Drilling to the Core at Shard London Bridge

28 October 2009

D-Drill was the first drilling contractor to be involved in the Shard London Bridge project. Sub contracted directly by Barhale, the D-Drill team was brought in to help establish the make up of the ground underneath the 28 year old Southwark Tower before demolition work could start.

Operatives trained to work in confined spaces, using breathing apparatus and escape kit, conducted inverted and horizontal drilling at the bottom of a 60 feet deep shaft which was part of a World War II shelter and long redundant underground station. Drill depths of 3 metres and 150mm diameters through reinforced concrete and cast iron liners were conducted to obtain core samples for material testing, necessary for the pre-demolition planning.

D-Drill London and South Branch Manager, John Barber commented, “It was great to be one of the first contractors on the Shard project, working on an old London site. D-Drill was brought in because of our experience and ability to drill in confined spaces and our understanding of demolition requirements.  We are now expecting to be involved in more drilling and sawing projects as the construction of the Shard continues.”

Shard London Bridge is set to become the UK’s & Western Europe’s tallest building standing at 310 metres (1,016 feet) and spanning over 72 floors. The brainchild of Italian architect Renzo Piano, this prestigious project is set to complete by the end of 2011. D-Drill adds the Shard contract to its long list of high profile jobs conducted across the UK in the last 40 years.

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