In October 2020, VolkerGround Engineering was awarded a contract by Oliver Connell & Sons Ltd to design and install sheet piles at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge. The works were part of a wider scheme to construct a heart and lung research building at the hospital.
The team installed 54, PU32 eight-metre long steel sheet piles and four C14 corner clutches. To limit disruption to the adjacent hospital, the piles were all installed to design level using a Still Worker Silent Press, ensuring that noise and vibration was kept to a minimum.
VolkerGround Engineering constructed the 9.6m x 4.2m cofferdam to enable the excavation and subsequent fill of the area, to provide ground support for a foul tank structure.
The team overcame a number of challenges on site. One particular issue the team faced was the ground conditions along the pile line, which consisted of very stiff chalk. To overcome this, the team pre-augered the ground, prior to pile installation, to enable the works to continue to programme.
Due to restricted access to the working area, our team worked closely with the client, Oliver Connell, to rearrange the piling platform. This enabled the crane to lift the silent piler around the corners, negating the need to use dummy piles. Dummy piles were required at corner positions to enable the silent piler to turn around corners without the aid of a crane.