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Thanks for the photos. Is the crane being used to lower things into the pit, or is it standing idly by until the building is tall enough to lift things above street level?

No worries!!
The crane is being used fairly regularly to lower things into the pit, including the formwork?
I will get an action shot next time something goes past the window

Crane being used:

Great shots!

The progress shown here, I'd suggest a full slip form for the core will be ready in the next 7 days. Then it'll be a putzmeister (concrete pump) installed, ground and retaining slab, then off it goes.

Things will speed up here markedly very soon. Exciting times.

Hey Pikey,

Can you explain / expand some of your explanations for those of us who are mere office workers

whatstheirname = 12 post fkn superstar of the forum. top pics.

Long story short - we'll see a corebox and concrete pours relatively soon and this thing will rise.

The race is on.

whatstheirname wrote: ↑

Wed May 16, 2018 4:35 pm

Hey Pikey,

Can you explain / expand some of your explanations for those of us who are mere office workers

Algernon (Yob) beat me to it!

Basically, the corebox slipform will be formed soon, enabling the first pour of the service core to happen. If you look closely in your last shot, you'll see on the inner right hand side the bottom half of two door opening frames, on the black form work. This points to a lift level opening below ground, so there will be one level of basement here (service level or plant room more than likely.) All of the black formwork here is the inner form, then an outer form will be attached with a lifting system, then a further outer layer. This is what is usually white, or branded with the builders branding.

Usually a concrete pump will arrive after the floor is poured (I don't believe there will be too much more excavation wise here) from there the form work for the uprights will be installed, then the first floors, wall form jump system, then it's off and running.

Looks like you've got a great vantage, can't wait for more pics!

Sorry the windows are a bit dirty

The sequence of photos (thanks!) clearly shows that the excavators at the back have been removing piles which look to have been created fairly recently. Has anybody found out why? Were they necessary to shore up something until something else happened, and now they are in the way?

SBD wrote: ↑

Fri May 18, 2018 12:42 am

The sequence of photos (thanks!) clearly shows that the excavators at the back have been removing piles which look to have been created fairly recently. Has anybody found out why? Were they necessary to shore up something until something else happened, and now they are in the way?

Hi there, the piles aren't being removed per se, just the tops are so they can be "capped."

If you look in the above photo, there is a pair of piles on the left hand side that have a small concrete slab above them, that's called capping. I'm assuming they're being capped at this height at it will form the floor level of the basement/first floor. Does that make sense?

Pikey wrote: ↑

Fri May 18, 2018 8:50 am

SBD wrote: ↑

Fri May 18, 2018 12:42 am

The sequence of photos (thanks!) clearly shows that the excavators at the back have been removing piles which look to have been created fairly recently. Has anybody found out why? Were they necessary to shore up something until something else happened, and now they are in the way?

Hi there, the piles aren't being removed per se, just the tops are so they can be "capped."

If you look in the above photo, there is a pair of piles on the left hand side that have a small concrete slab above them, that's called capping. I'm assuming they're being capped at this height at it will form the floor level of the basement/first floor. Does that make sense?

It seems an incredible waste of time and resources to have put several feet of extra reinforcing and concrete in the tops of each pile, then use an excavator to break them back down so that new concrete and reinforcing can be added to cap them. I guess I've just never watched this stage of a building up close before.

I assume it's done that way because it is easier and more cost effective to use the equipment needed for the boundaries to do these as well. Only filling the holes to a certain level would also be a safety issue for anyone on site. This also appears to be occurring in areas of the Darlington Upgrade on South Road.

SBD wrote: ↑

Fri May 18, 2018 3:38 pm

Pikey wrote: ↑

Fri May 18, 2018 8:50 am

SBD wrote: ↑

Fri May 18, 2018 12:42 am

The sequence of photos (thanks!) clearly shows that the excavators at the back have been removing piles which look to have been created fairly recently. Has anybody found out why? Were they necessary to shore up something until something else happened, and now they are in the way?

Hi there, the piles aren't being removed per se, just the tops are so they can be "capped."

If you look in the above photo, there is a pair of piles on the left hand side that have a small concrete slab above them, that's called capping. I'm assuming they're being capped at this height at it will form the floor level of the basement/first floor. Does that make sense?

It seems an incredible waste of time and resources to have put several feet of extra reinforcing and concrete in the tops of each pile, then use an excavator to break them back down so that new concrete and reinforcing can be added to cap them. I guess I've just never watched this stage of a building up close before.

Often the piles are precast offsite and then transported to site where they are rammed into the ground. If the top end of the steel reinforcing was left exposed, the bars would simply get bent and damaged in this process. Once the capping beam needs to go in, then the top of the piles is knocked back to allow structural continuity between the pile and beam via the steel reinforcing and concrete interfaces.

Sometimes it just makes for easier construction as well.