VALUE: £575k
CLIENT: ROBERTSON CONSTRUCTION
PROJECT: PLUMMER HOUSE, NEWCASTLE
In the summer of 2015, Thompsons of Prudhoe were contracted by Robertson Construction Ltd to carry out the demolition of a former Grade II listed building in Newcastle City Centre.
The site was located within a very busy part of Newcastle upon Tyne City Centre, adjacent to offices, bars, a night club, hotel, NHS walk-in centre and leading architects practice located in the Grade II Listed Plummer Tower – only 4 metres from the edge of the site. To add to the level of difficulty, the site was on a bend in the road and on a slope.
The site was divided into 3 zones, each requiring differing levels of demolition work.
Thompsons erected a sheeted scaffolding externally to the full height of the building around 3 of the elevations in order to provide a safe working platform for the works to be conducted and for a suitable ‘buffer’ zone to be in place. Thompsons also specified an internal ‘birdcage’ scaffold to the third floor of the building in Zone 2 to protect the listed dancefloor beneath. Each level of the scaffolding was reduced periodically as the demolition progressed.
Prior to commencement of demolition works Thompsons’ specialist asbestos removal operatives completed the removal of asbestos materials in the building and conducted a full internal soft strip to remove any items remaining within the building, removing all fixtures & fittings and stripping the structure back to its original shell to allow for a safe and unrestricted demolition. This technique also ensured that the resulting demolition debris was as clean as possible so as to maximise its potential for being recycled.
Due to the varying Zones, differing extent of demolitions required and extremely tight site constraints, the specialist demolition team at Thompsons carried out the work using a mix of specialist techniques including manual work, robotic and mini-machine, high-reach machine and traditional machine demolition and clearance.