Next up in our series of interviews profiling construction project leaders is Richard Ellis MCIOB from Tilbury Douglas, who talks to Will Mann about his complex work managing the demolition of a RAAC-riddled school and rebuilding a new education facility
Tell us about your latest project. Where the big technical challenges were and how did you approach them?
My most recent project was St John’s Catholic Primary School in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, a two-storey school for the Department of Education. The project is the first school to be rebuilt to permanently remove reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) through the government’s School Rebuilding Programme.
The greatest challenge surrounded the demolition of the school, where RAAC was discovered in 2022, following an immediate evacuation of the pupils and staff due to structural risks. The building also contained asbestos which further complicated the demolition works. The entire building was scaffolded and wrapped in ‘shrink wrap’ polythene to contain the outbreak of dust.
Following removal of the concrete planks, the asbestos-cased beams were lowered and “tented” for the controlled removal of the asbestos. This phase of work was planned to take eight weeks, although we completed it in only six. Uniquely, we invited the HSE to attend throughout the process for both agreement on the safest means of executing the work and for ongoing monitoring and adherence to the plan.
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