To support the delivery of the flagship waterfront, mixed-use development project including residential, commercial and rail infrastructure, our teams expertly delivered extensive groundworks in just six months.
Contracted by Berkeley Homes, we completed the foundation works for The Royal Arsenal Woolwich development installing diaphragm walls, load bearing piles and an extensive grouting exercise to prepare for the Crossrail station box and adjacent buildings.
Our scope of works included the installation of 88 diaphragm wall panels as well as forming a 500-metre-long wall for the Crossrail station box alongside 51 rotary piles (1.5–1.8m diameter, up to 46m deep). To support the adjacent Over Site Development (OSD), we also installed 465 Continuous Flight Auger piles (750mm diameter, up to 33m deep), 12 lean mix panels, a short section of slurry wall and undertook pre-treatment grouting to complete the diaphragm wall.
To manage the scale and complexity of the works, we established a large-scale bentonite plant on site. Early ground investigations identified critical risks associated with the Bullhead Beds and underlying chalk, which could compromise diaphragm wall construction by allowing bentonite loss during excavation. We mitigated this risk through a targeted pre-treatment grouting strategy, sealing the Bullhead Beds prior to excavation. Continuous monitoring and technical reviews enabled us to adapt the approach in real time, ensuring no significant bentonite losses throughout delivery. The diaphragm wall was designed with GRP sections to allow tunnel boring machine access. We also achieved significant cost savings and reduced environmental impact by securing a disposal license from Thames Water.
Diaphragm wall
Discover more about our diaphragm wall construction capability and how we have been successfully delivering large scale diaphragm walls since the 1980s.