Stratford Waterfront Development – Cranes

Scope of works

Working directly on behalf of the London Legacy Development Corporation to build a lasting legacy in the Olympic Park,

Kilnbridge’s scope includes:

• Construction of three concrete structures to BBC, Sadler’s Wells and Podium Public Realm Retail (PPRR) buildings consisting of architectural concrete where specified in BBC and Sadler’s Wells
• Construction of Studios 1,2 and 3 in the BBC building comprising of acoustic bearings, structural steelwork , precast lining walls / roof and floating slabs
• Structural steelwork to BBC and Sadler’s Wells
• Precast planks and hollowcore to BBC and Sadler’s Wells
• In-situ concrete for architectural features including concrete canopy, art wall and bench
• Blockwork in the BBC building
• External Cladding Panels in the BBC building
• Acoustics to Sadler’s Wells resilient bearings and jack-up slabs.

The crane scheme on this project has presented some complex challenges, one of which was the aerial rig of the 160-tonne crawler crane. Due to the limited work area, it was required to lay down the jib to build conventionally. It was only the fourth time this had ever been undertaken in the UK.

Another complexity was the position of tower crane and the 250-tonne crawler. The high-profile temporary works design devised by the Kilnbridge design team for grillage and base incorporating L-wall construction ingeniously reduced side loading on the base to limit the width of the crane mat.

These challenges have been overcome with the close collaboration of the Kilnbridge in-house lifting, design and management teams.