Structural | Civil | Engineering | Social and Affordable Housing | Commercial | Drainage | Residential | Subsidence | Highway Design

Dee Park regeneration, Reading, Berkshire

Description

Construction of a phased development in Reading of 763 units, Phase 1 is 264 social houses and flats together with a large retirement home facility.

Client

Dee Park Partnership

Value

£40,000,000

• Construction involved a mixture of foundation types, including piles, groundbeams, trenchfill and strip foundations. The superstructures were a combination of timber frame and traditional masonry. There was also a five storey reinforced concrete frame for the retirement facility.

• Levels were a challenge and various retaining wall types were used to achieve mobility access and usable rear gardens.

• Drainage was also a challenge as existing services had to be maintained to the houses until they were vacated, and new drainage also had to be provided for the new properties. The solution included a major upgrade of the adopted foul drainage system and a different approach to surface water disposal. We incorporated SUDS in all parts of the development, and included large areas of porous paving, which also overcame a local flooding problem. This approach was the first time this solution had been used on a large scale and adopted in Reading and has proved to be a very cost effective way of helping to recharge the underlying aquifer and dispose of the surface water.