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Affectionately referred to as the “Can of Ham,” 70 St Mary Axe is a striking curvilinear form that adds another distinctive landmark to London’s Square Mile.
Located on the site of a former low-rise block of offices and retail units, the project was granted planning permission in 2008, with construction beginning in 2015. Four years later, the 22-storey office building was complete.
We completed both substructure and superstructure works, including our tallest free-standing slipform construction.
Structures
Substructure Works
02
Our substructure efforts involved the construction of a perimeter capping beam, installation of propping over three levels, bulk excavation, waterproofing and substructure concrete works.
To maintain the integrity of the waterproofing, the 2.5 m deep raft slab was constructed in such a way that the rebar and concrete could be placed continuously across the pours with no striking or “stop end” preparation needed.
Speed & Accuracy
03
Speed was of the essence on the 50-week programme, so we built the 22-storey core using a fully cantilevered slipform system and optical plumbs to minimise any deviation. This was the tallest free-standing slipform construction we had ever undertaken. Climbing up to 2.5 m per day, we completed the core five weeks ahead of programme, allowing the steel frame contractors extra time on site.
A precast composite roof slab enabled the crane to be installed onto the roof of the core. “Light tag” concrete was used on metal decks (over an area of 32,000 m²) to reduce the weight of the core on the foundation.
Access Constraints
04
As the site was surrounded by busy roads on all elevations, we constructed a gantry slab to service the works. The same access restrictions meant we could also use our offsite fabrication facility to prefabricate the slipform rig, reducing assembly time on site and allowing the basement works to continue uninterrupted.
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Speed & Accuracy
03
Speed was of the essence on the 50-week programme, so we built the 22-storey core using a fully cantilevered slipform system and optical plumbs to minimise any deviation. This was the tallest free-standing slipform construction we had ever undertaken. Climbing up to 2.5 m per day, we completed the core five weeks ahead of programme, allowing the steel frame contractors extra time on site.
A precast composite roof slab enabled the crane to be installed onto the roof of the core. “Light tag” concrete was used on metal decks (over an area of 32,000 m²) to reduce the weight of the core on the foundation.
Access Constraints
04
As the site was surrounded by busy roads on all elevations, we constructed a gantry slab to service the works. The same access restrictions meant we could also use our offsite fabrication facility to prefabricate the slipform rig, reducing assembly time on site and allowing the basement works to continue uninterrupted.
05
06
07
07
click to open
Speed & Accuracy
03
Speed was of the essence on the 50-week programme, so we built the 22-storey core using a fully cantilevered slipform system and optical plumbs to minimise any deviation. This was the tallest free-standing slipform construction we had ever undertaken. Climbing up to 2.5 m per day, we completed the core five weeks ahead of programme, allowing the steel frame contractors extra time on site.
A precast composite roof slab enabled the crane to be installed onto the roof of the core. “Light tag” concrete was used on metal decks (over an area of 32,000 m²) to reduce the weight of the core on the foundation.
Access Constraints
04
As the site was surrounded by busy roads on all elevations, we constructed a gantry slab to service the works. The same access restrictions meant we could also use our offsite fabrication facility to prefabricate the slipform rig, reducing assembly time on site and allowing the basement works to continue uninterrupted.
05
06
07
08
06
06
click to open
Speed & Accuracy
03
Speed was of the essence on the 50-week programme, so we built the 22-storey core using a fully cantilevered slipform system and optical plumbs to minimise any deviation. This was the tallest free-standing slipform construction we had ever undertaken. Climbing up to 2.5 m per day, we completed the core five weeks ahead of programme, allowing the steel frame contractors extra time on site.
A precast composite roof slab enabled the crane to be installed onto the roof of the core. “Light tag” concrete was used on metal decks (over an area of 32,000 m²) to reduce the weight of the core on the foundation.
Access Constraints
04
As the site was surrounded by busy roads on all elevations, we constructed a gantry slab to service the works. The same access restrictions meant we could also use our offsite fabrication facility to prefabricate the slipform rig, reducing assembly time on site and allowing the basement works to continue uninterrupted.
05
06
07
08
09
10
Speed & Accuracy
03
Speed was of the essence on the 50-week programme, so we built the 22-storey core using a fully cantilevered slipform system and optical plumbs to minimise any deviation. This was the tallest free-standing slipform construction we had ever undertaken. Climbing up to 2.5 m per day, we completed the core five weeks ahead of programme, allowing the steel frame contractors extra time on site.
A precast composite roof slab enabled the crane to be installed onto the roof of the core. “Light tag” concrete was used on metal decks (over an area of 32,000 m²) to reduce the weight of the core on the foundation.
Access Constraints
04
As the site was surrounded by busy roads on all elevations, we constructed a gantry slab to service the works. The same access restrictions meant we could also use our offsite fabrication facility to prefabricate the slipform rig, reducing assembly time on site and allowing the basement works to continue uninterrupted.