5 Broadgate, London, EC2
British Land
70 weeks
£6.5m
City of London
Overview
This high-profile project directly for British Land represented the first buildings to be demolished within the iconic 1980s-built Broadgate Circle. The John F Hunt team delivered a highly coordinated package of demolition, enabling and silent‑piling works designed to protect critical transport infrastructure while transforming the site for its next phase of development.
Relevant Experience
The project involved the technically complex demolition of two eight-storey steel-framed structures. This involved extensive asbestos removal, full soft strip works and a sophisticated temporary works strategy designed to maintain safety, continuity and operational resilience across one of London’s busiest transport hubs.
The blocks integrated with neighbouring buildings at podium level and were situated in the heart of Broadgate Circle, directly beside London Liverpool Street station and within the London Underground operational zone.
Early and continuous liaison with Network Rail, Transport for London and London Underground was essential, shaping a demolition methodology, scaffolding design and tower crane solution that met stringent rail industry standards and secured all required approvals.
To minimise vibration risks to sensitive rail assets, the team deployed adapted 13-tonne excavators fitted with cracker attachments and utilised two of the largest cranes in Europe at the time.
Below ground, the buildings were connected by a two-level steel-framed basement, demanding precise sequencing and structural understanding.
Demolition to sub basement level involved exposing and retaining key steelwork elements while undertaking small isolation cuts to reduce noise and vibration and maintain stability.
Following demolition, the team installed a two-storey piling mat and formed openings in the basement slab to facilitate piling operations. Silent piling was critical due to the high density commercial, retail and leisure environment directly above the basement.
Using a GIKEN Silent Piler rig, piles were pressed in statically at ground level, supported by a suite of non-percussive techniques, including pulverising, cut and lift operations and enclosed dampers to further mitigate noise and vibration.
John F Hunt was awarded the prestigious Considerate Contractors Gold Award by the City of London.
