30
MARCH-APRIL 2014
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SITE REPORT
K
ings Cross Station is one of the
biggest and busiest railway stations
in Europe. As part of the £500
million (US$84 million) redevelopment of the
Station, AR Demolition Ltd was appointed
by main contractor John Murphy & Sons
Ltd to demolish the station concourse to the
south entrance of the station. Works were
commissioned to unveil the Grade 1 listed
station façade that was designed by Lewis
Cubitt in 1852 and this was restored in
partnership with English Heritage. The facade
was revealed for the first time in 150 years and
facilitated the creation of a new public open
space outside the station complimenting the
relatively recent refurbishment of London
St Pancras. The works were carried out on
Network Rail property, directly above the
London Underground below and within 200
mm (8 inches) in places. The square opened to
the public in autumn 2013.
The ticket concourse was of a space-
deck construction and the demolition
was sequenced to maintain public and
emergency access in and out of the station.
Only restrictive time slots were available for
deliveries, which required careful advance
planning. Over 40 million people pass through
the station each year. The phasing, schedules
and timing were crucial to the project’s success
therefore works on this project included
Christmas Day, Saturday, Sunday and working
through the night, reducing disruption to the
public and businesses to a minimum.
STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY
Due to the nature of the construction, the
installation of a propping system was required
to maintain the integrity of the structure. A
detailed methodology for demolition had
to be designed that met with the approval
of Network Rail and London Underground.
All work was undertaken within the initial
Method Statements and Risk Assessment
that were written after direct consultation
with relevant members of AR Demolition, i.e.
Opening up
the station
AR Demolition carried out sensitive demolition work on Kings
Cross station in London to create a new public space. The
company’s efforts saw it
shortlisted for last years
Confined Space/Urban
Demolition Award
