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Constructing the UK’s Highest Capacity Piles in Central London
Mace’s 21 Moorfields team is currently constructing the UK’s highest capacity piles, which are 2.4m in diameter and over 60m deep. The traditional method for constructing piles using bentonite is to top up the concrete until it overflows the casing. It is then necessary to break out the concrete to the correct level to form a pile cap. Consequently, the...
Parking Difficulties at Bishop Chavasse
At our Bishop Chavasse Primary School site in Tonbridge, we work closely with the local community to ensure smooth relations. Parking was highlighted as a potential issue at the start of the project. On-site parking is not feasible due to the limited space on site. The site also has two other live sites very close by which makes deliveries and...
Arndale MSCP Column Strengthening
An £85 million redevelopment of the Arndale Shopping Centre in Eastbourne included an additional 22 retail units, seven restaurant units, a multiscreen cinema and a significant extension to the multi-storey car park. A two-storey extension to the existing multi-storey car park was planned as part of the redevelopment. The existing concrete columns of the car park had to be strengthened...
Advanced ground borne noise monitoring
The Bank Station Capacity Upgrade (BSCU) will provide greatly improved passenger access, circulation and interchange at London’s Underground Bank Station. It involves a significant amount of tunnelling (new running tunnel) under a number of commercial buildings, including banks and a 5 Star Hotel. Assessments undertaken, prior to works starting, showed that Ground Borne Noise (GBN) and Vibration Dose Value (VDV)...
Providing ear defenders for hospital patients to minimise noise disruption
Noise from construction work can be very disruptive for members of the public. While the industry strives to minimise disturbance through regulated working hours, there are times when noise is unavoidable. See the examples below for how one hospital project minimised the noise impact of works: Some of the children were to ill too be moved to a different bed...
Virtual reality hazard perception presentation
Community safety should be at the heart of a considerate construction project. Cycle safety is a key element of community safety, and sites should seek to raise awareness of this topic among the public and their workforce. See the examples below for how one site addressed this: The site acknowledged there was a large number of cyclists both commuting to...
Noise control improving SCP welfare and working environment
‘SoundEar3′ noise indicating equipment supplied by RVT Group is used to assess noise generated by various operations. The large display screen not only has noise levels displayed but a simple traffic light system to indicate when pre-set levels are reached. This has been invaluable on this live refurbishment project as not only does it enable you to accurately demark areas...
Regular residents’ drop-in session on the Hyde project
L&Q group welcomes residents to visit The Hyde project as part of our Open Door policy. There is a regular one hour drop-in session that takes place every last Friday of the month on site office. This means that every month, participants have the opportunity to see a short presentation about the scope of the project and have a look...
Electric concrete pump
The Royal Albert Hall project is utilising an electric concrete pump on site to help minimise environmental impacts. The pump uses a rotating screw to pump the concrete down the lines as opposed to a traditional piston pump which can be noisy. The pump not only reduces carbon emissions compared with traditional alternatives, it also improves the air quality of...
Auralisation animation to reduce noise pollution
One of the most common challenges facing construction sites is the impact of noise on the surrounding neighbourhood. Traditional hoarding offers little acoustic protection, so sites need to seek different methods of mitigating noise pollution. See the examples below for how one site addressed this: As the work needed to be conducted 24/7, the site proposed a 12m high acoustic...
Electric car charge for community use
With over 40 different electric models available in the UK, more than 90,000 registered Electric Vehicles on UK roads, and a growing public charge point infrastructure of over 4,000 locations, 2017 is a great time to go electric. The next few years will see yet more Electric Vehicles models launched in the UK by all the major car and van...
Road noise awareness
Ciorba Construction is improving the image of construction by showing respect to all around us, not just on site. Driving in Central London can be hectic and stressful. With this in mind, we are asking our vehicle drivers to keep radio volumes at a minimum. In residential areas, while in parking mode (i.e. loading/unloading) they are being asked to: Turn...
Protected tree root survey
A protected tree was identified as being at risk from the construction of the Northern Line Extension ventilation Shaft site at Kennington Green . In addition the Ailanthus altissima (or Tree of Heaven) had particular value to local residents providing screening to their properties and ecological interest. In order to fully assess the likely impacts on the tree and the...
Joint utility trenching strategy 
Highway works are labour intensive and involve installing multiple utilities. This can cause disruption and prolong the project process. See the examples below for how the Manchester Metrolink Trafford Park Line site addressed this: The site adopted a Joint Utility Trench strategy, which involves the installation of up to 8 utilities in a single trench including Water, Gas, Electricity and Telecommunications designed and...
Using pin-less technology
Contractors working on large projects which involve laying road surfaces are increasingly trying to avoid the use of steel road pins. Driving long steel and timber pins into the ground to lay road exacerbates traffic congestion, involves a great number of engineering hours and creates a dangerous environment for the workforce as workers and road-making plant are occupying the same area often...
Residents Parking scheme to reduce project impact
At our project in Apsley we are working very closely with the community, with an existing limited parking issue. To ensure that we could continue with the project, whilst causing the least impact on the adjacent home owners, we introduced a ‘ Residents only ‘ parking scheme. This was developed through discussion with the local residents as the best way...
Site Open Evening
In August 2016, C405 Paddington held a very successful site open evening for local residents and stakeholders. In total, more than 50 residents and people from the business community were taken around the Station Box by C405 staff to see the significant progress that has been made so far on the project. For the residents, all they have seen for...
Permit to park
Congested roads can cause a lot of frustration for the local community, especially when other cars are occupying their spaces. The examples below demonstrate how one site managed this problem: Due to the spread out nature of this project and the need for vehicles to park on public roads a new controlled “Permit to Park” system has been introduced; All...
Parking to prevent disruption
Parking is the main issue, at our Loughborough site with an average of 75 operatives needing to attend site every day, with this in mind car sharing is encouraged and is taking place. We have also implemented a strict ‘NO OFF SITE PARKING’ policy, requiring all operatives, contractors and visitors to park on site. To be committed to this, the...
Camera Acceptable Usage Policy
Providing a safe and secure environment for members of staff and the public around a site is important. Many sites have implemented a policy to ensure all operatives on site are aware and understand what acceptable usage of cameras and camera phones is. McLaughlin and Harvey have implemented their Camera Acceptable Usage Policy to address this issue. To read their policy please click...
Keeping with the arts scene – Hoarding Graffiti
We are delighted to be able to help young artists by promoting their work. It is important to help encourage and sustain an inclusive community and environment for all members of society. Hoarding can be used in this approach to provide an accessible, public and legal pallet for street artists to show off their talent. Our site hoarding is keeping...
Educating children with CBeebies
Including community members at all ages is important for the industry and the nation’s workforce. In order to educate and raise interest of construction to younger people, creative and interactive methods should be applied. The example below shows how one site performed this: The A1 Leeming to Barton scheme has made an innovative partnership. They teamed up with BBC’s ‘CBeebies’ to...
Public Exhibitions
As part of the Mission Room, CMS purchased a desktop version of the system so that it could be used on the go. The system is far more mobile than the hybrid setup and allows CMS to carry out briefings, toolbox talks and safety discussions to site office/welfare units. It will also be used for Public Exhibitions. The desktop system...
Immersive technology for training purposes – ‘Mission Room’
Mission Room is an innovative and unique training and awareness experience with an award winning and proven track record in the Rail industry. Mission Room brings the workplace into the training room, giving everyone the same big picture, and providing safe and instant access to complex and hazardous environments. The products provide the perfect bridge between theoretical, sterile classroom training...
Reducing the disruption of concrete pours
Many construction practices generate a considerable amount of disruption in various forms such as noise, obstruction, dust and light pollution. Although there can always be techniques to reduce these impacts, sometimes there simply cannot be a complete solution to achieve zero disruption. Concrete pouring can be a disruptive practice and is a common source of complaint for neighbours. In response...
Hydraulic bursting
Minimising sound pollution reduces local disruption. Hydraulic bursting is a controlled demolition technique comprised of diamond drilling a series of holes in predetermined positions. A hydraulic burster is then used to force the concrete to crack, enabling removal. The burster heads are inserted into the pre-drilled hole and as the lateral pressure from the motor through to the burster heads...
Managing permitted working hours
To help avoid nuisance and complaint and also to ensure work is carried out within permitted hours, Mace have developed a noticeboard to remind site workers of when work is allowed to be carried out. This can be completed with relevant details to make it project specific. It includes CCS Partner branding to identify these requirements with our obligations as...
Envirowrap scaffolding to minimise disturbance
Ensuring the safety of local residents, as well as visitors and the workforce, is of high importance during a construction project. We implemented the use of Enviro Wrap protection to the scaffolding to help reduce noise, improve safety and maintain the high quality appearance of Manchester city centre. The system not only protects the local community, but it shows respect...
Working without tower cranes 
Alternative working methods should be used to increase productivity and also reduce community impact. Innovative working practices can not only provide solutions for more productive working but also ways to reduce disruption. The examples below show how one site demonstrated this: The project represented a unique construction challenge where the client advised at tender stage that a strategy must be developed...
Site traffic lights
Site traffic lights have been a valuable way to stress the importance of respecting the community. These are discussed in the site induction via the above poster and have a great visual impact. Maintaining a good awareness and knowledge of traffic alerts also improves safety on and off-site for pedestrians and road users.
