Foundation Design | Moorbottom Iron Works

Moorbottom Ironworks is a high quality residential development on the outskirts of Huddersfield town centre. Met Consultancy Group (Met) provided geotechnical & contamination investigations as well as design and detailing the civil & engineering works.

The site has a very interesting history. From 1851 to the present day it has been at the centre of the iron industry in Huddersfield and used for Lime Kilns, Residential, Boiler Works (twice), Ironworks and as a Coke store.

To regenerate the area, this high quality development included the demolition of the existing ironworks and the construction of a new five-storey block of 54 luxury apartments. This posed a number of technical challenges for Met as the site sloped steeply down to the River Colne, was bounded on one long elevation by a high retaining wall abutting the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and had a ‘live’ railway line passing over a viaduct on another elevation.

Because of the site’s previous industrial history there was a risk that it would be heavily contaminated, this meant the project progressed through a number of stages which included Met undertaking a comprehensive geotechnical/contamination investigation of the site. This identified the exact contamination profile and enabled a bespoke Remediation Statement and Validation Strategy to be developed for the site.

Met went on to prepare tender information for a Design and Build contract and then novated to the successful contractor to complete the final design and detailing of the civil and structural engineering works.  This involved:

• Stabilising the steep slope
• Negotiating with Network Rail for works adjacent to the “live” railway viaduct
• Full design and detailing of foundations
• Retaining walls with all of the highway/drainage and Section 278 works, and
• Design and detailing special cantilever foundations for the full rear elevation of the building so the existing canal wall wasn’t surcharged.