Concrete Repair Specialist for £1.87 Bn Battersea Power Station Redevelopment
UKG were retained as the concrete repair specialist for the £1.87 Billion redevelopment of Battersea Power Station, the iconic 1930’s structure and one of London’s most recognisable Grade II listed landmarks.
UKG has been on-site for over 4 years and has delivered an extensive range of specialist skills, many of which are specified by Historic England, to ensure that all works fully respect the architectural importance of this project.
Working closely with Buro Happold for engineering and Wilkinson Eyre for design, our team of specialist repairers have stabilised the historical concrete following the demolition of the original structure. We then had the responsibility of making the work sympathetic to the vision of the newly improved structure, incorporating the residential requirements, the commercial retail element and the inclusion of Apple’s new London campus.
The main challenges of this project were to understand the design aspect of the repairs required by WEA. Using the Sika range of Monotop products, we have been able to create cosmetically pleasing finishes which also have a structural value. In addition, we have had to integrate our works with nearly 3,500 other operatives working for 77 different contractors.
We originally started work in April 2018 with our contract works due to finish in November 2019. Our permanent onsite team allowed us to develop strong relationships with the main contractor, Mace, which has allowed UKG to expand the remit of our contract, and we are expected to be on the project until April 2022.
During our time at Battersea, UKG has carried out:
Concrete and brick repairs to the fabric of the structure both internally and externally, from Basement level 3 right up to level 11.
Full waterproofing to the numerous plenums, designed to allow for free-flowing air from within the structure’s basement areas.
Restoration works to historical plant for use in the final design stage, which will be on display to the general public.
Restoration of windows in both Turbine Hall A and B, restoring the frames back to their original state when they were first installed.
Intumescent and environmental coatings to the historical steel works. Thousands of square meters of original steel works have been grit blasted and coated to meet the fire strategy requirements of the structure.
Worked with abseiling teams to complete repairs and coatings to the iconic chimneys situated on the four corners of the central Boiler House.
Installed and used various temporary work schemes to aid the reinstatement of beams and slabs throughout the entire structure.
Removed items of significant historical importance, and had them restored to their former glory so that residents and the general public can enjoy them displayed throughout the ‘heritage trail’.
We have worked with a variety of suppliers during our time on this complex project. Sika have provided their full range of Monotop repair mortars to be applied by hand or in pourable form. All environmental coatings were provided by Sherwin Williams. Batch concrete was provided by London Concrete and Prokol were the preferred supplier for all waterproofing activities.
This iconic structure speaks for itself and the experience that all the UKG staff have had working on this world-class development will never be forgotten. It has been a privilege to deliver this project for Mace and ultimately the Government of Malaysia and to be part of the £9 billion regeneration of this area of South East London.
