Our Projects

House of Fraser, Richmond

Merewood Construction successfully delivered the House of Fraser Richmond project on behalf of the funders, EE Ventures Ltd.

Our scope of work included enabling works, demolition, groundworks, a reinforced concrete basement, builders’ work, drainage, swimming pool structure, and waterproofing.

The building underwent significant structural modifications to accommodate additional floors. Our team carried out the installation of 103, 12-meter-deep piles within the existing basement to support the added loads. All piles were below the water table, so to address water-related challenges, we sleeved each of the piles, all of which passed integrity tests.

We also extended the existing basement, a process that involved underpinning the neighboring Grade 2 listed buildings. With multiple party wall agreements, we worked closely with both the client and the council to ensure a feasible and practical scheme.

For the underpinning process, we designed and installed a piled king post shoring system. Our fully propped scheme, designed to limit movement to under 2mm, allowed us to support the surrounding structure while achieving the required depth for the second phase underpinning, which extended over 4 meters.

 We also used our SELTORQUE S100 super-silent water pump and bird-mouth shutter system to dewater the underpin area, enabling us to cast the concrete hard against the Phase 1 pin above. This system allowed the development to proceed with top-down construction, including the installation of ground and first-floor steelwork. This value-engineered approach helped us save both time and costs for our client.

In addition to the extra floors, we installed an Olympic-sized swimming pool within the basement slab—again, all work took place below the water table. With constant dewatering required, we implemented a high-pressure grouting system (permutation grouting) to address the challenges.

Merewood Construction also provided the waterproofing design and warranty. We installed a comprehensive three-stage waterproofing system to prevent water ingress, offering tailored solutions for the basement lift pits, basement extension, and swimming pool structure.

Our close collaboration with the client during the preconstruction phase allowed us to overcome time and cost challenges, ultimately resulting in a bespoke construction plan. This partnership helped us meet all project milestones and deliver a successful outcome for the scheme.