23 October 2015: The roof of the Earls Court 1 exhibition centre has been lowered in an eleven-hour, precision operation as part of the ongoing deconstruction of the Earls Court exhibition halls. The buildings are being dismantled to make way for the regeneration of Earls Court by Capital & Counties Properties Plc (Capco), creating a vibrant new part of London with 7,500 new homes, 1.2m sq ft of commercial and retail space and central London’s newest park.

The 1,300 tonne, 126 metre long x 75 metre wide roof was slowly lowered from 54 meters above the ground in a carefully planned and controlled operation which was four years in the planning. Over the next six months, the reinforced concrete frames of the roof support and the walls will be safely removed, clearing the site for redevelopment. In recent months, the roof and red steel frames of EC2 have been deconstructed and the concrete floor is now being carefully removed. 99% of all materials removed will be recycled.

The EC1 roof lowering is a major milestone in the demolition of the main exhibition hall and for the Earls Court development. Both Earls Court 1 and 2 are due to be fully demolished by mid-2016, at which point the site will then be prepared for the next phase of construction.

Gary Yardley, Capco Managing Director said: “There is real momentum behind the regeneration of Earls Court and the creation of a vibrant new part of London. The lowering of the roof marks a significant milestone and we look forward to continuing this fantastic progress to bring forward London’s newest great estate.”

Jim O’Sullivan, Operations Director from Capco’s demolition contractor Keltbray added: “The lowering of the roof was an extremely delicate operation which was many years in the planning. This is the first time that a steel structure of this size has been mechanically lowered some 25m to be disassembled at ground level in the UK. I want to give my thanks to the team whose efforts and dedication made this both possible and so well executed and something to be very proud of.”

Click here to see a timelapse of the roof lowering.

ENDS

The picture shows Kelbray’s workforce standing in front of the partially lowered roof of Earls Court One, a landmark in the demolition of Earls Court A high resolution image is available via this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/keltbray/with/21785198274/

Contacts for more information: 

Sarah Hagan, Group Director of Communications & Marketing,

Tel. 20 3214 9150 email:press@capitalandcounties.com

Lyndsey Drea tel. 0785 285 7192

 

About Earls Court

The Earls Court Masterplan is the largest development opportunity in central London, covering over 70 acres of prime land and located across Chelsea and Fulham. The predominantly residential scheme is consented to provide over 7,500 new homes (including Lillie Square), creating 10,000 new jobs, and will deliver over £450 million of community benefits.

The site is well connected, offering strong public transport accessibility in an established location with history and heritage, where people want to live and enjoy London. The Earls Court Masterplan represents an opportunity to create a new estate underpinned by Capco’s distinct approach to creating places.

 

About Capital & Counties Properties PLC (Capco)

Capital & Counties Properties PLC is one of the largest investment and development property companies that specialises in central London real estate and is a constituent of the FTSE-250 Index. Capco’s assets are valued at £3.4 billion1 (as at 30 June 2015) in two landmark London estates: Covent Garden, including the historic Market Building, and Earls Court Properties including the Empress State Building together with the Venues business. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. www.capitalandcounties.com

 

Keltbray Group

Keltbray Group is the UK’s leading specialist business, which offers engineering, construction, demolition, decommissioning, remediation, rail and environmental services. The company dates back to 1976, employs more than 1,000 people, and is a key player in developing and maintaining Britain’s built environment. Keltbray provides services to meet the needs of diverse and complex projects, and its well qualified people take pride in delivering projects safely and efficiently, on time and to budget, and with care for the environment and our communities. Keltbray has contributed to a range of high profile construction projects including The Shard, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Stadium, St Pancras International, Crossrail, Earls Court and Battersea Power Station.