Does the UK have capacity to build like this again?

[Mojocvh]

I was actually looking around, on Google Earth, for a possible, non weegiefied, spot for some late summer congering and fell into a combination of wiki and flicker for a couple of hours.

Got me thinking, could the UK, today, do this again?



Teasers....the largest project involved the excavation of a huge dry dock, in which the 600,000 tonne Ninian Central Platform was built in 1978. Material was supplied by sea and when complete the platform needed seven tugs to tow it to its operating position in the North Sea. The Ninian Central Platform still holds the record as the largest movable object ever created by man...

...this lay at the end of a 2-mile (3 km) stretch of road built to provide access in just 12 days, and by 1977 over 3,000 people were working here, housed in temporary accommodation on site on site and in two accommodation ships ....


http://www.kishornport.co.uk/about/history/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Kishorn

Picture stream on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/33920174@N08/48021891...

[anonymous-user]

Could we do it? Yes, i'm sure we could, but the paperwork/nimbyism/fauxenviromumbojumbo would mean the project would take approximately 3.7 times the current age of the universe to get started.......... ;-)


Pretty amazing pics btw! That's a LOT of concrete (and quite a bit of wood for the shuttering)

[Mojocvh]

National Library of Scotland Archive video

http://ssa.nls.uk/film.cfm?fid=2690

[Ross1988]

Yes they do, the expertise is there, the technology has advanced, googel Doka Platforms, if, like stated above, the paperwork were lax, then we could build these easy.

[v64paul]

As a young, green plant mechanic i served my time with a guy who had worked on this project. He had worked for a company called Burlington Engineering who were main agents for Schwing concrete pumps. He used to tell stories about the job but at the time i had no concept of how big the job was. Sadly it's highly likely that he is no longer with us as he was getting on in years then. This has brought a good few memories of those times back. Wherever you are now Harry Hamon, i salute you.

[stew-S160]

Probably not as everyone is involved with IT/Call Centres/Phone Shops/Banks these days.

[hidetheelephants]

I've just got home from Ninian central; it's bloody big.

[anonymous-user]

Could we technically, yes we could, but I don't think we could do it econmically, the Norwegians built GBSs for a long time after we stopped, Statfiord C, Sleipner, Troll etc in Ganesfjord and Vats, but today even Statoil build rigs in Korea.

[hidetheelephants]

Berw said:

Could we technically, yes we could, but I don't think we could do it econmically, the Norwegians built GBSs for a long time after we stopped, Statfiord C, Sleipner, Troll etc in Ganesfjord and Vats, but today even Statoil build rigs in Korea.

This pretty much; unless there was a big and sustained oil price rise that caused an unprecedented boom in rig demand(not likely as more and more operations and hardware are moving subsea with technological advances) such that the established rig fabricators couldn't economically keep up with demand, then there might be a profitable case for reopening Nigg or Ardersier for rig construction. It's not likely though.

[Collectingbrass]

We still do it all the time. T2 at Heathrow Airport (where I manage part of their reconstruction projects) employed over 2,000 men a year at peak on similar scale project. The UK construction industry has got the will and the capability, we just don't have the space or the politicians with big enough balls to take on the NIMBYs and the environmentalistas. Brunel and his ilk must be spinning in their graves.

[vonuber]

No we are not actually. We are adapting the projects to be in harmony with the environment which doesn't stop them getting built, it just means we do less damage.
For example the shard, London Bridge, the Olympics, crossrail etc

[Moominho]

The channel tunnel was only completed around 20 years ago.

[Tempest_5]

Does this platform still exist ? I was just wondering how the concrete structure stood up to use.

Anyway, is it me or are some of the linked photos reminisent of the Death Star being built ?

Maybe I should get out more

[hidetheelephants]

Tempest_5 said:

Does this platform still exist ? I was just wondering how the concrete structure stood up to use.

Yes it does, I'll be back there on Wednesday; the concrete bit is fine if a bit discoloured but the top bit is bit manky.

[hornet]

Not as obvious, but there's some serious engineering going on with Crossrail. Not exactly trivial to push TBM's beneath London, considering what's already down there.

http://www.londonreconnections.com/2013/in-picture...
http://www.londonreconnections.com/2013/in-picture...


You also have things like the ongoing King's Cross regeneration :-

http://www.kingscross.co.uk/the-development

Quite apart from the St Pancras regeneration and King's Cross western concourse, below ground there has been a huge expansion, with new tube ticket halls and the whole new Thameslink station, all of which has been built around the existing tunnels, roads, sewers and other utilities.

Might be less obvious than singular mega-projects, but no less impressive IMO. Also have stuff like the Thames Tideway Tunnel and Old Oak Common redevelopment in the pipeline, neither of which are exactly small!

[Sylvaforever]

http://renews.biz/105477/dock-work-kicks-off-at-ki...

Some hope for the future decommissioning of North Sea platforms?

[hidetheelephants]

Sylvaforever said:

http://renews.biz/105477/dock-work-kicks-off-at-ki...

Some hope for the future decommissioning of North Sea platforms?

Other than the deep water access it has nothing going for it as a site for decommissioning work; no local population of personnel experienced in the work, atrocious road access, the immediate surroundings are environmentally sensitive and it's a long way from the North Sea relative to the competitors like Teeside, Tayside etc.

[Terminator X]

Collectingbrass said:

We still do it all the time. T2 at Heathrow Airport (where I manage part of their reconstruction projects) employed over 2,000 men a year at peak on similar scale project. The UK construction industry has got the will and the capability, we just don't have the space or the politicians with big enough balls to take on the NIMBYs and the environmentalistas. Brunel and his ilk must be spinning in their graves.

Perhaps T5? Cost over £4bn and peaked at 8000 people on site daily.

TX.

[Simpo Two]

Is an airport terminal really such a challenge? Box made of steel and glass, no?

[TerryThomas]

The arch to cover the Chernobyl reactor is now the biggest movable man made object, I believe.