This innovative brownfield land regeneration project delivered a new 240,000 sq.ft warehouse on the existing dockside, which will be used for the handling and storage of cargo at the port. The 56m wide single span building is surrounded by quayside walls on 3 sides and on its fourth side bounds the dockside railway network requiring chamfering of the building gable to provide the necessary rail clearance. The scheme also included the construction of a separate new office block as well as gatehouse and vehicle weighbridge.
The scheme allows for heavy goods vehicle (HGV) access around all four sides with precast wall units incorporated into the façade build-up to provide robust impact resistance both from internal and external operations.
Due to the variable ground conditions the perimeter of the building and its superstructure was supported on piled foundations whilst the central warehouse slab areas were supported using ground improvement techniques. Existing buried obstructions were broken down to minimise influence on the new build elements.
Design checks were carried out on the existing harbour walls to assess any loading implications from the new building and its foundations. The perimeter road was tracked to ensure HGV maneuvers were feasible given the existing retained quayside bollards and new protection measures.
Photography: ©Glencar
