The London Museum move is taking over two historic buildings in Smithfield Market and redefining what a museum is via the likes of extended opening hours.
Our work on the project involved five different piling areas within the existing basement, resulting in 46 no. 450 mm diameter piles being installed to maximum depths of 21 metres. We designed in-house and installed a lifting frame to lower the piling rig and equipment into the basement from the ground floor.
The site presented restricted access and challenging logistics, so all works had to be planned and executed carefully. The piling rig, powerpack and other equipment were lowered into the basement from the existing ground floor. As installing a ramp was not a viable option due to the space constraints, a lifting frame was designed and installed for this purpose. Additional temporary works to support the existing ground floor slab were also installed.
The ground profile consisted of Made Ground over London Clay over Lambeth Group. Lambeth Group was described as cohesive soil on top. However, it became more granular with depth, especially around 25 metres below the existing basement level. Taking this into account, all piles were designed to terminate within the London Clay.
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