Clyde Chambers

Background

Winter storms made their presence well and truly felt when they rendered this seven storey Glasgow warehouse in serious danger of collapse.

Challenges

The building’s location right in the heart of Glasgow city centre, required Reigart to co-ordinate closely with the utilities, Glasgow Building Control, Roads Department and the police to keep disturbance to a minimum. The nature of the emergency meant that initial works had to be carried out overnight.

Previous stabilisation work hindered proper access to its structure with some floors ‘de-bonded’from the walls. Severe weather conditions and an unstable roof resulted in each phase having to be completed in a continuous operation. 

Solutions

Reigart’s solution was to use a long reach 360° excavator to systematically demolish the seven storey structure in the safest way possible – even though some localised hand reduction had to be carried out using mobile elevating access platforms. Large quantities of ash materials were deposited at depth upon the surrounding pavement and roads to act as cushioning and to prevent damage to services from falling masonry. A temporary impact barrier was constructed using 40m³ soil-filled containers to protect the frontages of surrounding properties from potential falling debris.