SES Engineering Services - Gasholders Development

Project Overview

SES' M&E project at the Gasholders began in October 2015. The unique project, which houses 145 luxury apartments, is a series of three linked new build cylindrical structures, each within the constraints of the cast-iron Victorian listed gasholder rings that were used to form part of the largest gas works in London.

The Gasholders scheme saw SES and Prism utilise their unique pioneering offsite methods to deliver efficiency at every stage, including the stand-out creation and installation of 270 prefabricated service cupboards. A first-of-a-kind, these pioneering installations contain a fully integrated 'plug and play' M&E services hub for each apartment. Without these, the project would otherwise have required multiple trades on site working in a congested area, representing a major logistical and health and safety issue.

SES also delivered all the main service risers covering six riser shafts each extending up the three gasholders incorporating 1.7km of finished and tested pipework, ductwork and electrical containment.

Without the benefit of SES' market-leading offsite technology, Dave Beattie, Prism's manufacturing manager estimates the timeframe would have been significantly longer and meant that other trades' access to the site would have been restricted to allow sufficient space for the M&E installations.

"Logistically, it would have been very difficult to manufacture and install the required modules on site without causing severe disruption and restrictions to the other trades.

"For example, the risers were fitted across three floors within just a day using offsite technology, but building those on site would have taken at least three to four weeks with a significant knock-on effect to the other trades on site."

Modern buildings are rarely simple and square, but more often than not they are based upon a grid shape and adapted to suit the site and locational requirements. This is not the case on the Gasholder project. Each gasholder is not only differing in height and diameter but even has its own unique floor layouts. In addition to the apartments, two of the holders also contain commercial and concierge accommodation on the ground and first floors, all sitting over a large shared basement car park and large landlord stores and plant areas.

Fortunately, through the use of SES' experienced co-ordinators, collaboration with project engineers and with significant experimentation they used their technical authority to arrive at a solution for all areas. SES was even able to input these into their modular systems to allow the manufacture of the first circular modules produced by Prism.

To date the hours taken offsite on this project are substantial, currently standing at a total over 12,500.

 

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