Specialist contractor Sheet Piling (UK) has installed 532 low‑carbon, temporary, sacrificial sheet piles in Ransome’s Wharf, a riverside residential project in Battersea, southwest London.
Each of the EMSteel Z‑Section GreenSteelPile, measuring between 10m and 11m long, was manufactured from recycled scrap using an electric arc furnace process.
Developer London Square appointed SPUK to design, supply and install a complex sheet piling scheme to provide lateral earthworks support for a retained height of over 4m and facilitate construction of a permanent concrete basement.
The project faced several challenges, including the site’s location next to live highways and the presence of sensitive structures, such as the dock wall at Ransome’s Dock, which is an Environment Agency asset.
To reduce ground displacement and protect the sensitive assets, SPUK’s in-house design consultancy team designed the sheet piles in accordance with strict movement criteria.
Ground conditions also included a shallow groundwater table and dense Kempton Gravels, both of which posed difficulties in driving sheet piles to the required toe level.
To mitigate groundwater ingress during excavation, SPUK designed the piles to achieve toe penetration into the underlying London Clay, forming an effective hydraulic cut‑off.
The contractor also used Biguma clutch sealant – a hot-applied, bituminous joint sealant – to minimise seepage through the interlocks during excavation.
SPUK said it used a “silent and vibration‑free” installation methodology with two Kowan ZU100 pile presses to minimise the risk of damage to adjacent sensitive structures.
Further impact risks were reduced by using a sequential pre-augering process prior to installation to improve driveability through the dense Kempton Gravels.
London Square is the developer and main contractor of the £222m Ransome Wharf project, according to data by analyst Glenigan. The scheme comprises the construction of 118 homes.