LONDON | London Bridge Tower - "The Shard" | 1,017 FT / 310 M | 87 FLOORS - Page 8

KingKrunch · #**141** Posted **Oct 21, 2009, 1:16 PM**

It's nice to see an ambitious project like this one go forward despite all the financial turmoil these days.
And thank you wjfox for keeping all of us up to date

wjfox2004 · #**142** Posted **Oct 23, 2009, 8:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

I don't know... Compared to the people the tower isn't all that tall.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingKrunch

And thank you wjfox for keeping all of us up to date

You're welcome.

wjfox2004 · #**143** Posted **Oct 23, 2009, 8:53 PM**

Here's a video from the site today. It's about 70mb / 5 minutes:

http://www.willfox.com/videos/skyscrapers/shard/3.wmv

I'd recommend viewing in full screen mode.

wjfox2004 · #**144** Posted **Oct 24, 2009, 7:54 AM**

It's available to watch on YouTube now -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njd0zUdqc2Q

malec · #**145** Posted **Nov 8, 2009, 9:51 AM**

Update

Quote:

Originally Posted by PortoNuts

wjfox2004 · #**146** Posted **Nov 10, 2009, 8:40 PM**

The first of the exterior steel columns being put in place (pics by SE9):

TonyAnderson · #**147** Posted **Nov 10, 2009, 10:45 PM**

I can't wait to see this rise.

eMKay · #**148** Posted **Nov 11, 2009, 12:55 AM**

Got my Popular Science yesterday, they had a little blurb about how they are shaving 7 months off the construction time....

Popular Science - December 2009

"Renzo Piano's 72-storie glass tower in London, expected to be the tallest building in Western Europe when it opens in 2012, employs a bold new method that could speed the construction of tomorrow's skyscrapers: Build the tower and dig the basement at the same time. A custom deep-diving rig put the tower's structural columns into the ground before excavation took place, so one construction crew can dig the basement-which otherwise puts everyone else on hold-while another installs elevators, staircases and mechanical fixtures on top of the columns. Engineer Bob Gordon of the Mace Group estimates that the technique will save seven months of construction time."

Chicago Shawn · #**149** Posted **Nov 11, 2009, 3:43 PM**

Its great to see this thing finally rise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eMKay

Got my Popular Science yesterday, they had a little blurb about how they are shaving 7 months off the construction time....

Popular Science - December 2009

"Renzo Piano's 72-storie glass tower in London, expected to be the tallest building in Western Europe when it opens in 2012, employs a bold new method that could speed the construction of tomorrow's skyscrapers: Build the tower and dig the basement at the same time. A custom deep-diving rig put the tower's structural columns into the ground before excavation took place, so one construction crew can dig the basement-which otherwise puts everyone else on hold-while another installs elevators, staircases and mechanical fixtures on top of the columns. Engineer Bob Gordon of the Mace Group estimates that the technique will save seven months of construction time."

That is called top-down construction. Its relatively new, but it has been done of plenty of other projects before London Bridge Tower.

Don't be surprised if the excavation work runs behind schedule, it occasionally happens with this practice. The actual time savings is usually less then what is first expected.

colemonkee · #**150** Posted **Nov 11, 2009, 5:56 PM**

^ This is the first time I've seen top-down construction used on a project of this size. Have any other supertalls been built with using top-down?

Chicago Shawn · #**151** Posted **Nov 11, 2009, 7:00 PM**

^Not sure of any existing supertalls; but the Chicago Spire was going to use top-down for the 7 underground garage levels. The only area that has been fully excavated was to contain the tower's core.

ardecila · #**152** Posted **Nov 22, 2009, 4:17 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by colemonkee

^ This is the first time I've seen top-down construction used on a project of this size. Have any other supertalls been built with using top-down?

River East Center in Chicago used this construction method, and so did Block 37. They sunk the caissons and poured a structural floor slab with earth beneath it. They left a few bays of the slab open and used mini-excavators to remove the dirt from underneath the slab. At 2 stories down, they set up forms and pour the first slab underground, etc until completed.

Dylan Leblanc · #**153** Posted **Nov 22, 2009, 7:21 AM**

wow, nice building guys!

looking at the comparison diagram linked to at the top of the page I see that London is now finally getting a building as tall as the Eiffel Tower.

Jarrod · #**154** Posted **Nov 22, 2009, 9:43 AM**

Holy crap this is going to be a beauty! I'm jealous! I'm thinking that it would fit nicely into Edmonton's skyline. Perhaps I should go to London and steal it

I can't wait to keep an eye out with the construction pictures! Congrats guys!

kenratboy · #**155** Posted **Nov 24, 2009, 4:38 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jarrod

Holy crap this is going to be a beauty! I'm jealous! I'm thinking that it would fit nicely into Edmonton's skyline. Perhaps I should go to London and steal it

I can't wait to keep an eye out with the construction pictures! Congrats guys!

"Sir, that will be an addition $25 checked baggage fee."

QuarterMileSidewalk · #**156** Posted **Nov 24, 2009, 5:29 AM**

^lol!

chest · #**157** Posted **Nov 25, 2009, 11:30 PM**

wjfox2004 · #**158** Posted **Nov 27, 2009, 8:51 PM**

Couple of pics from this evening.

Aleks · #**159** Posted **Nov 27, 2009, 9:29 PM**

Hard to believe such a big building will be located in such a small street! Good thing they're also building a metro station.

So basically, they're building the outside of the base while digging up the foundation for the core? And they'll build the core later on? Or am I wrong?

wjfox2004 · #**160** Posted **Nov 27, 2009, 10:57 PM**

Yep, a concrete core should rise in January.

Re: the metro station, it already exists, they're just renovating it.