Client: Augean plc
Location: Middlesbrough
Contract Value: £0.76 million
Contract Period: September 2008 until March 2009
Port Clarence Landfill Site is a waste recovery facility treating both hazardous and non-hazardous waste. The waste is treated through one or more of nine process systems found on site. The resultant treated product is then moved off site for final disposal or further treatment and recovery.
The original contract was actually two contracts won in competition which we merged into one. This eliminated potential interface issues between the two projects and allowed the programme to advance at a greater speed than envisaged at tender stage as both projects could now proceed concurrently rather than consecutively as originally planned.
The design brief called for a challenging 50m clear span structure which required a deep ladder beam to allow free passage of tipper trucks with bodies raised, underneath. This challenge was further exacerbated by a Planning limitation on the height of the building. By combining our expertise with that of our steelwork subcontractor we reduced the depth of the originally designed beam by approximately 2m and met the height limit by approximately 100mm.
The facility was built on a brownfield site comprising blast furnace slag. While considering the most economic foundation solution concern was expressed over potential “heave” due to the slag. Various options were explored but it was felt that larger foundations giving greater mass would provide the Client with the optimum economic solution without compromising the structural integrity of the building.
The building was clad in a simple profiled sheet prior to casting of most of the in-situ ground slab. Here again the Client presented us with another challenge. After works had commenced and about one third of the way through the programme, the Client requested we leave approximately 25% of the roof covering off to allow installation of the process equipment. The programme for this phase of the works went through the winter period but by re-working the programme and adoption of some temporary weather proofing most of the potential delay was mitigated.
Externally we constructed an access road and surface water storage lagoon as no drainage was located within an economic distance to link into. Key areas of work were broken down into the following areas:
1) Bulk earthworks for lagoon construction with Geomembrane and Geotextile liners inspected by the CQA engineer
2) Carriageway construction with associated drainage works
3) Construction of a 50m x 50m portal frame unit including foundation works. The building elements of the unit were within a design and build package for the client.
