This 6.2 acre plot, formerly the site of a School, now hosts 85 news homes comprised of 79 houses and 6 flats.
As the chalk ground conditions were variable and its Brownfield status, a piled solution was required. Due to our previous work with the Lovells/ Chalkdene partnership, Chalkdene invited us to propose a Housedeck scheme.
The primary challenge of this site was the irregularity of the underlying chalk. Due to the variable nature throughout the site, there was potential for dissolution features. To tackle this we undertook additional probing to prove the competence of underlying chalk in various locations of concern. Based on this we were able to opt for CFA piling into structured chalk at depth.
Green spaces were interspersed throughout the development design. The proposed scheme included a significant amount of trees to be planted, as well as to retain some of the existing ones.
To facilitate this, an engineered foundation was needed. Strip footings or other ground bearing foundations would have suffered interference, creating the risk of future heave. They would also have caused damage to the existing trees through significant excavation.
Our scheme combined a mix of voided and non-voided rafts. This allowed them to retain the desired existing trees and plant new ones, without risk of future heave.
Every project we do is value-engineered in-house, and this project was no exception. One of the ways we accomplished this was by undertaking our own load takedowns for the superstructure. Using FE models our engineers worked on the design for each plot. This avoided over-engineered foundations, which keeping the materials to a minimum, driving down client costs.
“Abbey Pynford’s Housedeck system allowed us to cost-effectively tackle the varying ground conditions on our sites with a one solution fits all.”
Oma Hamam, Development Director, Chalkdene
