On site activity in London

Octatube is involved as a specialised sub-contractor in several prestigious projects in London. Three of those projects are currently under construction. This article gives an update on the current situation and progress, as told by Octatube’s project managers who are involved closely.

Victoria & Albert Museum Exhibition Road Entrance
The final steps are being taken for the practical completion of Victoria & Albert Museum's significant refurbishment, right in the heart of London. Project manager Thomas Been of Octatube: "The building site has been very crowded and complex from the beginning. The project is characterized by the application of many new and unique materials and detailing, resulting in the involvement of all kinds of suppliers. We had to carefully plan everything to make sure the operation would run smoothly and timely, it was a real puzzle. Now the building and the new inner courtyard are really starting to take form and it is having an effect on the working atmosphere. You can tell everyone is working towards the final result with great enthusiasm."

London Business School (Sammy Ofer Centre)
For the Sammy Ofer Centre, practical completion is also approaching. The so-called Link – a glazed interface with a complex steel structure between two existing buildings – has now been installed completely. Lex Oosterom, project manager of Octatube: “The street alongside the building is too busy to close off for longer periods of time, thus we refrained from using a mobile crane. Instead, a tower crane was mounted on top of the roof. This crane was then used to install large prefabricated steel façade structures. This was a major challenge as the operating space for hoisting down the heavy frames was sometimes less than a centimetre wide. Fortunately, we managed to install all elements without damaging the existing stone cornices or other building parts. After that, the remainder of the construction works went by rapidly. Next on the list is the installment of the revolving doors; one of Octatube´s final activites for this project." The London Business School building is expected to reopen its doors towards the end of this year.



Tasman House
The construction works for the high-end Tasman House façade kicked off this month. After the main contractor finished demolishing the existing building, Octatube installed the steel structure and now plans to get started on the glazing next week. Project manager Maarten Moerman of Octatube: "What is unusual about this project is the absence of an actual building site. The building is located alongside a busy road, so in order to compensate for the lack of space, Octatube created a container platform at first floor level to work from. So far, the construction progress has been running smoothly. This is partly due to the preparations in the engineering phase and multiple mock-ups that have been continuously improved since last year."