Case Studies
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Below are just a couple of our recent successful projects in more detail.…
44 Gloucester Avenue
The Problem
Termination of Main Contractor due to continued lack of progress with large valuations exceeding works complete on site.
Site was found to be failing in all areas, with incomplete works and or weaknesses in scheduling of work & design - rfm were enlisted to take charge of all areas of the Development, ensuring quality of finishes, practicalities of design & compliance was in place throughout – as well as ensuring budgetary information was provided and explained to enable reporting to the Development’s Board of Directors.
The Solution
rfm CM were appointed and on site within 2 weeks of contract Termination, we re-engaged key Structural Trade Contractors to enable quick uptake of works and had RC Frame Contractor pouring concrete within 4 weeks.
A full site investigation was carried out with incomplete or faulty works noted in all of the 5 Blocks, remedial work schedule was quickly drawn up to enable Building Regulation sign offs & Health & Safety compliance for key areas such as the Basement substation & switch rooms.
Concurrently to re-establishing workforce on site, Design Team was quickly assembled and instructed in line with new form of contract, rfm Supply Chain fed directly into the M&E Services design, allowing Construction issue Drawings to be produces in little over 6 weeks.
Work on site was fully coordinated & managed by rfm Site Team and payment batches were hitting over £1m during the core months of the programme, Supply Chain workforce easily hit over 100 operatives with no issues in up-scaling at short notice – providing the production the Client required to hit their lettings team’s strict move in dates
6 Orsman Road
The Problem
6 Orsman Road’s 2 main difficulties were identified as soon as the development was reviewed by the rfm Construction team, the site was bounded by a tight road, the Regents Canal & 2 buildings of differing sizes, offering access issues on all elevations for a complex & detailed cladding package.
TfL issued a notice with the Planning Permission granted by Hackney Council, the potential construction of Crossrail II ran directly beneath the sites footprint, meaning the weight of the building and its proposed foundations were compromised – potentially leading the Client team to pull the development.
The Solution
Access arrangements were quickly agreed with neighbouring properties, with cantilevered Scaffold at both 1st & 4th Floors – the Canal & River Trust also permitted a Cantilevered Scaffolding to the rear of the building, with a pontoon deck too the canal surface to both protect local wildlife & site workforce. The stepped & angled front elevation did not suit the use of traditional scaffolding so access equipment in the form of Cherry Pickers & a Scissor Lift were utilised to install Cladding & Glazing.
The potentially disastrous addition of a Crossrail II tunnel to the underside of the building meant an innovative approach to the construction of the building was required – firstly, the piling depth had to be decreased so the weight of the overall structure required trimming – without losing the size and massing of the building, the material selection was the most effective way to achieve the required reduction. Alongside WTA, rfm provided a detailed cost and programme exercise to prove the value and time which could be gained from utilising Cross Laminated Timber as a structural replacement for Concrete decking. The CLT provided the required reduction in weight while retaining the size and volume of the building, therefore delivering the Client with the proposed outturn size for the appraisal they had originally carried out without breaching the proposed Crossrail II tunnel zone below the site.
In line with the Sustainable values rfm strive to achieve, WTA state ‘the driving principle of the design was zero waste construction, and the building can ultimately be demounted. Every element of the construction has been considered to ensure as much as possible can be reused or recycled once the building reaches the end of its useful life. The structure is bolted together and applied elements such as SIP panels, cladding, timber decking, steel balustrades etc, can all be detached and reused.’
Construction in this manner has eventually led to 6 Orsman Road being shortlisted & Commended for the Hackney Design Award in the Sustainability & Climate Change category.