When the Nine Elms Tube Station opens in Battersea, London SW9 some of Shay Murtagh’s most prestigious work to date will be on display for future generations to see on their daily commute throughout London. Nine Elms is one of two stations to be completed as part of the Northern Line Extension a £15 Billion mega scheme in the expanding Southbank area of London. Shay Murtagh supplied 197 structural precast beams for the entire station which comprises of six floors, two above ground level and four below ground level. The trains will pass through the third level basement.
This is a typical example of “Top Down” construction. The precast beams which span between the plunge columns are connected using an intricate system of couplers and projecting rebar. Once the beams are in a position they are stitched to the Plunge Column. Traditionally temporary steel beams would be used to support the excavation however these precast beams were utilised to support the main excavation while forming the permanent station frame. The design and build contractor (FLO) operated a gantry crane the entire length of the site and this was used to both offload and install the beams.
The structural precast beams were manufactured up to 8.0m long x 1.0m thick 1.2m deep with the heaviest beam weighing in at 20 tonne. There was a total of 179 loads to site. Working to extremely tight tolerances +/- 3mm this project demanded all of Shay Murtagh’s experience and expertise. As the beams will be exposed in the structure in their finished state the quality levels delivered by Shay Murtagh exceeded the clients (Northern Line) expectations. We are proud to exhibit this important piece of infrastructure and wish the Ferrovial/Laing O’Rourke JV every success in completing the contract.
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