An Innovative Design for Waste Transfer Station, Kirk Sandall, Doncaster
A new waste transfer station for Doncaster Council has recently been completed with push walls by ACP Concrete Ltd. The new facility is to serve the residents of Doncaster whose household refuse collections will now be transformed into solid recovered fuel in nearby Rotherham. In order to transport the material efficiently to the Rotherham site, a waste transfer station was planned for land at the Kirk Sandall industrial estate.
An Innovative Design Solution - The programme was tight from the off as, unsurprisingly, the sensitive nature of this type of operation had led to a protracted planning process. Willmott Dixon Construction Leeds division were the main contractors faced with the challenge of compressing design and build process and approached ACP to design and construct 1570sqm, 4m high retaining wall. This was exactly the type of project the 280mm thick prestressed concrete panels were developed for. An initial design proposal was submitted meeting the client's performance specifications. The design requirements were then extended to include the flood management plan. This necessitated the stations internal floor level to be 1.2m higher than the ground level on the neighbouring property to one elevation. The tallest panels now required were to be 6.400m high so ACP's engineers increased the capacity of the 280mm panels with additional steel stressing strands and came up with an innovative design solution whereby the vertical cantilever wall was also tied into the floor slab.
A Tight Timescale - The tight schedule meant that precast was the only solution but even then it looked impossible until the design team at WMD & ACP decided that the only answer was to build the walls first and erect then erect the steel frame over the top! The column foundations had to be incorporated within the wall foundations and tolerances were super critical with a bare 50mm between the wall and the building columns! The project design team were required to work in close co-operation to make this process possible.
And Even Tighter! It soon became apparent from the client that the time scale was even tighter than we first imagined. A further 3 weeks needed to be taken from the programme. Despite the pressure, a calm, calculated and professional approach from all involved produced a plan that would meet the target completion date - just! With the walls and the building being erected simultaneously it was important that both installation teams worked around each other. The fitters performed miracles and all 253 panels were erected and installed within 5 weeks to the delight of all involved and 2 weeks ahead of schedule.
Gavin Redfern of Willmott Dixon said "I would like to take this opportunity to give you all credit at ACP on behalf of WDC. The way you have worked alongside us during pre-construction stage, your input during the DTM's and the installation team on site. In terms of build, the logistics of the project were challenging. Thanks to your professional attitude and help we were able to work as a team alongside Ramfabs and SPB constructing the Tipping Hall frame safely, 1 week ahead of the delivery programme. We look forward to working with you again in the near future."
It is always nice to get good feedback after a project has finished but this one was special.
