Olympic Powerlines Project
KEY FACTS
| LOCATION: | Olympic Park and Lower Lea Valley, London |
| CONTRACTOR: | J Murphy & Sons Ltd |
| CLIENT: | Olympic Delivery Authority |
| CONSULTANT: | Andrews Associates, Faber Maunsell |
| VALUE: | £65,000 |
| SECTORS: | Major projects and infrastructure |
| SERVICES: | Fire Protection |
This £250m powerlines project saw the construction of two 6km tunnels built beneath the Olympic Park and Lower Lea Valley region, enabling the power needed for the London 2012 Olympic Games and legacy developments to be carried out underground. Kilnbridge completed a range of fire protection works in association with this.
The construction of the underground tunnels enabled 52 overhead electricity pylons to be removed from the Olympic Park skyline, unlocking the landscape for the construction of venues and infrastructure. Kilnbridge carried out the following passive fire protection and fire prevention works on the project:
- The installation of the fire wall using the British Gypsum shaft wall system and Glasroc S Passive Fireboard System on the steel columns interface.
- Intumescent detailing and fire rated ducting on the rockwool at the top of shaft wall with all interfaces sealed with intumescent mastic against cold smoke.
- The installation of four-hour fire rated intu compound load-bearing fire and smoke seals to all ducts from tunnel level to ground level at all head house locations.
- The removal of the existing fire penetration seal above the door heads and at the gap between the door jamb and concrete interface. Once removed, angle frame work was carried out and a durasteel blast board was installed, including cutting and scribing services.
- Covering all interfaces with a mastic joint of silicon intumescent to allow for movement.
- Fire stopping to penetrations through blockwork, dry lining and concrete floor slabs and riser infills.
In 2009, the Olympic Park Powerlines Project was awarded the Project of the Year Award by the Association for Project Management, who called it a “ground-breaking project” in recognition of the highly complex and challenging powerlines work being delivered to an unprecedented timetable and within budget.
