Piling duties for Kobelco crawlers

Residential property developer Telford Homes’ design and build contract with Henderson Park and Greystar Real Estate Partners involves the delivery of 894 build-to-rent homes across two blocks at Nine Elms Park, Battersea.

The development, part of the Battersea Nine Elms regeneration area, is a former Royal Mail depot and will create approximately 60,000sqm of residential space across two distinct buildings alongside retail and community space. The first homes are expected to be delivered in 2022 with full completion in 2024.

Cementation Skanska’s contract, for the design and construction of 306 units of bearing piles across the two blocks, saw the two cranes arrive on site in September 2019 in an out-of-hours delivery on low loaders. Tracks and ballast weight were left on during transport, with the jib arriving on a separate flat-bed truck.

Once unloaded, the CKE800Gs—bought by Cementation in 2014 and 2015 respectively—were then assembled by the company’s in-house plant fitters.

With health and safety paramount at all times, Cementation supplemented the CKE800G’s on-board camera system, which provides a 360° view around the machine, with its own on-site safety camera system, as well as a hi-vis physical barrier around the crane to prevent anyone entering the slew zone.

The CKE800Gs are handling plant and materials for the piling works, with the heaviest item to be lifted weighing 14.8t at a maximum distance of 30m. To carry out the work, both cranes have been rigged with a main boom only (main 32t hook block and single line). The maximum placement lift height for the 15m tall bentonite silos that are lifted into the vertical from a horizontal position is 18m.

Commenting on the works, Paul Wiltcher, operations director at Cementation Skanska, said: “Kobelco cranes are a good fit for our varied type of work, especially their reliability, ease of use, service and transport. The machines also meet the Stage IIIB/Tier 4 engine requirements within Central London.”