John F Hunt wins 24-storey Battersea tower

John F Hunt has been employed directly by Belgian developer Ghelamco to undertake demolition, enabling works and construction of The HiLight – a new 24-storey resi tower on the site of the former 1830s Price’s Candle Factory in Battersea.Work includes demolition of the existing steel showroom which sits above podium level, followed by the excavation of a single-storey basement which will be complicated owing to the presence of an existing Thames Water sewer which bisects the site.Following demolition, enabling works will commence by installing a combination of sheet and secant piling followed by the bearing piles to create a large basement box.The RC structure will then be carefully built back to ground level in a sequential manner around and above the Thames Water sewer.Once the basement is completed John F Hunt will build the 24-storey RC frame before handing over to Ghelmaco’s in-house construction team for the fit out phases.John F Hunt’s Head of Civils and Structures, Lance Wimble, said: “We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to work with Ghelamco on this high-profile historic building. However, it does have its complications, as the site is on a busy bus route and has a significant sewer running underneath it.”The 250,500 sq ft development will transform the site into 113 luxury waterfront homes with amenities that are heavily focused on health and wellbeing, views of the Thames and easy access to London’s transport links.