The River Front

1. The River Front Phil Wolfenden Senior Safety Manager

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3. The River Front • Construction work started in April 2002. • Construction period was 85 weeks but it took a little longer.

4. The River Front • The contract was known to us as “The Newport Theatre & Arts” and the original contract sum was approximately £11m.

5. The River Front • Design issues both good and bad.

6. The River Front • The good! • The back door to the main theatre is ideally situated for loading and unloading of equipment.

7. The River Front • 140mm concrete blocks were changed for 100mm to reduce manual handling.

8. The River Front • The Architect was a good listener and some changes were made.

9. The River Front • Some staircases were changed from pre cast to steel to assist in the construction. • The pre cast stairs were extremely difficult to install due to the steelwork layout.

10. The River Front • The bad! • Most of the problems highlighted were due to the nature of building and there are no easy solutions: • Lots of high areas especially to the stage

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12. The River Front • Externally; • Sloping cladding and glazing meant installation was a nightmare.

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15. The River Front • Scaffold was huge and specifically designed. • Due to location a safety boat was in place during a lot of the works.

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17. The River Front • A 300 tonne crane was required to install the hanging corner.

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19. The River Front • The sloping structural glazing was extremely difficult to install. • Sizes were reduced to assist construction

23. The River Front • Internal glazing was also difficult.

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26. The River Front • Work at height: • Difficult to design out due to nature of building. Main problems were:

27. The River Front • Stage area: • High block work walls-20m high

28. The River Front • Orchestra pit: • Had to be installed late on and very difficult to access, very heavy.

29. The River Front • Safety Fire curtain: • Very heavy and difficult to install late on in project.

30. The River Front • Counterweight system: • Installed after wall decorated. • Full height,20m, access difficult.

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32. The River Front • Stage grid at high level. • Steel work installed then decked out to build walls. Decking removed to enable theatre mechanics to be installed using nets as fall arrest. • Nets removed and now possibility of small items being dropped onto stage?

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34. The River Front • Lots of additional rails required during construction: • Balconies too low • Rails to lighting bridges too far apart. • Guard rails to side areas. • All were left in place until day of handover

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38. The River Front • Why can’t guard rails be incorporated into the design of structural steelwork. • Eliminate the need to install rails during construction

39. The River Front • Battery rooms: • Why are they always on the top floor? • Heavy batteries have to carried up the stairs

40. The River Front • Tiers: Risk of falls during construction?

41. The River Front • Plant rooms: • Installation of ductwork. Insulation and labelling, all difficult work at height.

43. The River Front • Service risers: • Voids to be protected until installation and then air tight seal required. Very difficult to work.

44. The Riverside

45. The River Front • Large sliding door to the rear of main theatre.(6 tonne) • Large electric door to rear of studio theatre. • Services running at high level • Corridor very narrow. Installation and maintenance very difficult.

47. The River Front • Roof access. No parapet for maintenance. • Reliance on man safe system.

48. The River Front • Most of the items discussed are not easy to overcome. Some are impossible however in this new age of CDM we need to look at the build ability of buildings before they get to site to try to

49. The River Front • “avoid foreseeable risks to those involved in the construction and future use of the structure”

50. The River Front • To finish on a high the client is very happy as “the building works very well and is of a good quality”.