excellence in its UK business with the recent award of BS EN ISO 19650-2:2018 certification for Building Information Modelling (BIM) processes and management. Compliance with the standard demonstrates that Doka provides information in accordance with set processes and customer requirements using a structured format. This applies in particular respect to the company’s project work, product delivery and the management of data systems that ensure processes are carried out as efficiently as possible. Pieter Strydom, UK Senior Engineer and BIM Coordinator at Doka said: “Receiving a Certificate of Conformity to BS EN ISO 19650-2:2018 is hugely important for us as a business. It informs our customers of our dedication to providing the best service and of our understanding of processes set out within the standard.” To achieve the certification, Doka underwent intensive assessments under the guidance of the British Standards Institute (BSI), one of the world’s leading national standards bodies. The three-day process included an external audit of Doka’s procedures in respect of its project delivery. This determined that BS EN ISO 19650-2:2018 standards were upheld in terms of documentation and building information modelling (BIM) systems used. Pieter continued: “It took us about a year to obtain the Certificate of Conformity. During this time, a significant portion was spent developing and organising internal documentation for the process to be developed internally. It was time well spent, however, as conformity with the standard and achieving BSI’s much sought after stamp of approval puts Doka among the forerunners of the formwork industry.” For more information on Doka’s full range of formwork, and scaffold hire range and services, visit: doka.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Following the delivery of sanitation facilities earlier this year for Arena Church in Nottingham, Midlands contractor, G F Tomlinson has transformed another disused space to help vulnerable city residents who need it most. As part of the company’s commitment to delivering social value in the region and building on its long-standing relationship with the church, the contractor has provided ventilation upgrades and enhancement works for the basement area of the central city shelter in Western Street, Hockley. The contractor partnered with Amptron Electrical Services to provide upgraded ventilation systems which allow mechanical air change movements, to help with the lack of natural air flow, due to the location within the building. The G F Tomlinson Client Care team also carried out redecoration works to the space. These enhancements have enabled the basement area to become a more comfortable space within the church, providing vulnerable Nottingham residents with shelter, sanitation facilities and hot refreshments. New bollards were also installed to car parking bays, enabling the church to rent out the spaces to local businesses in the city centre, providing much needed revenue for the shelter. A drone survey was also completed of the building’s roof, to assist Arena Church with assessing repair and maintenance needs. In February, G F Tomlinson worked with local sub-contractors alongside Pastor, Jono Kirk, from Arena Community, to convert previously unused space into a shower and washer / dryer facility for vulnerable Nottingham residents to use who lack access to basic sanitation facilities. This year, the contractor has provided a total of £67,782 worth of social value-added opportunities for Arena Church, and the vital additions will act as an extension of the church’s mission to ‘Go, Grow, Love and Serve’ in Nottingham City, with facilities and spaces on hand ready for the church’s ‘Care for a Coffee’ initiative, which launches early next year. ‘Care for a Coffee’ will provide warm, safe spaces for vulnerable people to get a weekly hot meal, with an option to clean and dry clothes and make the most of a ‘shower hour.’ Stephen Green, project manager at G F Tomlinson, said: “It has been a pleasure to return to the Arena Church and to build on the great work we did previously, providing further necessary renovations to this community asset and provide help and facilities where most needed, especially in the wintertime. “As a company, we are strong advocates of the incredible work that Arena Church does for the local area, and it’s a privilege that the team have again been involved in further enhancing spaces to provide refuge for vulnerable people in Nottingham.” Jono Kirk, Pastor at Arena Church, said: “We’re very grateful for our relationship with G F Tomlinson and other subcontractors who have helped us on our journey to improve support services for city residents who need our help. Our community can now access vital facilities and safe, comfortable spaces which they wouldn’t have been had without the help of this partnership. Thank you to everyone involved.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Formwork, falsework, heavy duty support, ground shoring and safety & access systems specialist Altrad RMD Kwikform (Altrad RMDK) has provided temporary works to assist with the construction of 19-35 Baker Street. 19-35 Baker Street is a 10-storey commercial, retail, and residential mixed-use building in the West End of London, constructed by Laing O’Rourke on behalf of Derwent London. The project comprises 298,000 square foot of high-specification office space and 51 residential units, including an allocation for affordable housing. At the ground-floor level, the retail units fronting Baker Street, George Street and Gloucester Place will be linked by a central courtyard spanning the length of the site. Altrad RMDK supplied 19 Tubeshor props of 610/1060 diameter – with the longest prop spanning 39m – to support the single-level basement excavation, from which 98% of waste from the overall project has been diverted from landfill and recycled and repurposed during construction. All support equipment supplied for the project was CE-marked, which is a unique proposition from Altrad RMDK. It is the only UK supplier to offer equipment with full European compliance across its ground shoring fleet, which conforms with relevant EU design codes, material quality and manufacture under the controls of EN1090 legislation. The hybrid hydraulic ground shoring props are fitted with mechanical screw collars, which is another unique feature exclusive to Altrad RMDK. This innovation isolates the integral hydraulic cylinders after the prop pre-loading stage, preventing the chance of prop release resulting from hydraulic failure while providing a more robust and stiffer propping arrangement with higher deflection control. The Tubeshor 1060 props were also fitted with pre-camber shims placed between the bolted ring-flange joints. These boost the axial capacity of the props by reducing the amount of self-weight sag. Further prop performance benefits were afforded by inclusion of the unique Tubeshor Spherical Bearer end detail, which eliminates load eccentricity in both axes whilst providing 5° full circle rotation for on-site flexibility. In addition to props withstanding earth and surcharge pressures, there are daily fluctuations in prop forces due to thermal conditions, including daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations combined with the effects of solar gain; whereby props exposed to direct sunlight will attract more load than those providing support in shaded areas – all of which must be considered when calculating prop loads. Due to the sensitive nature of the city-centre site, wireless monitoring was selected which enables the site team and Altrad RMDK engineers to monitor prop loads 24/7. Alerts for prop loads outside of defined, scheme-specific values can be sent to customer and Altrad RMDK engineers, enabling any appropriate mitigation measures to be quickly identified thus ensuring the security of the excavation perimeter. Ajay Nagah, Commercial Manager – Ground Shoring, at Altrad RMDK, explains: “This project highlighted our ability to offer optimum wall support for basement construction – producing lean solutions whilst not compromising on quality or performance. Garrett Durkin, Laing O’Rourke Structures & Facade Project Leader, on the Baker Street project added: “This project posed engineering challenges that required a bespoke approach in order to meet the stringent allowable movements, of which Altrad RMDK were professional in their approach from concept right through to install and removal. “As the project challenges changed the Altrad RMDK team were always present and willing to support the Laing O’Rourke project delivery team with engineered solutions.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
A complex shoring solution supplied by Groundforce Shorco for another Tideway excavation. Groundforce Shorco has provided specialist equipment to support a second Air Treatment Unit (ATU) excavation on the Thames Tideway Tunnel, London’s Super Sewer project. The project requires a number of ATUs to be installed along the route of the 25km tunnel, to treat exhausted air from the super-sewer. Last year, Groundforce provided Costain, Vinci Construction Grands Projects and Bachy Soletanche Joint Venture on the Eastern section with sheet piles and a range of medium and heavy-duty bracing frames for the ATU excavation in the Deptford Church Street site. Now, Groundforce Shorco is supporting another Tideway ATU excavation, this time at their Greenwich Pumping Station site. This ATU excavation is especially challenging as it is in a very confined location, bounded on one side by Greenwich Pumping Station, a listed building, and on an adjacent side by an acoustic enclosure used by the JV to receive precast concrete tunnel sections for the Greenwich connection tunnel. “Although the ATU is only about 8m x 8m in plan, a sheet piled structure of 13m x 15m was designed to enable adjacent ventilation pipework and ducting to be installed simultaneously,” says Civils Senior Engineer Andrew Bellamy. “Stringent limits on the deflection of the sheet were set due to the proximity of the excavation to the acoustic enclosure foundations, which includes a gantry crane, working continuously to supply the secondary lining works. The excavation was sheet piled on three sides, the fourth being the Grade 2 listed Thames Water pumping station.” Access to the acoustic enclosure needed to be maintained throughout the works, adding further restrictions to the already confined working area. The solution was to create a chamfer to one corner of the 14m x 13m x 5m deep excavation. This chamfer allowed articulated lorries to continue delivering materials. “Due to the orientation of the site access gate it was physically impossible to move the vehicle route away from the ATU and without the chamfered corner vehicle access would have been completely impossible for HGVs,” says Mr Bellamy. “There are two excavators on site, including one 45-tonner, and three lorry deliveries per shift bringing tunnel segments for the tunnel boring machine which meant that our design had to accommodate an increased surcharge of 15kN/m2,” explains Groundforce Shorco Area Manager Arpad Nagy. The excavation is lined with 6m-long GU13N steel sheet piles and braced with three levels of Groundforce’s hydraulic Mega Brace frames. Four MP150 modular hydraulic props were installed as knee-braces (ie spanning the corners of the excavation) at all three levels within the excavation – a total of 12 props. The MP150s are attached to brackets welded to the waling beams. “These act as shear-stoppers to prevent the props sliding along the beams,” explains Arpad. One side of the excavation runs along the top of the pumping station’s 10m-deep foundations. “The JV had to drill into the foundation of the Grade 2 listed Thames Water pumping station in order to facilitate the installation of gallows brackets required to support the temporary frames,” explains Arpad. The support structure is designed to limit deflections in the sheet piles to within 10mm. Designing the support system was complicated by the need to chamfer the corner of the excavation, says Arpad: “Once you lose that corner you need to recalculate the loadings and reposition the knee braces.” With the bracing installed, the 800mm-thick base slab was cast. When this had reached full strength, the two bottom levels of bracing could be removed to allow formwork to be assembled for the concrete wall lining. The top level of bracing is due to be removed when the lining walls have reached 1m below ground level. Despite the complexity of the job, design and installation of the support system has gone very smoothly. “Groundforce have served us well on the ATU package, engaging at the design stage, attending site to deliver toolbox talks on the EMV, and generally with how the works were progressing,” says Mr Bellamy. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Doka has expanded its product portfolio with the addition of Ringlock modular scaffolding. Customers worldwide can now obtain formwork and scaffolding from a single source and benefit from seamless planning, reliable assembly and disassembly, rapid availability, and a professional rental process. This allows construction projects to be realized even faster and more efficiently. At bauma 2022, the world’s largest trade fair for the building industry, it was clear: Doka stands for formwork and scaffolding. The impressive 30-metre Ringlock scaffolding tower was a remarkable example of this. By expanding its portfolio to include scaffolding solutions, Doka is responding to current challenges in the construction industry, such as high transport costs, bottlenecks in the supply chain and increased organisational and coordination efforts. “Following the full acquisition of the global scaffolding manufacturer AT-PAC at the beginning of 2023, we are now the one-stop shop for all our customers’ formwork and scaffolding needs. This reduces the number of interfaces. Especially when it comes to renting formwork and scaffolding from a single source, valuable synergies are created for our customers,” explains Robert Hauser, CEO of Doka. The latter was of great interest to bauma visitors, as Hauser reports: “Our customers showed great interest. The conversations were extremely positive.” The Ringlock scaffolding system offers all of the operational advantages that contractors have come to expect from the Doka brand. Customers benefit from seamless planning, rapid availability and a professional rental process underpinned by a quality reliable product. By providing a single point of contact for both formwork and scaffolding trades, customers can minimize organizational and coordination efforts, thus saving time and resources. Furthermore, Doka’s worldwide sales network ensures a streamlined ordering process and reliable delivery, while a global service network guarantees fast and flexible support. Fully rentable from a single-sourceDoka offers its customers an efficient and high-quality rental network for formwork and scaffolding. Robert Hauser adds: “We ensure that our customers benefit from a smooth and simple rental process, allowing them to concentrate on what really matters – their construction project.” With Doka’s supplementary rental service, even larger construction projects can also be realised quickly and easily without high investments in new material. Doka customers are thus able to respond flexibly to requirements and remain economically efficient. Maximum flexibilityThe Ringlock scaffold is a versatile all-rounder on construction sites, offering best quality at an attractive price-performance ratio. Thanks to its modular capabilities, the system can be used flexibly for different construction site requirements. Established for decades on the scaffolding market, this tried-and-tested system solution is the ideal complement for performing reinforcement and formwork quickly and safely. In addition to use as a facade scaffold, Ringlock can also be used as a rebar scaffold, trench bridge, stair tower, rolling scaffold, as well as a suspended or birdcage scaffold. Moreover, the Ringlock scaffold is also extremely robust, easy to assemble and fully compatible with other widely used and tested Ring-type systems on the market. In addition, the Ringlock scaffold is DIBt certified and complies with all common safety standards. All in all, a safe and lasting choiceRinglock is an ideal solution for working scaffold in construction projects, offering exceptional safety and durability. Its robust design ensures stability and reduces the risk of accidents, providing workers with the confidence to perform their tasks effectively, and this means both the scaffolders and end-users of the structure. On top of it, Ringlock’s galvanised finish reduces maintenance costs and provides long-term reliability, which, combined with its modular design, enables versatile configurations and long-term reusability. By adopting Ringlock scaffolding, customers can be confident that they are investing in a safe and durable solution for their construction needs. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
SOCOTEC UK’s Monitoring team were approached to provide a temporary/rental system to monitor the railway assets adjacent to the temporary works on a railway bridge, located on River Way, Harlow, Essex. The client, Essex Highways, and Network Rail required assurance that any structural movements were in-line with predicted ground movements and that any significant movement trends could be identified at an early stage. SOCOTEC UK’s Monitoring team proposed a monitoring system that included 75m of track tilts installed at 3m c/c spacing on each line, critical rail thermometers, both tilt and vibration monitoring on the bridge piers, and tilt monitoring on the surrounding OHLE supports. SOCOTEC’s scope also included baseline and close-out track geometry surveys, with additional surveys as required if any significant movement had been detected by the automated system. This provided further assurance to the client and Network Rail that all movements were being accurately reported. The installation works and initial track geometry survey were completed over a single possession lasting 5.5 hours. The data was hosted online, giving the client and Network Rail live access to the data and direct email alerts if any trigger values were exceeded throughout the duration of works. SOCOTEC UK’s temporary monitoring system provided assurance to the client and Network Rail that any structural movements were in-line with predicted ground movements and that any significant movement trends could be identified at an early stage. This allowed for quick response times and corrective action if needed, minimising potential downtime or disruptions to train services. SOCOTEC UK’s monitoring system provided effective and reliable monitoring of railway assets adjacent to a temporary worksite. The automated system allowed for a quick and accurate reporting of any significant movement trends, providing assurance to the client and Network Rail that their assets were being monitored and protected. If you have a monitoring project to discuss, please get in touch. Contact us. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Methodology for calculating carbon is shared by Groundforce Shorco. Specialist shoring supplier Groundforce Shorco has developed a carbon calculator for temporary works and is making it available not just for customers but the shoring industry as a whole. This altruistic offer is part of the Vp plc subsidiary’s commitment to reaching net zero by 2050 and came into effect from March 2023, when it began including embodied carbon estimates, comprising an embodied carbon component and a transport component, on all temporary works designs. Carbon reporting for the design of permanent structures has already been reasonably well adopted by the industry, and embodied carbon databases are now justly established. However, for temporary works, this presented Groundforce Shorco and its customers with a unique challenge. Oliver J. Smith, Head of Engineering Design at Groundforce Shorco, explained that temporary works do not have the same impact as a permanent part of the structure as the products and components are often re-used, so it is already appreciated there is a sustainable element. If the total embodied carbon for a brace or strut was calculated, this would be counted numerous times on each site it visits. But although they are re-used, this does not mean they are zero carbon either. They still need counting, because if they were not being used in such projects, they would likely never have been produced at all. So, Groundforce Shorco has developed a methodology that allows its customers to estimate their ‘share’ of the embodied carbon for what they are hiring, based on how long they hire it for. To do this, the company considers the embodied carbon in its entire fleet, its life expectancy and its average utilisation, to calculate a weekly C02e per unit weight of either steel or aluminium. This can then easily be multiplied by the number of weeks on hire to provide a total embodied C02e which can be combined with the quoted transportation C02e to provide them with a value for use in their project. They then find that for very short duration hires, the bulk of the C02e sits within transport, and as the hire duration increases, more of the impact comes from the product itself. Groundforce Shorco is now making freely available, a detailed technical guide for the calculation, sharing the methodology, the data, the assumptions made, and the reasoning behind it. Oliver J Smith said: “This methodology is free to access for all and we would like to encourage others in the fleet rental and temporary works markets to consider this when establishing methods for C02e calculations. We believe this is a positive step in leading to sustainable improvements within our industry and would welcome an open dialogue to develop this further. “Calculating the carbon footprint of the projects we work on is essential to reducing our impact on our planet. It allows us to make informed decisions about what we will build and how we will build it to meet the pressing need to cut carbon emissions across the world.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Vinci Construction Grands Projects and Bachy Soletanche JV, the Costain, demanded mining support to install an air treatment unit (ATU) at Tideway’s Deptford Church Street site in Lewisham. The ATU will control and treat air exhausted from London’s 25km long “super sewer” tunnel. The Costain has installed the ATU alongside a 60m deep, 16m diameter shaft that is said to move effluent from street level to the main sewer tunnel downward. In turn, Groundforce Shorco supplied a sheet piling and structural support solution for the ATU excavation. It is located in a confined area adjacent to the main shaft and includes three separate sections. The section engineer, Freddie Gorman, pointed out: “When the sewer is operating, air will build up inside and needs to be vented,” “We can’t just let it come straight out; it needs to be filtered. When the shaft is completed, it will be capped and any air trapped inside will be fed through the ATU, where it’s treated. It then goes into a ventilation chamber before being vented out into the atmosphere.” For supporting the excavation, Groundforce supplied KD6 sheets and Larssen sheet piles with its Mechshore, Maxi and Mega Bracing frames. Three levels of the frame with the larger capacity Mega Brace frames located at the bottom to support the higher loads were installed. Arpad Nagy, Groundforce area manager, illustrated that the temporary works design was complicated since the three sections of the excavation, each a distinct size and depth, were built back-to-back. Nagy expressed: “The frames work with and against each other and are interdependent. That means we couldn’t make any changes to one frame without affecting all of the others.” In addition, the steel sheets lining the excavation act as the outer skin of the formwork necessitates to pour the reinforced concrete walls of the ATU chamber. He continued: “The original plan was to use formwork to construct the ATU walls, but by pouring the concrete against the sheet piles the project cost has been reduced.” The excavation’s complexity, merged with varying ground levels and the proximity of the main shaft, meant the temporary works design process was tough. Nagy claimed: “The whole evolution of the temporary works design took around seven months and went through eight different versions.” The first design meeting was in April 2021, and the first delivery of equipment to the Tideway site was not until December 2021. Another obstacle for the site team was the ground conditions on the site, which were extremely hard and stony. This made it challenging to install the steel sheet piles just with the excavator-mounted vibrating hammer. Therefore, a pre-augering method had to be acquired. Also, several sheet piles still remain to be installed. However, the proximity of the current shaft resulted in additional problems. Ross Hope, a senior engineer, explained: “We were tasked with designing a system to allow the removal of the sheets which were blocking the connection, as well as providing enough clearance to allow the concrete walls to be fully cast. We came up with using a trapezoidal frame in order to transfer loads to the existing capping beam, followed by a secondary temporary frame propping off the top of the capping beam in order to allow the removal of the frames below.” The task has now advanced onto a second phase which was the excavation to obtain a long culvert that channels the filtered air from the ATU to the ventilation chamber. Nagy clarified: “This excavation will be just as complicated, but we’ve learned a few things in phase one, so I’m sure we can provide a suitable solution.” The ATU is located near the historic St Paul’s Church in Deptford and is an element of the £4.3bn Thames Tideway Tunnel project. It is said to create a combined sewer, running mainly beneath the tidal section of the River Thames across London, to capture, store and convey 95% of the raw sewage and rainwater which presently overflows into the Thames. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
