Euston Station

Sector context

HS2 required the excavation of a burial ground beneath St James Gardens, one of Europe's largest archaeological digs, under full weather protection and privacy. For principal contractor CSJV, that meant a temporary structure at a scale very few access contractors could deliver.

The challenge

CSJV needed a weather-tight enclosure over an active archaeology site, plus a privacy screen around St James Gardens, that could adapt as excavation moved across the ground below.

• The enclosure had to cover roughly 10,000 m² and stay in place for around 18 months.
• Temporary roof spans of over 37m had to be installed and then repositioned to follow the works.
• Working at height had to be kept to a minimum across a large, high-profile central London site.

The Palmers solution

Palmers designed a mobile weather-protection system. A 10,000 m² temporary roof sat on 15 towers running the full length of the site, with 300m of bespoke special-access spine beam so the roof sections could be rolled out into position over the works below.

• Around 30 experienced operatives installed the roof spans, towers and access spine beams.
• About 90% of the works were completed from a fully boarded and hand-railed platform, then traversed into position to keep people off height.
• The design was refined over months of planning, including full demonstration rigs built for the client at Palmers' Chester base before installation.