What were the main challenges?
The main challenges faced in this project were the sheer scale of things and the waste element. Our egress for waste was limited by only being able to have one skip, for one material, at a time – this meant we had to plan all works ahead of time considering how one waste stream would follow on from the last. We got around there being a bottleneck for waste with a cleverly designed scaffold and chute, mitigating manual handling and walking stairs for the most part.
The challenge of the jobs scale was overcome by the schedule of works being well planned and most importantly, adaptable. On a site like this one, with lots of other trades and moving parts, your best laid plans always encounter some friction. We were happy with our progress throughout this project chiefly because of our ability to adapt and drop onto some other works should we encounter an issue.
The Crewe project also provided a couple of unique challenges and a first for us. We utilised a lifting company to remove a large chiller unit from site; we thought this important to do as this meant the unit could be reused rather than being dismantled. Actions like this, paired with our waste segregation, gave us confidence in our environmental practices throughout this job.
The second test was an internal dumbwaiter, long since decommissioned but still intact. This element required a well-planned sequence for us to be sure of our safe systems of work and we were delighted with how it went on the day. Dismantled safely and methodically, avoiding any need for working in confined spaces and with minimal working from height.
All told, we have been very please with how this job progressed and have been invited back to complete further phases of work on the same project including a similar 2nd phase of a similar size and a separate plant room strip out