IAC News

“Make use of good assets as long as they are in good condition”
－Touch the idea of the United Kingdom－

Mr. Takafumi Nakada
Obayashi Corporation
Bridge department
(Secondee to ATKINS)

I heard an interesting statement at an evening lecture organised by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE): “The infrastructure development for London had already been completed in the 19th century and we have been using these assets for a long time”. The talk was given by Prof. Brian Collins of UCL. The infrastructure in London was widely developed during the Victorian era from 1837 and 150-year-old structures are still in use such as bridges over the River Thames and the London sewage system. In residential areas, many people live in houses built 100 to 150 years ago. I am currently living in a house which was built 50 years ago. These houses are, surprisingly, considered relatively new by the locals.

House in London

I attended a site visit tour organised by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). We visited the construction site of the London Bridge Redevelopment Project. London Bridge Station, one of the terminal stations in London, is currently being upgraded to accommodate more passengers and train networks. According to the plan, the existing 15 platforms on the ground level will be relocated to an upper level and the ground level will be redeveloped to build a concourse and retail shops. The relocated platforms will be supported by newly constructed pier structures, whereas the existing brick arches which were built in the Victorian era will be used for support in a certain area. Prior to the construction of the new platforms, these Victorian arches were tested to ensure that they have sufficient capacity to resist the increased load. Only one arch failed the tests out of more than the 200 arches, which was a pleasant surprise to the project members. I was surprised by the condition of the existing structures. I also earned the important concept for planning and development: “Make use of good assets as long as they are in good condition.”

London Bridge Redevelopment Project

A significant number of assessment works for existing structures are undertaken by the engineering consultancy firm ATKINS, where I am currently being seconded to. Half of the total work is related to the structural assessment work, which is undertaken using computational analysis and strain gauge monitoring techniques. In addition to the assessment, the company is also committed to developing new structural monitoring techniques such as a new stress and strain monitoring system based on Digital Image Correlation (DIC).  Japanese engineers will need to tackle the infrastructure asset management more and more, and are therefore required to develop the new technology to facilitate the management. I would like to gain knowledge and skills in this area through the seminars and events in addition to my day-to-day work at ATKINS.

Events organized by local institutions are a very good opportunity for overseas engineers to learn the country.  I hope that the JSCE will disseminate information on Japanese Civil engineering technology and the trend of the Japanese construction industry to both Japan and overseas countries.

An introduction to Japanese piling technology currently in use in the UK

Mr. Masafumi Yamaguchi
GIKEN Europe B.V

My name is Masumi Yamaguchi of GIKEN Europe B.V. GIKEN Europe is one local subsidiary of GIKEN Ltd. in Japan and has been operating in the UK since our London office was established in 1990.

GIKEN Ltd in Japan developed the GIKEN Press-in method in 1975 with the world’s first ‘reaction based’ hydraulic sheet pile jacking machine ‘the Silent Piler’ which can achieve noise and vibration-free piling work. This year, 2017, marks our company’s 50 year anniversary.

Since our establishment we have been undergoing a “Construction Revolution” and have been following “The five construction principals” as our guide. In addition, we have suggested Press-in piling methods based on our unique technique, and high modulus wall ‘Implant structures’ built by utilising Press-in piling technology. As a result of these suggestions, we have successfully achieved many construction works. Currently, our technology is being widely utilised all over the world. I would, therefore, like to introduce a couple of case studies conducted in the UK in this report.

Firstly, I would like to introduce one past project in which the tubular pile cofferdam was built (see Photo 1). The cofferdam was formed with interlocked steel tubular piles to enable water retention at a depth of 10 metres and facilitated the construction of the station box in the canal in London. The working space on water was close to office-buildings and the piles had to be installed into a very stiff layer of “London clay.” The challenging working conditions of this site were the reasons our technology was adopted as a piling method.

Photo 1: Tubular pile cofferdam was built to enable water retention at a depth of 10 meters.

Due to the fact that our method is vibration and noise-free, there were no negative impacts on the neighbouring office buildings during the construction duration. Furthermore, no temporary platform was necessary and the system equipment was light weight and compact due to ‘Press-in principals’ which function by gripping previously installed piles in the ground to install a following pile. Photo 2 shows the inside of the cofferdam after discharging water from it. Under difficult conditions, we were able to build the high modulus and watertight wall shown in the photograph within the required construction period, which was highly regarded.

Photo 2: Inside of the cofferdam after discharging water

Subsequently, the twin Double Z sheet pile cofferdam project at the Thames is shown in Photo 3. It is important to note that U and Hat shapes are mainstream in Japan whilst Z shapes are utilised alongside them in Europe. Additionally, there is an installation method called “Double piles” in Europe, which is the method to simultaneously install two piles after crimping them. This “Double pile” technique reduces the construction period. GIKEN piling rigs can also be applicable for the method. The famous Tower Bridge and several buildings in the City of London can be seen in the image. In fact, regulations regarding noise and vibration levels are very strict in the central London area and our methods are often utilised for construction works there.

Photo 3: The twin Double Z sheet pile cofferdam project at the Thames

I would like to thank you most sincerely for your attention to this introduction. It gives me great pleasure to inform you about the Japanese piling technology developed by GIKEN which is currently in operation in the UK as well as around the world. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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