Phone: 01582 667000  |  Email: info@active-groupuk.com

SCOPE OF WORKS

  • Soft strip.
  • Asbestos removal
  • Full and part demolition.

CLIENT

Client: De Beers
Project Value: £3.2M
Location: Central London

    PROJECT SUMMARY

    Active Environmental was appointed as Principle Contractor by De Beers UK Limited & Anglo-American UK Limited for the full redevelopment and refurbishment of the old site to create a high quality new corporate headquarters designed to meet the needs of a modern business.

    Located in the Hatton Garden Conservation Area, the site is predominantly occupied by the former De Beers headquarters, the majority of which was constructed in the 1970s, with a later extension added in the 2000s. The site is also home to St Andrew’s House, a Grade-II listed building recognised as one of the oldest surviving examples of public housing in the UK.

    Detailed Scope of Works

    The project programmed over 28 weeks consisted of a combination of soft strip, asbestos removal, full and part demolition:

    • Protection of existing finishes to be retained
    • The isolation, curtailment, de‐gassing and purging of the services and M&E plant throughout the building, and provision of diverted electrical and gas supplies
    • The removal of existing M&E plant and equipment within the basements and the roof areas
    • Cut and remove top floor structural steels and columns
    • The removal of finishes within all areas of the buildings, including screeds and raised floors
    • Removal of the existing façade glazing, walls and stonework from Charter House Block, St. Andrews Block and Saffron Hill Block
    • Removal of asbestos containing materials of various types and quantities were identified across site, in particular behind the façade panels across the site
    • Full demolition of the St. Andrews Block to Ground Level
    • Demolition and removal of Charterhouse Block 6th floor and 7th floor Plant Room, helipad slab and associated cladding, walls and columns
    • Demolition and removal of Saffron Hill Plant Room, 4th floor and associated cladding, walls and columns
    • The removal of the landscaped areas including brick planters, air intake and exhaust structures

    Active worked in partnership with a project management team consisting of De Beers, Anglo American, Burke Hunter Adams, Buro Four, Ramboll Engineers, MCM Architects and GDM Consultants with all parties contributing to the completion of phase 1 of the project.

    Active used its experience in this type of works to progressively and safely remove the structures down to their shell, fully encapsulating the site in a wrapped scaffold which would assist with the removal of asbestos containing materials from behind the external cladding.

    Active used their fleet of robotic demolition machines and other small plant to progressively demolish the entire St Andrews Block and remove the top two floors of the other two Blocks. Actives Brokk 500 played a pivotal role in completing the works, using its power equivalent to a 20t excavator to break and munch through ring beams, floor slabs and reinforced columns.

    Active worked closely with the local authority and engaged heavily with the local community to ensure the impact of the project was kept to a minimum, continuously updating and informing of the projects progress.

    The project was completed on time and seamlessly handed over to Wates Construction for the proceeding element of the project involving the construction and fit out of the site. Active have continued to assist with information and detail of the site and structures as Wates progress well into the next phase.

    De Beers UK Limited Project Director, Nick Byers:

    ‘We initially engaged Active Environmental to conduct a pilot study for asbestos removal to our facades but were so impressed by their approach and meticulous detail that we eventually awarded them the contract for all asbestos removal and our much wider demolition scope. Their period on site saw excellent communications established and maintained, with all issues dealt with in a pragmatic and open manner. Both we as client and the wider consultant team have no hesitation in recommending Active Environmental.’

    Midlands Head Office
    Phone: 01582 667000
    Email: info@active-groupuk.com

    South East Office
    Phone: 01959 569946
    Email: info@active-groupuk.com

    South West Office
    Phone: 0123 763 3053
    Email: info@active-groupuk.com

    Greater London Office
    Phone: 01582 667000
    Email: info@active-groupuk.com

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