Stantec shortlisted at British Construction Industry 2019 Awards

The King’s Scholars Pond (KSP) sewer rehabilitation project carried out on behalf of our Client Thames Water has been shortlisted in two British Construction Industry Awards (BCIA) categories; Utilities Project of the Year and Operations & Maintenance Project of the Year.

The BCIA Awards seek to recognise and reward excellence in project delivery and crucially, delivering outcomes for society.

The King’s Scholars Pond sewer rehabilitation involved ‘keyhole engineering’ to rehabilitate an old Victorian underground pipe bridge.

Stantec’s design team, led by Dr Neal Edwards worked in close collaboration with Thames Water, the eight2O delivery team, London Underground and Transport for London for 4 years, to develop an innovative solution to extend the asset life of the underground pipe bridge by 120 years.

The 2.1m tall by 1.7m wide brick KSP sewer was originally built by Joseph Bazalgette in 1848, seven years before the first section of the London Underground was opened to the public in 1863. The two structures intersect near Baker Street tube station. At this location, the KSP Sewer is supported by 2 primary cast-iron beams spanning between pad-stones embedded within the brick walls of the London Underground Tunnel. The sewer was exhibiting considerable signs of degradation due to settlement of the London Underground tunnel beneath. Closing the tube line to repair the sewer from below would have cost the project an estimated £1m per day which was simply not an option. Directly above the sewer is the busy road junction between Marylebone Road and Baker Street in central London. Closing this junction to repair the sewer from above ground would have caused major disruption for an estimated 5 months to both the traffic and the public.

The team’s clever solution involved strengthening the sewer from the inside, without the need for any excavation or disruption to traffic or the underground network. The use of digital technology proved invaluable in the provision of data relating to the final fit of the proposed solution. It allowed the design team to accurately assess interfacing and interacting structures plus space limitations to minimise issues and construction time inside the sewer.

The successful project execution and the avoidance of all the traffic and transport disruption usually associated with major civil engineering works demonstrates what can be achieved by innovative engineering solutions.

Dr Neal Edwards, KSP Lead Design Engineer and Technical Director at Stantec said; “The King’s Scholars Pond Project is a testament to exceptional project execution and Client care but is also a demonstrable example of innovation when faced with extraordinary constraints. Catastrophic failure of the existing asset could lead to loss of life. This project is about being sympathetic to the environment, harnessing innovation, keeping London flowing and delivering significant cost savings to the Client.”

The awards ceremony will take place on October 9 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, England.