Panthera Group is delighted to confirm its appointment as the official site hoarding supplier to the Silvertown Tunnel project. The company’s sustainable construction site hoarding EnviroHoard™ system is being installed to secure and protect the site whilst enhancing the strict eco credentials of the project.
The RiverLinx consortium was appointed as main contractor of the Silvertown Tunnel by Transport for London (TfL) and is the first major road crossing across the River Thames since the Queen Elizabeth II bridge was opened in 1991. The joint venture of experienced civil engineering companies, including Ferrovial Construction, BAM Nuttal Ltd and SK Engineering Construction Ltd, was awarded the contract to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the 1.4km twin-bore tunnel and access ramps after a three-year procurement process. The work, due to start imminently, will take five years; culminating in a new river crossing, adjacent to the O2, that will significantly reduce congestion at the Blackwall Tunnel and minimise emissions from queuing vehicles.
Panthera Group won the contract to install EnviroHoard™ at the site after an extensive and thorough tendering process for a sustainable, ‘no-dig’ hoarding solution. Neal James, Managing Director of Panthera, was delighted to be appointed to deliver the closed loop, uPVC hoarding system;
“We were awarded the five-year contract due to a number of benefits that EnviroHoard™ offers. As a recycled and recyclable uPVC system its use means virgin timber is not required and trees not forested for hoarding purposes. The panels require no on-going maintenance for the duration of the project which was a real commercial benefit whilst the climate positive benefits, including tree planting and carbon off-setting, demonstrated environmental good practice and helps to deliver both BREEAM and CEEQUAL scoring benefits.”
A total of 3200m of EnviroHoard™ – made from a mixed content of post-production and post-consumer waste uPVC – will be installed to shield the site and will include vehicle and pedestrian access gates. To eliminate the any potential striking of underground services, the panels will be fixed to one tonne concrete blocks.
RiverLinx Procurement Manager, Matthew Airey, is impressed with both the EnviroHoard™ system and the knowledge of the team at Panthera;
“The submission demonstrated a real understanding of the project and significant experience in delivering safe, cost-effective hoarding systems that will help us deliver a sustainable project. I am looking forward to working with the Panthera Group team.”
The Silvertown Tunnel will help reduce peak time traffic delays whilst improving the air quality in and around the nearby 122-year old Blackwall Tunnel. The provision of extra greener, cleaner buses to cross the River Thames should result in a six-fold increase in public transport provision across the tunnels’ area of the River Thames.
