McGee

Three Quays now completed

Close to Tower Bridge and City Hall, Three Quays is adjacent to a World Heritage site on the Thames. McGee undertook the demolition and groundworks package on behalf of Mace with a project completion time of 50 weeks.

The contract includes the demolition of an 8-storey 1960’s office block and enabling works package to prepare the site for piling.

The decommissioning and removal of an existing substation meant the footprint had to be increased to the North, East and South elevations. With the South elevation being separated from the Thames by just a sheet piled wall, it required a complex temporary works structure was required to support the varying degrees of pressure from the high and low tides of the river.

The excavation of Three Quays has involved the attendance of around 35 archaeologists, due to the significance of the site boundaries being so close to the river. The site excavation, 6 metres below high tide of the Thames, meant sequenced excavation and temporary works had to be scheduled, to allow for the construction of a 12,000 m3 basement. Existing ties were removed from the sheet piled wall and a temporary tie scheme was put in place.