Greenspace Ticks All the Boxes for Costain

Large construction projects inevitably face challenges that are difficult to predict, and Costain’s New Yard project at Paddington is no different. It involves construction of a new elevated bus deck, relocation of a concrete batching plant and landscaping a tunnel portal. Despite this being the eleventh time Costain has worked with Crossrail, this site would still throw up some surprises.

One thing that could be predicted, however, was the quality of the accommodation on site. After having used a two storey block of eco-friendly Greenspace units from Wernick Hire, it was a simple decision to approach them for further accommodation as the project developed.

The only issue was deciding how many units would be needed to replace the ones already on site. “We needed to change initial plans and expand on welfare facilities and add changing room areas late in project specification, but Wernick were very flexible throughout,” commented Ashley Brown, Engineer for Costain. “They were very happy to accommodate these changes which included updating all technical drawings.”

Martyn Hodge, Works Superintendent, was pleased with the new units “We really like AVflex, it’s compact, easy to maintain, and ticks all the boxes for a busy construction site.” Before the end of the project, the site would become much busier than most could have anticipated.

In late October, Crossrail archaeologists discovered the remnants of buildings from the Brunel era of rail travel. This included foundations for three Brunel train sheds and workshops, dating back to the 1850’s and a 45ft turntable from the 1880’s.

Although the discoveries set the project back a week, the finds were very productive from a historical point of view. The Crossrail archaeology team is documenting the remains using laser scans and creating 3D models of the buildings with the hope that these records will help historians understand the early development of railways in the UK.

In a testament to how well run the site was, it also opened its doors to the public for a once in a life time tour of the structures with the archaeologists and engineers working on around them. Health and Safety was obviously a focus during this time. Ashley told us, “Costain follow very strict Health and Safety measures, and we hold everyone working on site to the same high standards.” This is another area where Wernick impressed. “We found Wernick’s Health and Safety procedures were excellent.”

The project is due to be completed by the end of the year, notwithstanding any further historical discoveries.

For further information about Wernick Hire visit www.wernick.co.uk, or call 0800 970 0231.