Esher 12 September 2013: Keltbray, which is a UK leader in specialist engineering, construction and decommissioning services, has developed a unique crane solution for the demolition phase of the London Wall Place project in the City of London, where Keltbray has been commissioned to undertake the demolition and enabling works on this Brookfield Multiplex project.
In preparation for the construction of two new office buildings totalling 500,000 square feet, Keltbray is undertaking the demolition of the existing buildings, including asbestos removal, structural demolition of the existing buildings, temporary works and archaeological attendance.
Before starting demolition in earnest, however, Keltbray first had to tackle the challenge of bringing in the largest freestanding tower crane in London to the site. This took three days and involved the importation of two additional cranes for assembly purposes.
“This site is so confined that we had to come up with a unique solution for assembling the crane. We also had to seek permission from Corporation of London for road closures, while Skanska on an adjacent site kindly agreed to close their off-loading lane for half a day to accommodate this major crane operation,” explains Keltbray’s Project Manager, Bobby Ellis.
The 72-metre high, 60-tonne tower crane is being supported on 200 tonnes of concrete kentledge and has a 40-metre span radius. It can lift up to 12 tonnes, and was erected using a 500-tonne mobile crane, which again required a 70-tonne slave crane to assemble it.
On site, there are the remains of St Alphage Church which dates back to around year 1110, and of the Roman Wall from the late 2nd or early 3rd century. There are likely to be archaeological finds associated with the site too, especially the Wall’s moat, which was once London’s main rubbish tip.
Further challenges include tree preservation orders and the proximity of the 20-storey town block, which will be demolished by Keltbray, to the Barbican; the largest performing arts centre in Europe and a grade II listed apartment block, which will remain.
“The tower block will be demolished floor by floor, using mainly ‘munchers’ to chew away each floor slab. We will construct a major steel gantry to house diverted utilities including the local district heating and cooling pipes, as well as several high voltage cables. We are also remodelling two underground car park fire exits and work around the Crossrail network and Moorgate Station, which will remain operational throughout the project,” added Bobby.
More information
Photographs can be accessed via this link:http://www.flickr.com/photos/keltbray/sets/72157635496461480/
For more information, please contact Keltbray’s head of communications, Marit Meyer-Bell, on tel. 0786 765 3392 or by email to [email protected]
Keltbray Group
Keltbray is the UK’s leading specialist engineering, construction, decommissioning and environmental services business providing fully integrated services to meet the needs of diverse and complex projects. We are committed to engineering innovation and industry leadership in health, safety, quality and the environment. Our in-house training focuses the business on excellence and on delivering value to our clients thereby fostering long lasting relationships and partnerships. High profile projects include Europe’s tallest building – The Shard, London’s Thames Link and deplanting at Bradwell Power station.
