Construction Asbestos Removal

The team at Reddish Vale were asked to undertake a substantial internal soft strip and asbestos removal project to a large 11 floor Grade ll listed building and former department store on Market Street in Manchester, which was constructed in 1932, and is planned to be refurbished into a mixed-use development, comprising retail, leisure and office space. The Rylands Building will be converted into an office-led mixed-use development.

The proposal includes 70,000ft² of retail and leisure space on the ground floor, including a retail arcade accessed from the high street, 258,000ft² of office space on the upper three floors. Plans also include a four-storey rooftop extension, featuring a further 40,000ft² of offices, and a winter garden on the sixth floor. Part of the building will be demolished to create an atrium.

Complex asbestos removal of both licensed and non-licensed asbestos-containing materials were required throughout all floors . This included the careful removal of a large quantity of asbestos insulation debris and asbestos insulating board debris. Our contract team was on-site regularly throughout the works to ensure the project ran smoothly. There were many site safety audits undertaken by ourselves and the HSE to ensure all aspects of safety was adhered to.

Scope of Works: Soft Strip

• • Complete soft strip to floor; remove all partitions (both plasterboard and non-load bearing masonry partition walls), wall linings, suspended ceilings, fixtures, furniture, equipment, soft flooring coverings, column linings, mirrors, signage, wall cladding, shelving, blinds, linings/secondary glazing to external windows and pipe boxings.
  • Remove all redundant M&E installations from floor level; remove all lighting, electrical installations, water/heating installations, mechanical ventilation, pipework, ducting, floor boxes, fire alarms, security installations, data cabling, control panels, pumps, conduit & cable trays.
  • Remove gas-fired boilers & oil / Diesel tanks including draining down and disposal of liquids.
  • Remove HV/LV electrical distribution room and associated non-live equipment.
  • Remove the existing sprinkler system to ceilings of all floors and removal of sprinkler in situ large water tanks.
  • Remove partitions, mesh screens, shelving and redundant M&E from around Customer Lift 1 & 2; all to be removed carefully to ensure no damage to heritage features.
  • Remove generator, alternator and air conditioning units from rooftop plant rooms, including fuel tanks and associated electrical installations & distribution boards for reuse off site as part of the sustainability initiative of the client.
  • Remove goods lifts 1-7 in full with the use of a fixed scaffolding.
  • Remove 9 escalators fixed to the central core of the building, reuse what was practical to save and dispose of remaining.

Scope of Works: Asbestos Removal

• • Removal of asbestos insulation debris found to surfaces, walls, floor and pipework within various areas of the building including large boiler room and tank rooms and two larger vertical shafts which ran the length of the building.
  • Removal of extensively found AIB debris to electrical boxes, ceiling penetrations and to floor areas throughout all floors.
  • Removal of fixed AIB panels to walls around lift door openings to heritage stairwell on 5th and 6th floor.
  • Large array of non-licensed asbestos such as floor coverings and substrate bitumen adhesives, asbestos cement installations, asbestos textiles, ropes and asbestos gaskets and mastics. 

Two old Rolls Royce diesel generators removed from the Rylands project are set to be used within the West Coast Railway Company Ltd (WCR) in Carnforth. The engines were originally installed in the 1960s to provide backup power for the building and were removed from the roof with the use of a specialist crane.

The program was completed on time with no delays, ensuring following works could commence as planned.

We were asked to complete a large scale asbestos removal of licensed and none licensed materials throughout three disused distribution mills which were being demolished as part of a residential housing scheme. Asbestos removal works involved the extraction of insulation debris throughout the old boiler rooms and large scale (Circa 3000m2) of asbestos floor tiles and bitumen adhesive backing. The flooring was abrasively ground using specialised asbestos floor grinding equipment to remove the remnants of the bitumen glue which was found extensively throughout both mill buildings.

Due to the size of the asbestos removal works and the client’s restricted program, we were able to allocate numerous project teams to the works to ensure the 4 week completion was met. All asbestos removal works were carried out in accordance with the Control of Asbestos regulations 2012.

We were asked to undertake a substantial soft strip, asbestos removal and Lead based paint removal project for a 1960s Built New Century Hall building. The Hall building was being refurbished into multi discipline property and we were asked to undertake the following:

• Licensed and non-licensed Asbestos removal works
• Lead Based Paint removal works
• Internal Soft strip works including MEP strip outs
• Structural opening packages

We were asked to carry out:
• Full strip out of non-heritage significant items throughout all rooms
• Removal of block and plasterboard Walls, fixed ceilings
• Floor coverings back to substrate timber and concrete floors
• Full MEP strip out of all floors
• Structural openings of the concrete façade (2000m reinforced concrete) to allow for installation of new door glazed ways
• Structural openings to floors in various locations to allow for the installation of new stairwells
• Removal of an electrical service riser made from reinforced concrete over six levels to allow for the transformation into a passenger lift
• Asbestos removal of Licensed and none licensed asbestos containing materials throughout. This included the careful removal of AIB panels behind New Century halls heritage curtain wall.

Asbestos was identified predominantly throughout the building.  A previous extensive asbestos removal project had been undertaken by us in 2019. The remaining asbestos works were in line with the refurbishment works. Our asbestos removal program, which included visits in 2019, 2020 and 2021 ensured complete removal to allow for the follow on alteration works which have been undertaken.  Asbestos removal works included the careful removal of AIB panels behind New Century halls heritage curtain wall. This meant that we worked closely with client and the Heritage to construct a safe system of works which allowed for the removal heritage windows so that the asbestos behind could be removed. Our works were undertaken on fixed scaffolding provided by the client to allow us to safely construct enclosures to carry out the works. Following the works, we worked with a specialised window installer to reinstate the heritage windows.

We were asked to undertake a substantial soft strip, asbestos removal and Lead based paint removal project to a Victorian Grade II listed Old Bank building which was being refurbished. Works included:
• Licensed and none licensed Asbestos removal works
• Lead Based Paint removal works
• Internal Soft strip works including MEP strip outs

We were asked to carry out:
• Full strip out of non-heritage significant items throughout all rooms including suspended ceiling tiles
• Removal of block and plasterboard walls
• Floor coverings back to substrate timber floors
• Full MEP strip out throughout all floors, including careful removal from heritage items such as skirting boards and fixed ceilings
• Removal of external mezzanine structure including large MEP AHU units sited on it
• Removal of Good lift and all machinery
• Protection of heritage items such as timber wall panelling within
• Asbestos removal of Licensed and non-licensed asbestos materials as identified within the survey report completed

For the Old Bank building which is Grade II listed, our plans of works had to ensure full compliance with heritage conditions and our teams undertook full delap surveys before and after the works. Our contract team were on site regularly throughout the works to ensure the asbestos removal teams fully understood the sensitive nature of items deemed significant Heritage.

We were instructed by a new client to carry out an extensive and complex Soft strip and Asbestos removal package to a nine-storey office block in the centre of Manchester.

The works involved major soft strip of existing fixtures, fittings, ceilings, partition walls and flooring, as well as the complete removal of all M&E to selected unused floors of the building ready for refurbishment and reletting. The building which was constructed in the 1960’s had extensive asbestos containing materials installed. The floors being worked upon contained asbestos sprayed coating debris to steel and concrete soffits, as well as asbestos insulation debris to walls and surfaces within two floor plant rooms. Our works also included decontamination of four passenger lift shafts. For this, we worked with one of our approved licensed scaffold suppliers to design and construct enclosures within the lift shaft whilst ensuring the remaining lifts were operational.

The building on floors not being worked upon remained live and active, including one of the main energy suppliers to Manchester who had critical equipment on site which had to remain active during the asbestos removal works.  Acting as principal contractor for this project we were able to utilise our existing suppliers to undertake M&E works, Scaffolding and specialist structural testing.

During the works we were able to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of all who attended the site through the COVID pandemic, whilst ensuring the strict program was maintained.

During the contract we were also awarded additional phases of soft strip to the 1st, Ground and basement floors. These works included the removal of 30 no concrete plinths, as well as masonry walls to the first floor to create a more open plan floor.

All works were completed in advance of each phase completion date.

We were asked to undertake the safe removal of Licensed Asbestos insulated pipework throughout the service access areas of a single storey school which was to be demolished in Coventry. The works required operatives to undertake removal of asbestos within the under-floor voids and as such the areas were classed as confined space. Our teams were able to ensure that the asbestos removal works were carried out in strict adherence to the Confined Space regulations, as well as the Control of Asbestos regulations.

The project was undertaken as the COVID pandemic was taking shape in the UK and as such we adopted our site procedures inline with the ever changing environment we found ourselves in to ensure the safety of our employees and for the clients project team.

Our phased program over 4 weeks was met to enable the client to ensure demolition proceeded on time.

New Century house is a large 14 storey office block with 3 basement levels within the heart of Manchester. We have been operating on the overall project for the past 3 years and were asked to complete the latest phase of works to the basement levels of the building. Extensive asbestos Insulation located throughout the basement plant rooms and link corridor.

Due to the location of the site and the restrictions imposed due to heritage condition of elements of the building, we developed a stringent asbestos removal package ensuring full compliance with the conditions set out by our client. Multi needle injection techniques were used to saturate the asbestos until large scale removal could be undertaken.

The works were completed on time with no delay caused to the further development of the site.

We were asked by one of our clients to undertake asbestos removal works to a former industrial warehouse site due for demolition.

Extensive asbestos sprayed coating residue was present within the guttering system of the site and as such highly complicated and bespoke enclosures were designed and constructed utilising fixed scaffolding maximising the area to be worked in whilst ensuring sufficient air management of the works.

Undertaking abrasive blasting on the guttering inline with the regulations and air fed RPE for the removal teams we were able to fulfil the clients requirements.

In order to ensure a timely completion of the works we were able to commit extensive resources and labour to the project to ensure the 19 large enclosures were undertaken on time to the program submitted to the client.

The building was a 5 storey large sorting office for the Royal Mail built in the 1960’s and asbestos had been used extensively throughout the construction, including asbestos within the main ventilation ducting found to the ground level areas. The site was proposed to be transformed by John Moor University into a luxury £100m campus.

We were asked by our client to provide a comprehensive and safe asbestos removal program that would ensure speedy removal of all asbestos materials on site. We still ensured that due to the complications of where the asbestos was situated that the safety of our removal teams were not compromised. The works involved intense confined spaces, working at height, working external to the building in the summer months only a mile or so from the River Mersey and the high winds that accompany it.

We worked rigorously with the demolition contractor on site to ensure that programs were met and navigated the works with ease.

We were asked to undertake an extensive asbestos and lead paint removal package as part of the larger regeneration of a 5 storey heritage listed former Office building in the centre of Manchester. Asbestos was found in various areas to the building even following a previous removal package undertaken the year before and Lead paint of significant levels and quantity where found throughout the building.

Due to the follow-on works, we had to ensure that the lead paint to the structural steel beams were removed allowing for fireproofing to be installed. We innovatively undertook blasting of the steels under full negative pressure conditions as in asbestos removal and ensured the team were fully protective through the use of airline fed RPE.

The program was put together to span over 6 month undertaking multiple floors at any one time whilst still allowing other trades to carry out work necessary to refurbish the building.

Proposed demolition of an existing 1940 and 1950s built office block within the heart of Birmingham city centre. The site had been left dormant for many years and in poor state of condition and as such the asbestos material had been left to fall into poor state of repair.

The asbestos in question was sprayed coating (Limpet) to concrete ceilings and steel beams extensively throughout 3 of the floors of the building.

We were asked by our client to provide a comprehensive asbestos removal package which considered the poor state of the asbestos material and the need for thorough decontamination of the building.

Like all city centre projects, our job was made difficult due to the restrictions around the building for site equipment and set up so we maximised the space available inside and outside the building to ensure the correct equipment for the job was provided.

Undertaking abrasive blasting on the steel beams and concrete ceilings inline with the regulations and air fed RPE for the asbestos removal teams we were able to deliver a successful removal package within the allotted time.

The project was a multi-storey industrial site which had been ear marked for redevelopment by Manchester City Council.

We undertook a fully intrusive asbestos survey to the former industrial site identifying the extensive asbestos used in the sites construction. From this we were able to put together a cost effective and timely program for the safe asbestos found.

The asbestos consisted of both Licensed and none licensed products and working in conjunction with the Client, we were able to hand them a clean site on a phased program to allow them to demolish the buildings in sequence without holding up the overall program.