County Down-based DAWSON WAM has successfully completed piling work for construction firm GRAHAM's £64 million iREACH project on the Lisburn Road, which will see a new clinical research facility built within the grounds of Belfast City Hospital.

Throughout the months of April and May, two of DAWSON WAM's teams, along with their RTG RG27S and RTG RG25S rigs, carried out the works which were split across two sites on either side of the Lisburn Road.


Works consisted of installing a total of 305 (450mm and 630mm diameter) load bearing piles into the underlaying sandstone. Depths of the piles ranged from 11m to 24m and were installed using DAWSON WAM's Cased CFA system.

The project also enabled DAWSON WAM to utilise their ABI TM13/16 piling rig to install 14nr 450mm diameter load bearing piles for a new link bridge which will link the existing hospital building to the new building.

This versatile rig worked on a platform consisting of timber bog mats and steel mats to help protect a critical watermain and sewer below the working area.

Using the ABI TM13/16 rig allowed piling to be undertaken in close proximity to the existing hospital buildings while also working within a 6m wide narrow corridor. Detailed planning of the works by the team prior to establishing onsite was key and allowed for the works to be completed seamlessly.