Sector
Public, Non-housing
Expertise
Residential
Period
10/Dec/2025
The Challenge
A total of 504 piles are being constructed, including secant, bearing, tower crane, and plunge column piles, with diameters of 600mm, 650mm, and 1050mm.
In addition, 14 existing piles were removed to facilitate the installation of the new foundations. These were cored out to depths of up to 35 metres.
The works form part of the installation of a secant piled box and associated bearing piles for the new development at Seal House.
The Solution
Seal House is constrained by an existing Thames Water sewer running through the northern section of the site, adjacent to Fishmongers’ Hall. This presented a significant challenge, as certain areas imposed strict limits on allowable bearing pressures.
As a result, careful selection of the appropriate piling equipment was critical, taking into account pile size, depth, and the requirement to remove existing piles. A larger rotary rig was necessary to meet these demands.
Martello utilised its Liebherr LRB 355, equipped with real-time bearing pressure visualisation, enabling the operator to monitor and set safe operating limits throughout the works. This was complemented by smaller rotary rigs, including the Delmag RH34 and Delmag RH44, which were also deployed on site to support the installation of the piles
