CPD Specifier May 2015 issue January 2015 | Page 9

LONDON OLYMPICS PARK
At the 2012 Olympics Park in London, Gabions were used to spectacular
effect in both cladding and structural applications.
In particular, the Central Park Bridge at the heart of the site. This was
originally conceived as two permanent bridges linked by a narrow diagonal
span over Carpenters Lock on the River Lee. During the Olympics, a
central, temporary infill structure between the bridges accommodated the
huge crowds.
In the post-Olympics legacy park, the infill was removed to create two
bowls on either side of the lock, thereby linking the upper park concourse
with the lower level of towpaths and waterways.
Designed by Architects Heneghan Peng, the structure incorporated fingerlike arrays of welded wire Gabions to the terraced wing walls as well as
Gabion cladding to the bridge piers that support the mirror finish bridge
soffits.
The mirrored soffits create multi-facetted reflections of the surrounding
landscape which change as the visitor walks beneath and around the
structures.
The Gabion walls were built by Maccaferri Construction, the Company’s
specialist installation subsidiary, using recycled concrete waste as the
cage in-fill material. The Gabion walls incorporate 4.0m long tails of
Paralink geosynthetic reinforcement grid, also from Maccaferri. These
were placed underneath the baskets and wrapped over the face and back
underneath the next row, to form a reinforced soil structure of immense
strength.
In other areas of the park, Gabions were used in the construction of
several other structures; some artistic and spectacular, some solidly
functional, but all clearly displaying the outstanding versatility of the
system.

Picture above and far left: Gabions were used in the construction of several other structures at
the London Olympics Park; some artistic and spectacular, some solidly functional, but all clearly
displaying the outstanding versatility of the system.

STAFFORDSHIRE ENERGY RECOVERY PLANT
Over 2,500sqm of 300mm thick Gabion cladding was used to form the
external walls of Staffordshire County Council’s recently commissioned
Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) at Four Oaks, near Wolverhampton. The
Gabions, which were used around the entire building, were hand-filled
with 1000 tonnes of locally sourced limestone to give the structure a softer
visual aspect in contrast to the sheet metal cladding above it.
The ERF plant, which was built by CNIM Clugston and operated by
veolia Environmental Services, is designed to process 300,000 tonnes
of residual household waste a year and produce 23MW of electricity,
sufficient to power 32,000 homes in the area. By diverting waste from
landfill, Staffordshire CC aims to save approximately £250m over the life
of the ERF contract.

Maccaferri Gabion cladding was used to form the external walls of Staffordshire County Council’s
recently commissioned Energy Recovery Facility, Wolverhampton.

ST STEPHENS’S TROWBRIDGE
At the St Stephens Place Leisure Park in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, a £90m
programme of regeneration has lead to the construction of a vibrant new
development, which includes an Odeon Cinema complex, an 80 bed hotel
and a network of retail and restaurant outlets close to the centre of the
County Town.
Built for Developers Legal & General on a derelict factory site next to the
River Biss, the development’s south facing facades, flanking both sides of
an impressive stepped terrace incorporate 260sqm of Gabion cladding.
Again, built by Maccaferri Construction for ground-works contractor
GWorks the Gabions contain over 130 tonnes of hand placed sandstone
and create a stunning link between the green riverside landscape and the
hi-tech glass facade of the cinema building and adjacent hotel.
Gabions have clearly won a place in the hearts of twenty-first century
design professionals and, despite more than 100 years of familiarity with
the system, it is encouraging to see new and original uses being found for
this simple, functional, ecologically sound and visually appealing product.

MACCAFERRI

TEL: [phone]

Gabions create a stunning link between the green riverside landscape and the hi-tech glass facade
of the Odeon cinema at St Stephens Place, Trowbridge.

WWW.MACCAFERRI.CO.UK

READER ENQUIRY NO: 8

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