1. the project the problem the solution www.coateshire.com.au
Rock SolidCASESTUDY
2. The development
at Wentworth Point
Marinas, on Sydneyโs
Parramatta River, will be
an upmarket precinct of
residential, leisure and
retail developments, with
a village atmosphere
including cafรฉs and
restaurants. It is being built
by developer, Billbergia, as
a quality community.
THEPROJECT
3. The construction at Wentworth Point
Marinas entails extensive excavations
for seven buildings in total, including
two multi-storey apartment towers.
There are 22 pits on the site that will
accommodate elevator cores, crane
foundations, tanks and basement
levels. The pits have to be shored to
allow accurate construction and a safe
working environment at all times. Due
to the highly variable, extremely poor-
quality ground conditions across the
site, shoring these excavations was very
challenging. This called for a shoring
solution that was robust, flexible and
rapid to deploy.THEPROBLEM
4. The contract was won by Coates Hire Engineering and
Technical Services at Ingleburn in Sydney. This division
of Coates Hire is made up of a team of experienced
temporary-works design engineers who design, build
and certify shoring solutions for construction companies.
The solution specified by Coates Hire utilised Mega Brace
hydraulic walers to support pre-driven steel sheet piles
around the perimeter of each pit, to create fully enclosed
cofferdam structures.
Swapnil Gujare, Technical Design Engineer at Coates Hire,
says construction companies need specialist solutions-
providers, not just equipment for hire. He says the
Wentworth Point job is complex, with a variety of pit sizes,
meaning an extensive design phase.
โWe design a unique system for each pit, based on the
client specification, the clientโs geotechnical report and soil
testing. We perform our own assessments which include a
retaining wall analysis to confirm waler loadings and sheet
pile capacity, and structural analysis of the hydraulic walers.
The designs go to the clientโs engineers, who either approve
them or request modifications.โ
Gujare says the Mega Brace system used by Coates Hire
is modular and can be adapted to various pit-sizes. Some
of the pits are large โ up to 16-metres by 10-metres in
plan โ requiring additional hydraulic struts central to the
excavation.
Billbergiaโs Project Engineer for Wentworth Point, Ciaran
Mulkeen, says while the company drafts a proposed design
for shoring each of the 22 pits, the specifications can only
be finalised once the excavations have been sheet-piled.
THESOLUTION
5. โWe needed a contractor with not only the best equipment and people, but also with the expertise to quickly change a
design if needed. When our excavations indicate that something extra is needed, Coates Hire redesigns it and delivers the
equipment without delaying our program.โ
Mulkeen says construction companies need expertise and flexibility from their contractors. Most of the first-phase
construction work is in the pits, and the workers cannot operate in them until excavation shoring has been certified. This
is a multi-stage inspection and certification procedure performed by Coates Hire which is offered as part of the service. It
starts at design stage where all designs are checked and certified before release. The approvals procedure then goes into
an operational phase where the equipment is run-up, pre-assembled, inspected and certified prior to dispatch from the
Coates Hire yard. Finally, immediately after installation, a Coates Hire engineer attends the excavation site to inspect the
completed product, and if satisfied, issues a signed letter certifying that the excavation is safe to enter.
THESOLUTION
6. โGetting people into those pits and working keeps the project on
schedule,โ says Billbergia Project Engineer Ciaran Mulkeen. โThe guys
at Coates Hire understand the pressure and they work with us.โ
THESOLUTION
If you require more information or would like to contact our Coates Hires Specialty Team click on this link:
http://bit.ly/2q5mQvnโ
