To maintain the feel and character of an area, many local authorities now require the exterior fabric of existing buildings to be preserved. Interiors can be completely repurposed and adapted to meet contemporary expectations, but the outside must remain looking just as it always has. At BibbEgan, we are skilled in carrying out such delicate operations, pleased to contribute to our nation’s heritage.

We provide designs, technical drawings and equipment for the fabrication, supply and installation of steel façade retention schemes. To respect delicately poised buildings, we use a system of concrete Kentledge counterweight blocks which are formed on site. Fabricated steel columns, bracings and whalings are installed to take the existing load from the building during demolition.

Our experienced team employs innovative solutions for every project—from simple propping through to complex structures for multi-storey buildings, which is a vital part of many inner-city redevelopment initiatives.

Meticulous preparation of construction sites for major developments is crucial to allow projects to proceed efficiently, safely and at optimum speed. At BibbEgan, we carry out all aspects of early-stage investigation, assessment, planning and works, and can provide pre-construction service agreement (PCSA) documents. This gives certainty to our clients from the outset, and maximum control of budget and programme.

Our enabling services for site preparation include:

• Obtaining necessary consents, approvals and permissions
• Trial holes and investigations to determine site’s geology and water-table
• Removal of obstacles and hazardous waste
• Disconnection of services
• Provision of signage, hoardings and security fencing
• Establishing access routes and traffic management systems

With an efficient and cost-effective solution to site preparation, developers are quickly able to move on to the next stage of the construction programme.

With a wealth of experience and pride in our reputation within the industry ensures that, with BibbEgan, you will always be offered the highest standard of demolition and strip out solutions. Our teams have many years’ experience and excellent industry knowledge; all take advantage of our status as CPD provider to develop their expertise. This, combined with a highly dedicated and skilled workforce, enables us to complete even the most complex and challenging projects safely, successfully, within budget and on time.

In an industry that has advanced exponentially in the last decade with pioneering methods and machinery, constantly evolving legislation and codes of practice, we are always aware that the safety both of our operatives and the general public is paramount.

With each one of our projects, we are mindful of the need to minimise disruption to nearby businesses and neighbourhoods, and to the environment in general. It is a matter of pride to us that 95% of the materials removed from all our sites is either reused or recycled, reducing to near zero the need to use costly and environmentally damaging land-fill.

To achieve the desired outcome requires a high degree of planning and innovation to overcome the technical challenges, alongside a careful and co-ordinated approach, in collaboration with the local community, government agencies and other stakeholders.

We offer a single-source solution, taking our clients from the project’s inception, through the demolition process itself, regardless of the complexity and value of the project, to the re-instatement of the site if required. We undertake:

• production of construction environmental management plans
• assessment by specialist demolition, structural, temporary works and hazardous substances surveyors
• meticulous planning and selection of appropriate machinery

With every project, we strive for perfection; you are assured of industry-leading standards.

With an unsurpassed amount of accumulated knowledge, BibbEgan Demolition & Strip Outprovides a full range of bulk excavation, steel sheet piling and groundworks services.

To determine the best method of carrying out projects in a cost-effective manner, wholly compliant with government health and safety regulations, we start with a site visit and consultation. Removing surface obstacles enables comprehensive excavation, and once the required ground profile is achieved, we make sure that removed material is reused to meet our commitment as friends of the environment.

For steel piling, whether you require a small-scale temporary retaining wall or a massive permanent load-bearing basement structure, we have the know-how and the right plant to ensure totally reliable and cost-effective solutions.

With years of experience between them, our operatives provide a first-class groundworks service to every client—first time, on time, every time!

BibbEgan Demolition & Strip Out operates at the forefront of recycling in the construction industry. We are genuinely proud of the fact that 90% of the materials removed from all our sites are either reused or recycled, fulfilling our commitment to sustainability.

It’s BibbEgan Demolition & Strip Out policy to identify, extract, segregate and recycle or dispose of wastes produced in a diligent and responsible manner.

On site, we separate construction, demolition and excavation waste into metals, wood, and concrete and reclaimed bricks. Demolition waste is then further sorted, crushed and recycled into a range of secondary aggregates.

We always strive to:

• Maximise opportunities for the reuse and recycling of waste materials
• Divert waste streams from landfill and non-productive incineration, wherever practicable
• Employ deconstruction and disassembly methods to achieve whole waste recovery, where efficient and appropriate to net waste worth
• Ensure that waste materials are separated, stored, handled and transported safely and their specification is preserved without risk of contamination
• Optimise the use of energy, and conserving natural resources in the production and processing of waste materials
• Reduce the environmental impact associated with our activities
• Train our teams to achieve high competence levels in best practices with particular emphasis upon the waste management chain
• Our highly effective Environmental Management System is rigorously maintained and focused upon performance improvement, supported by the development and implementation of innovative waste management solutions.

BibbEgan Demolition & Strip Out’s daily work of demolishing, decommissioning and stripping down buildings, and preparing sites for development, inevitably produces waste. The demolition industry already recycles over 90% of arisings produced during demolition and over 50% of hardcore produced is reused on site. In 2016, the National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) reported that, in the UK:

• 21,122,058 tonnes of hardcore
• 2,195,947 tonnes of other materials (metal, timber, gypsum, insulation and mixed non-hazardous waste) were diverted from landfill—either reused or recycled—saving a total of £236.3 million in landfill tax.

We are proud of our own record of salvaging, recycling and reusing existing material. Currently, this amounts to 95%.

In achieving this, we:

• minimise the amount of waste sent to landfill, reducing both cost for our clients and associated environmental issues.
• offset the environmental impact caused by extraction and consumption of further resources and production of new materials
• adhere to the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA) and other relevant UK laws which regulate how waste should be managed and pollution controlled

Waste Offences

Under S.33 of the EPA 1990 (amended in 1995), it is an offence to:

• Deposit or knowingly cause or knowingly permit to be deposited (controlled) waste in or on land unless in accordance with the terms of a waste management licence
• Treat, keep or dispose of controlled waste in land or by means of any mobile plant unless in accordance with the terms of a waste management licence
• Treat, keep or dispose of controlled waste that could cause environmental pollution or harm human health. (This offence applies even in situations where a waste management licence is not required.)

Breach of duty of care is a crime. If convicted in the Magistrates court, the maximum punishment for these offences is 12 months imprisonment and/or a fine of £50,000. In the Crown court, it could run to a 5-year jail term or an unlimited fine.

Site Waste Management Plans Regulations (SWMP) 2008 were repealed in 2013 as part of the government’s effort to reduce red tape. However, some projects still require compliance in order to obtain BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) certification, which evaluates the sustainability of buildings.

NOTE: Tower are among the few demolition contractors making the Site Waste Management Plan corpuscular to all our projects.

Pre-demolition audits

BibbEgan will carry out pre-demolition audits to identify the waste materials that will be generated by the demolition, and to make recommendations for their re-use (on and off-site), recycling and final disposal. Our audits aim to maximise re-use and minimise materials going to landfill.

To this end, we have written four pre-demolition audit case studies to illustrate how we achieve resource efficiency and set appropriate targets to meet the requirements of all regulatory bodies and, in addition, provide substantial savings to our clients.

BibbEgan Demolition & Strip Out recognises the absolute necessity for a safe and efficient service managed well beyond the standards of current legislation both for demolition and building refurbishment projects.

Our hazardous material and asbestos surveys are conducted by fully-qualified, industry-leading teams. The removal of asbestos is carried out by Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA)-trained personnel. All work is constantly monitored, both internally and in compliance with the ARCA Audit Accreditation Scheme.

In addition, we remove other hazardous materials such as total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), mercury and arsenic, which are disposed of in accordance with current regulations and our own best practice working methods.

We take on projects of any size, from a single domestic dwelling to multi-floor, multi-million-pound strip-outs. We also excel in soft strip and delicate demolition work, sometimes in highly sensitive situations such as functioning hospitals and occupied offices.

BibbEgan Demolition & Strip Out can provide advice and assistance with the design of temporary working platforms for construction plant, investigating the site (pile probing) and testing the solution in situ.

Pile mats and crane bases must be designed specifically for the relevant ground conditions and the form of the loading exerted by the plant that will operate on it. Selecting the most suitable type of pile foundations relies on our expert knowledge of the physical properties of each load-bearing soil layer, and the best method of pile mat installation, combined with all the findings from the site investigation. Independent laboratories sample and test the material, providing appropriate certification.

Waste materials from demolition can be used for piling mats – crushed brick, concrete and cement-based products to create 6F2, from 75mm down to dust, in line with the Highways Specification 600 Series. This contributes to our commitment to re-use as much on-site arisings as possible, and also saves on transport of materials, with its cost and environmental implications.

The general process of pile mat construction, carried out by a team of highly competent personnel, is as follows, with the design engineer approving each stage before work continues:

• Reduce ground to required level for piling
• Proof roll the substrate
• Dig out soft spots and fill them with 6F5
• Proof roll again and carry out Plate Bearing Tests (PBTs) to the required shear value
• Spread out 6F2 to required thickness and lay geotextile if required
• Roll and compact each layer, continuing with PBTs

On completion, we fill out the WPC (Working Platform Certificate) and issue it to the follow-on contractor who will sign it off.

Once the pile mat is put in place, a rigorous maintenance and repair schedule must be instigated to ensure the plant will remain stable for the duration of the project.

At BibbEgan Demolition & Strip Out, we have a well-earned reputation for our design and installation of temporary works—for example, structural shoring and jacking to protect the integrity of a building or adjacent infrastructure. Our expert teams take into consideration the current condition of a building, the immediate surroundings, and nearby edifices, working hard to minimise impact and optimise safety. We carry professional indemnity insurance on all temporary works design, for your peace of mind.

These works may require the input of specialist structural engineers to meet the requirements of Party Wall Awards. To comply with these agreed guidelines about how the work should progress requires an exceptional level of innovative design experience and an eye for detail.

Temporary works we undertake at BibbEgan include:

• raking props – lateral support to a single wall
• flying shores – horizontal support for parallel party walls when the building between them is removed
• diagonal struts – transfer shear to the supports
• dead shores – simple vertical support
• wailings – horizontal timber beams for side support
• king post wall – a borehole filled with concrete forming a base for an H pile
• sheet piling – steel sheets with interlocking edges to retain soil
• façade retention schemes including Kentledge

Structural steel, scaffolding and combinations of proprietary lightweight pre-formed sections are frequently used, for bespoke solutions.  We manufacture most of the steelwork in our own workshops, allowing us to respond quickly to urgent and unexpected demands from our sites.

BibbEgan Demolition & Strip Out is expertly conversant with the problems associated with party wall and basement support works. We are frequently employed by architects, engineers and construction companies to carry out preliminary exploratory works, totally independent of our demolition contracts.