Temporary Works
Preserving a Retaining Wall Mural – Melbourne
The Project
Shore Hire engineered a bespoke propping solution to support a student mural retaining wall at a Melton school during major demolition and renovation works.
Summary
With the retaining wall carrying a student-designed mural, Shore Hire's engineers minimised contact with the wall's face by using six Shore Prop 400s as strongbacks connected via Z Bars and 100mm x 100mm steel plates with minimal fixings. Twelve raked Aluminium Tilt Props and six Engineered Blocks as counterweights completed the system, accounting for dead and live loads and working around existing vegetation to find suitable footings. Multiple site visits and close collaboration with the customer ensured the wall and mural were fully protected throughout the project.
Challenge
A school in Melton contacted Shore Hire to prop and support a retaining wall as the adjacent building underwent significant demolitions and renovations to change the school from a single-story to a double.
The customer wanted to retain the wall because it had an art mural designed by students on it, and therefore wanted to use less gear on the face of the wall to protect the mural as much as possible.
The solution also needed to consider dead and live loads, as well as the existing vegetation, which made finding suitable footings for the props more difficult.
Solution
To address the customer’s needs, our expert engineers created a solution that used six Shore Prop 400s as strongbacks, twelve raked Aluminium Tilt Props, and six Engineered Blocks as counterweights for the tilt props to support the wall.
Using the Shore Prop 400s as strongbacks and connecting them to the wall as Z Bars, along with 100mm x 100mm robust steel plates and a minimal number of fixings, provided additional protection to the mural.
The project was a great success; we were able to create a bespoke engineering solution that retained the wall in addition to protecting and preserving the mural. The success of the project relied on multiple, timely site visits and regular collaboration and communication with the customer.
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