Project complexities, simplified by Alpha:
- Working around live electrical infrastructure required GS6 controls, carefully planned lifting and concrete operations, and vacuum excavation so construction could progress safely alongside live overhead lines and buried 132kV cables.
- Managing unforeseen site conditions meant investigating previously unidentified services, including an approximately 100mm water main, and incorporating them into the developing foundation arrangement to avoid disruption and maintain progress.
- Challenging ground conditions and deep excavations required additional monitoring, water management and excavation controls to manage asbestos-contaminated ground, clay conditions, flooding and strip foundations up to 2.2m deep.
- Responding to design changes involved adapting sequencing and construction arrangements so revised requirements could be incorporated safely while minimising disruption to the wider programme.
Scope of Works:
- Site preparation and groundworks, creating a stable platform for the new building and associated infrastructure.
- Concrete pad and strip foundations, floor slab and structural steel frame, providing the structural base for the new steel frame building.
- Brickwork, blockwork, insulated cladding, doors and internal finishes, delivering a complete, secure and weather-tight building envelope.
- Surface water drainage and attenuation, including manholes, catchpits and channel drainage, to manage runoff across the developed area.
- Concrete yard and associated external works, providing durable operational access around the new facility.
- Ducting, electrical connections and full M&E installation, integrating the new building with existing substation infrastructure and preparing it for operational use.
- Perimeter fencing and controlled access, maintaining the security requirements of the operational substation.
- Testing and commissioning, confirming that completed building systems were ready for handover.
