Balfour Place, London, UK
LSY Engineering Consultants was appointed to provide temporary works design services for the structural refurbishment of a six-storey listed property with basement accommodation in Mayfair, London. The project involved the removal of several loadbearing structural walls at basement level and the formation of new openings through existing vault structures as part of the wider redevelopment works. LSY's commission was to develop temporary works solutions that would safely support the existing structure during the demolition and alteration phases. Our scope included the design of needling and propping systems to facilitate the removal of basement walls, together with roof support and back-propping arrangements to maintain structural stability throughout the top-down demolition sequence. Challenges The project presented several significant engineering challenges. The property was a listed building located within a sensitive Central London environment, where historic bomb damage from the Second World War had the potential to affect existing ground conditions and foundation arrangements. As a result, excavation works required careful planning and execution to minimise risk. In addition, the existing foundation details at basement level were unknown. This uncertainty necessitated a programme of trial hole investigations to establish the form and condition of the foundations before both temporary and permanent works designs could be finalised. The constrained nature of the site, combined with the requirement to maintain structural stability throughout the demolition process, demanded a highly coordinated temporary works strategy.
