Spectacular regeneration in south London

Several Doka SKE50 plus hydraulic and Xclimb 60 crane-lifted climbing formwork systems are being used to construct four new town centre towers that are at the heart of Southwark Council's Elephant and Castle redevelopment programme.

The development will transform an area of South East London that was once compared to Piccadilly Circus on account of its dynamism and vibrancy. The huge works programme, which is being carried out in three phases, will lead to the creation of a new town centre. It will include 1,000 new homes, an upgraded Elephant and Castle tube station and the building of a cutting-edge campus for nearby London College of Communication, part of UAL University of the Arts London.

Contractor Morrisroe selected Doka to provide its design expertise and innovative hydraulic climbing formwork for the construction of the concrete cores that will form the three of the developments multi-storey tower blocks. Each block will comprise a standard concrete finish featuring Doka Framax Xlife panels. These are being installed using Doka’s SKE50 plus hydraulic climbing formwork. The crane-independent system includes an all-round enclosure that makes for safe, weather-shielded working at any height. Such is the SKE50’s robustness and reliability, it facilitates the floor-by-floor lifting of internal-external materials whilst protecting operatives carrying out the rebar process in preparation for casting concrete. The all-hydraulic crane-less climbing method optimises construction workflows by allowing greater flexibility in respect of cycling the SKE50 units’ repositioning.

The fourth core, which was the first one to come out of the ground, was constructed using the Doka Xclimb 60 crane-lifted solution. This system was chosen primarily because this tower was much lower than the others. Additionally, it was originally specified as a cost-effective option due to the fact that the slab was programmed to follow, and it was completed before the cranes were too heavily utilized on the rest of the vast project.

As well as reviving Elephant and Castle as a thriving social, cultural, and commercial hub, it’s estimated the town centre development will create 1,230 construction jobs over the ensuing decade. Approximately 2,000 full-time jobs will ultimately be created upon the wider development’s scheduled 2030 completion.

This is a blue-chip project in a characterful, historical area of London that thanks to Doka and a myriad of skilled, visionary stakeholders, will see Elephant and Castle prosper as a redeveloped cultural hub.