First super-columns of steelwork have been installed at Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
The significant milestone, less than a year after ground was first broken on the waterfront development in north Liverpool, will see the stadium outline emerge significantly over the coming weeks and months.
The first 18-tonne, internal super column was installed earlier this week in the north western quadrant, where it will soon be annexed to the concrete elevation.
The north east corner will soon follow suit, with the two corners expected to be conjoined by a lattice of steelwork within six weeks.
Steve Farden, Structural Principal Engineer for Laing O’Rourke, said:
“It is a huge milestone for the project.
“I’ve been working on the project for two years and a lot of detailed planning has gone into preparing for the first steelwork column to go into the north west stand.
“It signifies the start of the construction of the structural steel frame, which in turn will enable us to commence the concourse works for the north stand.
“Within three weeks, the steelwork will be up to level two and connected to the concrete core in the corner.
“This then means we can start readying for the fit-out phase and working towards opening parts of the stand for fit-out and commissioning.”
The super column, the first of over 12,000 tonnes of steelwork that will make up the framework of the stadium, was installed with the help of engineers from Severfield steel fabricators in Bolton, who will oversee the work in the north and south corners.
Steve added: “Holding these super columns up are six 50mm diameter bolts, which go into a pile cap that weighs 15-20 tonnes.
“Below that are a total of six 15 metre concrete piles that go straight into the bedrock below, so all of that is holding the columns into the ground.”
The next major development on site is the construction of four tower cranes – one for each quadrant – which will shortly add to the Liverpool skyline to aid the installation of steelwork at heights.
