Second 2012 Visit to Foresters

It was a crisp and bright winter’s day and for a change there was not the biting wind that we have had recently, so it did not seem so cold, and as I entered the site there was much more of the intended Retail part of the development to be seen as the scaffolding was now removed completely, and this was an area that I had not covered on my last visit.

There was a lot of outside work being carried out, removing some of the now redundant pipework in one area, and round the back the garden area was being rotivated and receiving topsoil. One of the electricians spotted my capturing his work in the retail section and told me that the main board area was now far advanced, so I shot that and I spotted that doors were now being hung on the storage areas in the basement, and also the water pipework now had meters fitted.

I had no time to visit much of the interiors this visit, except the drywalling was going on in the future retail section, so this will take priority on my next visit.

Toureen near end of 1st stage of Jarvis Groundworks

Toureen Mangan are nearing completion of the first stage of groundworks for Jarvis at their Foresters Development in Harpenden. They will return later to do finishing work such as the paving. Blockwork is rising all over the site, as is the brickwork.

The work at the front of the site was largely level at the time of my last visit, now the blockwork is head height. At the back and sides of the main area the brickwork is above waist height in many areas, so staging is rising so that this can continue to the next level.

The weather was cooler, and there was no sunshine, but at least the drizzle held off till I had finished shooting.

Foresters Development by Jarvis & Toureen Mangan

Once again, the sun shone, and large fair weather clouds scudded over the Jarvis Foresters Development in Harpenden with fewer Toureen Mangan ground workers than a fortnight ago.
The site is now mainly in the hands of the bricklayers as much of the blockwork at the base has been completed, but because it is spread throughout the site, it does not show a vast jump in height. The other activity I have covered is the preparation of more scaffolding to allow the bricklayers to work higher.

Another aspect is that the drainage needs that require deep digging is being done now to avoid this dirty work being done much later in the build, when more tradesmen are on site, and would then be more disruptive.

The large cluster of plastic mouldings stored in the basement are a new form of construction for installation in the large deep holes being created currently. They are constructed  to ensure the ground does not collapse from the weight of soil above. Once they go in, they will be encased in a membrane, so they can act as a sump.

The crane has been used in many different roles over the time I have been visiting this site; today it was being used to lift palettes from close to the site entrance to different areas across the site.

Groundworks at Foresters Coming on Apace

Despite the forecast of a cloudy morning, it was already bright even before my arrival at the Jarvis Foresters site where Toureen Mangan’s groundworks are entering their final stages.

Foundations elsewhere on the site are now being worked upon, as work on the central structure is nearing completion of the groundwork stage; the concreting of the floor of the basement area is now finished. Several staircases have their reinforced concrete completed, and brickwork and blockwork is well underway. The crane is moving iron reinforcing rods from storage areas to where it is needed, and shuttering is being removed.

I was amused to see how Acro jacks and panels were being moved from the first floor to the ground. Around the site skips are filling, and soil spoil is being put onto lorries for removal from the site. A heavy duty angle-grinder was carving its way through concrete like butter showering both water and sparks. There was a lot of varied activity to be captured.

Foresters Harpenden, 8th February Visit

The morning began as promised by the forecasters – brilliant sunshine from the start. I gathered my camera gear together and set off for Harpenden. The shuttering I witnessed on the last visit was now a slab of reinforced concrete. Some of the foundations of earlier buildings were being excavated and piles cut back, and one digger was shifting the spoil around.

I watched the preparation of some of the ironwork, the removal of shuttering panels from completed columns, and took several shots in the basement area as this is really taking shape with staircase shuttering being prepared, and the last few areas were now being prepared with a black plastic membrane for the remaining areas of concrete.

With each new visit I see different facets of the construction, it is really interesting work; if the site was a book, it would be described as episodic. Jarvis and the groundworks teams of Toureen Mangan have been doing a good job and I have found everyone helpful and friendly.

A Tower Crane Comes to Harpenden

Jarvis are working on a fair-sized site just behind the High Street at the north end of the town.

It is as you enter from Luton that you first glimpse the crane towering above the trees, but it is hard to grasp why it is necessary for such a tall crane. As you come closer the reason becomes apparent, the site is long and thin and to deliver concrete to where it is needed and avoid the concrete mixers from unnecessarily interfering with local traffic these mixer vehicles approach down a tiny alleyway to the edge of the site then feed a hopper which is then hoisted and swung to where it is needed. A lower crane cannot move in these confined spaces, but a taller one can because the angle of the arm is so steep.

The hopper has an elephant’s trunk to pour the concrete where it is needed, and an ingenious tilting skid allowing it to be filled directly in manageable doses directly from the mixer lorry. The mixer is therefore present for the entire time it takes for the hopper to be filled and emptied until the nixer’s entire content is exhausted, so it is a three-man operation: the driver, a signaller to let him know when to pour and when to stop whilst the third man folds the trunk and tips the hopper and swivels the chute. To minimise the amount of concrete spilt on site, there is a skip at the side to deal with the dregs after each delivery to the hopper.

I have tried to capture the elements of the process and to convey just how tall this crane is and what a splendid piece of kit it is with its smart cab, all its cables and counterbalances, and how the operator has a bird’s eye view of both ends of the hopper’s travel from mixer to where it is being poured over the mesh of steel reinforcing cages. It is a non-stop process, except for when the mixer has to drive out when its load is finally exhausted, and another has to take its place.

Work – I could stay and watch it all day! Well, photograph it!