Scaffold of the Year
It was no mean feat to provide safe, under-pier access to repair to support columns for New Brighton Pier. Weather, sea conditions and maintaining full public access only added to the challenge!
Location: New Brighton, Christchurch
Main Contractor: Fulton Hogan
Scaffold Purpose: enable strengthening work to pier columns post-earthquake
The project that earned Upright SARNZ 2018 Scaffold of the Year, the New Brighton Pier job provided its own set of unique challenges. The 300m long pier was damaged in the 2011 earthquake and the 17 columns that support the main deck needed repair. After several planning meetings with our client Fulton Hogan it was decided that the work would be done in six stages with multiple adaptions along the way. Layher’s Allround system proved to be the ideal choice for this project with its versatility in design and speed of alteration. To repair the columns Fulton Hogan needed full access under the pier to install caissons. These water-tight retaining structures were driven into the seabed around the columns, water and sand was then extracted to create a work area. In these difficult confined spaces the Fulton Hogan staff worked to remove the damaged concrete, expose the reinforcing steel, and complete the repairs.
One challenging aspect was the need to provide access platform that would span 4.5m across two fixed hanging scaffolds to allow access to the centre of the caisson to bolt it together. The solution was to have four single hinged platforms, one fixed to each corner of the existing hanging scaffold, with each platform rotating 270 degrees in and out of position. These were built using Layher’s Allround components hinged on a specially engineered 35mm diameter steel pin. The hinged platforms swung smoothly locking into place at either end of the rotation with gated access onto the platform – a perfect solution to what seemed like an almost impossible request!
With added complexity due to the weather, sea conditions, and the fact the pier had to remain open to the public for the duration, this project required some excellent teamwork and problem-solving skills from all involved. Winning Scaffold of the Year was pleasing recognition for a very challenging project.
