CONSTRUCTION SERVICES AND EQUIPMENT
The construction of new buildings often involves the demolition of old ones. RTM asked Paul Dalton how Network Rail goes about this delicate and complicated process.
B
irmingham has enjoyed its fair share of redevelopment and the new sta-
tion is going to form a key part of the city’s modern and forward-thinking identity.
Naturally, some buildings and parts of buildings have had to demolished to make way for the new infrastructure.
Paul Dalton of construction firm Mace, who is senior project manager for Network Rail on the Birmingham Gateway Project, spoke to RTM as work was soon to get underway to demolish Stephenson Tower – brick by brick.
He said: “Stephenson Tower sits at the south side of New Street and was construct- ed in the 1960s alongside the existing sta- tion structure. We need to remove the tower so we can create this new station entrance. We are also working with Birmingham City Council to provide a viable development opportunity on this side of the station.
“The Gateway project will not only deliver a world class station but will open up the south side of the station for the first time, providing a catalyst for the redevelopment of this part of the city centre and creating a major new entrance to the station.”
A lot of care has to be taken to ensure the demolition process is carried out to the book and safety is always paramount, he said.
“We chose a contractor with a detailed un- derstanding of Network Rail engineering processes and experience of working at ma- jor stations such as London Bridge.”
Following the removal of material such as asbestos, the first step in demolishing the tower has been removing the existing lifts and modifying the lift shafts so that inter- nal fixtures, fittings and services can be stripped out and safely removed from the building.
Whilst strip out activities are proceeding, a tower crane will be erected adjacent to the structure and will be used to initially con- struct a full height encapsulating scaffold around the building.
Dalton explained: “The scaffold will be fully tied back to the existing structure and
90 | rail technology magazine Feb/Mar 11
wrapped in protective mesh to ensure no dust or debris is allowed to fall outside the tower footprint. Once the soft strip and temporary works are complete, the tower will be deconstructed piece by piece by small items of plant working from roof level down. Once supported and cut, small sections of slab and wall will be lifted to ground level for further processing and removal from site. The complete proc- ess is expected to take approximately six months.”
It is expected that the project will be fin- ished by the summer.
The planning of the project has been cru-
cial, as the team are demolishing a large structure in a very restricted city centre environment with an operational railway next door.
Dalton said: “We’ve worked very closely with a wide range of stakeholders includ- ing Birmingham City Council, utilities, train operators and the station manage- ment team to ensure the project runs smoothly.
“We have had to consider how we demol- ish the tower safely while not disrupting our many neighbours. The tower sits ad- jacent to New Street station in the heart of Birmingham city centre so we’ve had to plan the work carefully to allow the station and the city to operate normally while we carry out the demolition.”
Given the current pressure on public re- sources, the team has to ensure that they work as efficiently - and as safely - as pos- sible.
The rebuilding of New Street station will tie the two halves of the city centre together
Dalton explained: “Both efficiency and safety are a product of good planning and we’ve incorporated sufficient lead-in and mobilisation time into the programme. We’ve worked to ensure the competency of our contractor who are members of
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