3 Mills Studios
In December 2018, VolkerGround Engineering was awarded a contract to provide a combination of steel sheet piling and concrete mini piling, as part of a wider scheme to improve flood defences for the 3 Mills TV and Film Studios in East London.
At Bridge House, along the River Towpath and River Wall, the team used a combination of continuous flight auger mini-piles and AZ42-700N steel sheet piles, 10 to 14metres in length. These were installed with a vibration-less pile press to minimise noise disturbance and to provide rotational support for the existing river wall and the new reinforced concrete walls. The steel sheet piles also provide added scour protection.
In areas where access by land was not possible, the team installed the sheet piles using a modular jack up barge, LinkfloteTM pontoons and a smaller supply barge.
VolkerGround Engineering’s scope of works also included the construction of concrete mini piles to support the concrete cast in-situ flood defence wall. Using a sectional flight auger method, we constructed 132 piles, 7 metres deep and 450mm in length, with seven metre reinforcement cages installed in a single length. An additional four piles, with permanent casing, and two piles, with 9m reinforcement cages, were also installed in a single length.
VolkerGround Engineering worked alongside VolkerStevin to optimise pile lengths, which created a safer environment for the contractors to carry out masonry repairs to the existing river wall face.
The team overcame many challenges throughout this project, one of which included manmade obstructions which prevented the sheet piles from achieving design toe level. To overcome this, the team mobilised a variety of equipment, including water jetting and the Dawson Push Pull System. We also employed strategic
sequencing of the works to limit noise and disturbance to accommodate the local school exam period and filming at the 3 Mills Studios.
Excellent advanced planning by our preconstruction team and the client allowed for an immediate start to piling works following the issue of the final consent.
