Comprehensive environmental monitoring scheme for a Grade-II listed building during piling, demolition and excavation works.
The project
Conversion of long-standing department store building into a mixed-use
development including retail, leisure and office space. As the structure is listed,
most of the building’s appearance will remain unchanged, however, the planned
works include some demolition works to create an atrium and the construction of
a rooftop extension.
The challenge
In addition to the structure of the listed building itself, there are multiple adjacent
infrastructure assets that must be protected from excessive vibration. These
assets include buried utilities and drainage as well as supports to the overhead
power lines for public transport that are attached to the façade of the Building.
The planned piling, demolition and excavation works, as well as removal of
masonry or concrete all have the potential to produce significant amounts of
vibration.
The solution
GEO-Instruments engineers installed 23 Triaxial Vibration Monitors throughout
the interior and exterior of the building across the ground, first and fifth floors.
In order to protect the vibration monitors against potential damage from site
activity, particularly demolition, each was fitted with a metal enclosure. These
also served to house the attached external batteries that extend the lifespan of
the sensors.
Dust and noise sensors were also installed to monitor the impact on workers and
neighbouring asset holders.
Collection and transfer of monitoring data was fully automated. Alert triggers
were set at the specified limits, so the site team could receive instantaneous
alarm emails if thresholds were breached.