NE ground engineering specialist wins waterfront transformation work
Critical preparatory work to help facilitate the transformation of one of the country’s most iconic waterfronts has been won by a North East geoenvironmental engineering specialist.
The undisclosed work, which sees Newcastle-based RWO expanding further its geoenvironmental operations beyond the region, covers the provision of ground investigation and dockyard inspection services at Liverpool Docks as operator National Museums Liverpool invests in revamping a key part of the heritage waterfront.
Spanning the area between the Royal Albert Dock and Mann Island, the project will feature the creation of pedestrian bridge links to the Canning Dock, while also revitalising buildings within the area as part of an ambitious 10-year masterplan to transform part of Liverpool’s popular waterfront.
The highlight of the programme features the redevelopment of the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Building, which stands as a major iconic focal point of the Royal Albert Dock system and will provide a dramatic and prominent entrance to the city’s International Slavery Museum as part of ambitious plans.
RWO moved quickly to secure the contract, completing the ground engineering work, including drilling 25m deep bore holes to inform the engineering pile design and inspections of the condition of the dockside walls to ensure they would not be affected by new construction work, within a tight timeframe.
The work comes on the back of ongoing growth for RWO’s geoenvironmental department, which is targeting £1 million in revenues by 2026 as commercial operators and developers bring forward their investment and regeneration plans.
Additional geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineers are also being recruited to support current and future new work as part of a recruitment drive to attract experienced talent to the business.
Reflecting a busy period of activity and a strong pipeline of work, Chris Rudd, director of geoenvironmental, said the firm is investing to deliver additional customer value and effective ground engineering solutions for complex problems.
He added: “The Liverpool Dock transformation work reflects our ability to turnaround project rapidly and to the highest professional standards, strengthening our relationship with clients as a go-to ground engineering specialist, capable of supporting major infrastructure and inward investment initiatives.
“We see opportunities right across the UK as facility operators and owners invest in infrastructure and operational improvements. Indeed, there’s plenty of geoenvironmental engineering work in the long term with further projects coming online soon.”