The overall project aim was to expand an existing building, by constructing an extension, which will be used as part of the wider manufacturing facilities. The 40m x 30m site required a secant honeycomb grid to provide a ground improvement solution with a seismic design capacity. The project team undertook an extensive period of offsite and onsite trials to establish the capacity of interlock between the piles and the settlement implications of the chosen piling techniques.

The Thames Tideway Tunnels programme is a key component of the upgrade of London’s combined sewer system. The first section to be constructed is the Lee Tunnel between the Beckton Sewage Treatment Works and the Abbey Mills Pumping Station. In the joint venture collaboration, Bachy Soletanche works included Diaphragm wall shafts, deep excavations and curtain grouting.

Not only have we faced the challenge of installing diaphragm walling in an urban environment, the project was achieved on time, to budget and next to the busiest shopping street in London. Bachy Soletanche’s works included Diaphragm retaining walls and Geo-thermal piping as part of the joint venture to construct the foundations for the new Western Ticket Hall.

The team facilitated the remodelling of an existing dock entrance through designing and constructing a temporary hard/firm secant pile retaining wall. 300mm diameter secant wall piles were expected to terminate in the top of the Dolerite. Ground anchors were also installed through the existing mass concrete gravity retaining wall to ensure its stability.