Underpinning methods could be needed at Houses of Parliament
A Sunday Times report has hinted that a range of underpinning methods may be needed in order to save one of Britain’s most iconic buildings in the years to come.
Last week, we reported plans to refurbish Battersea Power Station, and noted the risks posed to the structure if a Tube line and station were to be added to the site.
Now it seems another landmark of the River Thames is suffering from vibration due to Underground trains – this time, it’s the Houses of Parliament that are under threat.
Since the Sunday Times broke the story of concerns raised by the House of Commons Commission, several other news providers have picked up on it, quoting repair bills of anywhere up to £3 billion in order to protect the seat of British government for generations to come.
And some of the largest-scale underpinning methods ever employed could be needed to prevent London from getting a ‘leaning tower’ to rival that of Pisa, as Big Ben has apparently moved several inches away from the vertical over the years.
But with proposals to move MPs to a different location for up to five years from 2015, many are already opposing the work – and it will be interesting to see what measures are taken to restore structural stability to Westminster in the years to come.
Battersea Power Station refurb could challenge underpinning techniques
Underpinning techniques could be put to the test in a whole new way as work to redevelop Battersea Power Station gets underway.
An £8 billion development plan was announced last month, which is expected to create 20,000 construction jobs as the iconic building is converted into homes, retail space, offices and a hotel.
Modern underpinning techniques may be needed to make sure the foundations of the building – which, at around 80 years old, is frequently described as being in poor condition – are up to the task of supporting residents, workers and shoppers.
But an extra challenge is likely to come in the form of plans to add a transport hub to the site, linking it with the London Underground’s Northern Line.
Even if this is done using above-ground tracks, the vibration of passing trains will mean strong foundations are essential for the Grade II* listed former power station.
The plans are just one part of London’s Olympic legacy, which UK Trade & Investment says has seen £14 billion of deals announced in the weeks since the Games began.
More pile driving set for Olympic Park
We’ve already looked at the piling rigs used in the construction of the sporting venues at the London 2012 Olympic Park – but the site is likely to see more pile driving yet before its long-term legacy is assured.
Plans outlined by the London Legacy Development Corporation estimate up to 11,000 new affordable homes to be built on the Olympic Park, including the flats built for the Olympic Village, riverside properties, and Georgian and Victorian-inspired squares and terraces.
Each is likely to need pile driving work to put the foundations in place to support the above-ground structures of the homes – and the remaining Olympic sporting venues could present unique challenges to that process.
Once again, mini piling rigs could prove crucial in carrying out the drilling work needed, without causing excessive vibration and damage to the now-iconic sporting venues that are to remain in place on the site.
Among those are the Olympic Stadium itself, as well as neighbouring structures like the Velodrome and Aquatics Centre.
Ultimately, a 25-year plan is to introduce schools, health centres and places of worship to the community too, turning the Olympic Park into a self-contained village-like suburb of London
Olympic piling equipment gets its time in the spotlight
While billions of people all over the world have watched the events of the London 2012 Olympics on TV, many will not have given a thought to the piling equipment and construction machinery that went into creating the venues, most of which – particularly on the Olympic Park itself – were built from scratch for the Games.
However, the piling equipment used on the Olympic Park is given its rightful moment in the spotlight on the London 2012 ‘Get Set’ website, which offers learning materials and education resources relating to the Games, and particularly the preparations made before the sporting spectacle got underway.
The entry on piling rigs explains that those used at the Olympic Park were screw piling platforms, to reduce noise and vibration, and were capable of drilling through dry or wet soil, or directly through rock.
In all, the foundations of the Olympic Park are up to 60-90m deep – creating a firm platform on which the various sporting achievements of the nations of the world have been played out over the past few weeks.
Mini piling rigs can help meet EU renovation targets
With a five-point plan outlined by the European Commission to help unleash the potential of low-energy buildings throughout the continent, mini piling rigs could play a key role in allowing existing structures to be brought up to date.
Renovation is one of the five main points in the plan, both to bring those buildings up to date, and also to stimulate investment conditions in EU member states’ construction sectors.
And it is in existing buildings, which may be on sites with other valuable infrastructure or neighbouring premises in place, where mini piling rigs can be particularly useful.
By using compact, low-vibration piling equipments, construction firms can make sure they do no damage to surrounding structures, or to any nearby underground infrastructure.
While it is impossible to carry out foundation work without disturbing the ground to some extent, it is likely that underpinning techniques which are as minimally invasive as possible will play a key role in the coming years, as this renovation-led plan for raising levels of construction investment goes into effect across the EU.