Doka self-climbing system provides timely design solution for a sustainable London landmark

EDGE London Bridge is under construction in one of the capital’s most celebrated cultural districts. The 23.500m2, 28-floor building, located near the bustling South Bank and spectacular Shard, is set to transform into the city’s most sustainable office tower and scheduled for completion in 2026. A public park and green roof terraces will also feature within the site, which has achieved BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Platinum certifications.

Designed by architects Pilbrow & Partners, EDGE London Bridge’s stylish and contemporary aesthetic emanates from its central core. The huge concrete pillar features a highly complex, high-quality architectural finish that Doka’s Platform SCP hydraulic climbing system, augmented by Doka’s Top 50 large area formwork, was integral to achieving.

Successful User Experience

Having successfully used the system on other major projects, contractor Morrisroe selected Doka’s Platform SCP hydraulic climbing system as the most appropriate solution to construct the EDGE London Bridge’s architectural core. The system’s two suspended platforms were key to meeting the designer’s precise requirements for the irregular core’s intricate finish. This enabled stairwells and lift shafts to be cast without needing numerous platform rigging points on specific special finish walls, thus avoiding tie marks to meet the architectural specifications.

Safe and Time Efficient

As an enclosed, weather-protected, overhead climbing solution, the 430m2 Platform SCP optimised user safety and time efficiency throughout the development. The hydraulic system’s incorporation of project-specific requirements included its provision of a loadout platform, sited at the apex of the EDGE London Bridge’s core. This enabled 25-tonnes of steel reinforcement to be safely stored and easily accessed. It also minimised the need for cranage in a space-restricted, city centre development site. Platform SCP’s entire system is raised in a single hydraulic lift, which increases user reassurance by preventing any open leading edges & gaps during repositioning.

Platform Precision

Beneath the steel grillage, Doka’s formwork shuttering was suspended on Platform SCP rollers. This had three primary benefits: it preserved the core’s architectural areas; it allowed the 4-metre-high shutters to be moved safely and with minimal effort; their easy mobility meant the engineered shutters could be precisely and promptly positioned.

Flexibility of Split-Rig Option

Platform SCP’s adaptable qualities also enabled its provision as a split-rig option for EDGE London Bridge’s core construction. The dual configuration meant different core areas could be worked on simultaneously. Rig one contained an integrated concrete placing boom and mast. The solution, designed and engineered by Doka, ensured the 15m boom was pivotal to the rapid, efficient formation of the core’s in-situ reinforced concrete elements. The second rig focused on the core’s more architectural wall elements and in-situ steel reinforcement storage. This staggered building approach helped maintain the planned climbing cycle period and flexibility on the project.

Promotion Opportunity

Such is the multi-compatibility of the SCP climbing formwork that its enclosed design provided convenient space for a MACE branded wrap. The main contractor on the project installed its panels to the formwork system, providing an extremely visible vantage point to promote its involvement with the high-profile EDGE London Bridge project.

Edge is a developer committed to creating a ‘more beautiful and sustainable world’. Its commercial buildings are renowned worldwide for their innovative design and carbon neutrality. Doka is proud to have played a major role in the development of Edge’s first London project. The exceptional flexibility offered by its Platform SCP hydraulic climbing system was essential to meeting the project’s complex architectural requirements, whilst its safe, rapid performance ensured the outstanding facility remained on schedule for its much-anticipated opening.