PWC

LDD’s package included the complete strip out of all 10 floors including office space, towers, basement areas, risers, comms rooms, plant rooms and kitchen and dining space as well as diamond drilling, passive fire protection and concrete works.

The works were phased whilst 50% of the 4500 employees remained in situ without any disruption to the business activities of PWC.

Programme, logistics and handover procedures must be strictly observed in order to allow for client migration between floors. Business continuity is vital and, we found that noise was the biggest challenge as we had to ensure zero

disruption to the client within the day and to their residential neighbours in the evenings. Noise tests were conducted weekly to monitor the sound levels and RAMS were amended to alter plant and methodology used to enable our workforce to work 24 hrs a day without disturbing PWC or the adjoining neighbours.

Ensuring no ‘down-time’ was also essential to our business continuity plan as we are frequently working within live risers and around live services . For example, the male and female toilets were back to back and we stripped out one whilst ensuring the other remained operational and completely clean so that the clients did not know that work had taken place. Within the risers and under the floor voids were live data and electrics that fed the rest of the building presenting a great challenge to our workforce to not only keep PWC working but to meet the strict programme deadlines.

Another stringent client policy is the submission and approval of Permits to work, which had to be submitted a minimum of 3 days before planned commencement of works. It can be difficult to ensure that permits for all types of work within all areas on set dates are approved in time so as to avoid programme delays but it is testament to the organisation of our works that we delivered on-schedule and with several health & safety awards.

Externally we undertook Diamond Drilling works to enable the piling contractor to form the necessary piles to allow the formation of the hoist base. The external block paving between 1 Embankment Place and the adjoining properties was removed and the subbase excavated to the required depths. Once the piling contractor had finished we formed the hoist base. Logistically we had to apply for permission to remove all spoil out through a one way street the wrong way that was used for deliveries and access to the adjoining properties. All works were undertaken at the weekend in agreement with residents and local businesses.