Giant Warehouses

Aarsleff Ground Engineering has delivered major piling works on behalf of global construction specialist ISG Ltd, who are building six different warehouse units in the Southwest of UK in Avonmouth, Bristol.

Part of an exceptional development, the six warehouses form part of an ambitious £21.8 million final phase of the new and upcoming More+ Central logistics park, covering an area 384,000 sq ft in total.

Aarsleff has been subcontracted to project manage and deliver the challenging installation of up to 5066No. precast concrete piles using three of Aarsleff’s Junttan piling rigs.

Piles consist of an average 17m length and variations of 200/250/300mm diameter.

Aarsleff are highly familiar with the locality and ground conditions, having piled extensively in Avonmouth over the years.

Precast concrete piles are a sustainable foundation method as no spoil is generated on-site during their installation. This means that no waste, or contaminated waste, is sent to landfill.

In addition, sister company Centrum Pile manufacture the precast concrete piles using ‘responsibly sourced’ materials.

They utilise a cement replacement in the concrete mix called Pulverised Fuel Ash or PFA.

This reduces the cement content of the concrete by 38%, resulting in a lower embodied CO2 as well as improved plastic and hardened properties of the concrete.

Sam Riley, Aarsleff’s contract manager on the project, highlightsone of the project’s key challenges: 

“Pile supply has been the main challenge on this project. We are amid an extremely busy period, and therefore our pile factory is at maximum capacity supplying not only our own rigs but also hired rigs we are operating. To maintain an adequate supply of piles we are shipping them in from our sister company in Sweden. This is known as a ‘One Company’ approach and is one of the great advantages of being part of a wider organisation, in that we can frequently discuss capacity and operations with our colleagues Northern Europe and take advantage of a massive inter-transferrable fleet and labour force to suit our demands.”

The new Brexit customs has posed further challenges to pile supply as importing is now a lengthy and complex process.

Furthermore, the lorry driver shortage in the UK has meant piles are on hold at Immingham dock, awaiting available drivers to collect.

The overall scheme will transform the gravelled filled site into a new premium logistics park, bringing enhanced local infrastructure and significant employment opportunities to Avonmouth and strengthening its economic growth.for the railways in the UK.