Wick Lane, Windsor, UK

Project Brief

LSY Engineering Consultants Ltd were contracted to design the temporary works for a two-storey basement project at an £18 million 5-star hotel in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. The basement was to be constructed completely below the groundwater table and would measure more than 8000m². Our brief included pilling platform designs, crane base certification, sheet pile designs, thrust block designs, back propping certification, scaffold base design and placing boom temporary back propping certification on the project.

Challenges

The complex programme combined various forms of construction; as such, numerous temporary works solutions were required. These would need to be designed and installed in a short period of time for the project to be successful.

Process

Assessment of the site’s geotechnical survey had shown that the basement was to be built within a groundwater table. Accordingly, a sheet piled solution with thrust blocks was outlined in the initial concept design. However, following a detailed design check on the thrust block in relation to both soil conditions and forces from the waler and struts, it was agreed that this solution would be too expensive and would likely prolong the construction programme. To keep the project on track, we recommended an alternative solution. We advised the contractor to approach an anchor company and utilise a propped sheet pile system with anchors instead. The contractor implemented our recommendation, not only allowing the project to continue, but to progress more efficiently with a clearer working area and improved site access.

Outcome

The altered design meant the raking props and thrust blocks could be removed, which gave on-site workers more manoeuvrability, and gave the contractor better access to get machinery onto site. By choosing the anchor option, we were also able to remove 35 temporary foundations, generating considerable time savings.

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