Galvanizers’ celebrate heaviest job

Worksop Galvanizing [part of the Wedge Group] is celebrating after processing its heaviest project yet for an eye-catching flue stack for a new energy centre in North Greenwich, London.

The plant was called upon by its customer, Billington Structures, to galvanize over 400t of structural steel used to create the complex frame of the stack.

According to Worksop Galvanizing, some of the individual steel pieces weighed over 20t each, making them the heaviest items ever processed across all of Wedge Group Galvanizing’s 14 nationwide plants.

“This was a very prestigious project to be involved in,” explained Worksop Galvanizing Commercial Manager Paul Robinson.

“We, and the entire Wedge Group, are delighted to have reached this milestone. Galvanizing the structure will ensure that it is properly protected against rust and weathering in the future, with a cost-efficiency that standard steel paint just wouldn’t be able to provide when taking into account the life-cost of repeated maintenance visits. That was one of the most important factors for the main contractors on this project, considering its position in busy central London.”

The flue stack is 49m-tall and positioned adjacent to the southern entrance of London’s Blackwall Tunnel.

Designed in collaboration with CF Møller Architects, the flue is said to be the most ambitious public commission to date for renowned artist Conrad Shawcross.

Uniting sophisticated engineering and complex optical research the monumental structure – which is also 20m-wide and 3m-deep – is constructed from five interconnected steel ladder frames that will be clad with perforated aluminium panels.