Laing O’Rourke has installed the first 18t internal ‘super column’ in the north-west corner of Everton FC’s new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium.
The contractor will soon install another column in the north-east corner, before joining the two by a lattice of steelwork within six weeks.
Laing O’Rourke broke ground on the new £500m waterfront stadium less than a year ago.
‘Huge milestone’
Steve Farden, structural principal engineer for Laing O’Rourke, said: “It is a huge milestone for the project.
“I’ve been working on the project for two years and a lot of detailed planning has gone into preparing for the first steelwork column to go into the north-west stand.
“It signifies the start of the construction of the structural steel frame, which in turn will enable us to commence the concourse works for the north stand.
“Within three weeks, the steelwork will be up to level two and connected to the concrete core in the corner.
“This then means we can start readying for the fit-out phase and working towards opening parts of the stand for fit-out and commissioning.”
12,000 tonnes of steelwork
The super column is the first of more than 12,000 tonnes of steelwork that will make up the framework of the stadium. Steel fabricator Severfield is overseeing the work in the north and south corners.
Farden added: “Holding these super columns up are six 50mm diameter bolts, which go into a pile cap that weighs 15-20 tonnes.
“Below that are a total of six 15-metre concrete piles that go straight into the bedrock below, so all of that is holding the columns into the ground.”
Laing O’Rourke is set to build four tower cranes, one for each quadrant of the stadium to install steelwork at height.
For a video of the installation of the first ‘super-column’ click here (registration required).
