Piling work at King’s Waterfront
Bachy Soletanche, the leading geotechnical specialist, has begun work on site at King’s Waterfront in Liverpool. The high-profile project is due for completion in 2007, and involves the construction of an arena, conference centre and hotel complex – revitalising the King’s Waterfront area on the banks of the Mersey River. Bachy Soletanche is providing piling for the arena and the conference centre, as well as the multi-storey car park to be situated on the site, in a two-phase project worth a combined £2.6 million.
Piling work began on November 1st, and is due to be completed in February 2006. Given that the work involves the construction of 800 Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) piles and 420 Large-Diameter (LDA) Rotary piles, ranging from 600mm to 900mm in diameter, the four-month timescale is a very tight schedule. Steve Mallinson, Contracts Manager at Bachy Soletanche commented:
“The deadline for the piling work at King’s Waterfront makes for a relatively tight programme, but through meticulous planning and efficient site management we can ensure the project remains on schedule.”
The planning for the work was aided by a preliminary test piling programme, which was undertaken by Bachy Soletanche earlier in the year to ascertain the reaction of the ground around the development to piling work.
Four Bachy Soletanche Rigs will be utilised at King’s Waterfront to complete this piling element of the project, with piles being carefully constructed around the walls of the existing dock that is being rejuvenated in the development.