Afon Taf High School: 3G Pitch Installation
Carrick Construction was appointed to construct Afon Tafs pitch and surrounds, being built to...
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Key Facts:
- SuDS retrofit scheme
- Environmental construction
- Rain garden installation
- Design and build project
Project summary
We were delighted to deliver a retrofit SuDS scheme at Boxford Village Hall for Suffolk County Council as part of the Reclaim the Rain project.
Reclaim the Rain is being delivered by Suffolk and Norfolk County council’s, with funding provided by the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation programme. The initiative is to test new ways of managing and harnessing water in small rural locations with the aim is to improve resilience to flood and drought risk across the counties.
For this project, we collaborated with Group company Environmental Protection Group and landscape architects Illman-Young. The objective was to construct a rain garden to reduce the risk of flooding in the area, as well as aesthetically improving the venue for the community.
The first phase of the project was Illman-Young landscape design, with EPG creating the engineering designs of the SuDS solution in phase two.
Carrick then picked up the build phase following the design specification of the rain garden. We began with site establishment and preparation.
This included:
- Provision of temporary site access for all construction traffic and deliveries.
- Provision of a storage compound and set-down area for all machinery and material deliveries.
- Provision of welfare facilities for site staff adjacent to the set-down area.
- Installation of temporary Heras type security around site compound, to ensure the safety of those on site
- Provision of a dilapidation survey/photographic record documenting the condition of all existing infrastructure in advance of the works
- Identification and marking of services.
The first phase of works proceeded with the existing vegetation being cut back and disposed of offsite. This was followed by setting out the required hard standing areas which were cut with a floor saw to ensure a true edge and then broken up using hydraulic breakers. Next, the hardcore was removed from site which allowed for the site to be excavated using rubber tracked mini diggers. This allowed us to also connect to the existing drainage system for flow control. All waste was deposited at a licensed waste facility.
Following this, the installation of structures, such as steps leading to the French doors, associated foundations and pipework as per manufacturers recommendations and as per positions and levels on the construction drawings provided were constructed.
Brickwork and retaining walls were constructed and the plants were planted following the recommendations in the SuDS manual.
The challenge
Access to the site was tight as Boxford Village Hall is located down a small road in picturesque village. The site is also positioned across from a primary school which meant congestion at peak times of the day and public safety needed to be considered.
The solution
To combat this, we adjusted our schedule and carried out the works during summer holidays. All safety concerns were addressed, and very clear signage and markings were displayed during the construction.
THE RESULTS
The design and build collaboration between Illman-Young, EPG and Carrick was delivered smoothly and effectively. The rain garden was constructed by our team and on completion of the project, we produced a handbook for the project manager titled, ‘Maintenance Handbook Materials handover’ as well as an ‘Operating and Maintenance Manual’ ensuring the longevity of the site.
We provided regular performance review meetings from commencement to delivery date and also conducted operator training for the client’s staff, so they understood how to safely and effectively operate and maintain the SuDS systems.
SuDS can provide creative and stimulating features as well as functional ones, when well designed and constructed, enhancing a community and alleviating flooding by slowing the flow, naturally and sustainably.
