Greenwich Millennium Village Phase 6

The Greenwich Millennium Village Phase 6 is a venture by Bennett Construction Limited designed by Jestico Whiles & Associates. We were invited to design, manufacture and supply the balconies for the sixth phase of the development. This particular project was a little tricky as there were various challenges arising due to limited space on site. Our team had to work around obstacles on site in order to install the 84 Glide-On™ balconies for this project. We also supplied 71 Glide-On balconies for phase 5.

Greenwich Millennium Village is the first of the government’s Millennium Communities. This initiative set out to construct seven new ‘villages’, which are intended as models for 21st-century community living. GMV, which is located at the southern end of the formerly industrial 300-acre Greenwich Peninsula, is also part of the extensive Thames Gateway regeneration project. Currently, it is considered to be one of the largest regeneration projects of its kind in London.

Sustainability and inclusivity are at the heart of the project, creating eco-friendly homes for the existing and growing community in Greenwich. The developers and architects combined innovative design, construction and planning to create a variety of housing types and tenures alongside excellent amenities and green spaces. This gives a vibrant, mixed community everything they need to thrive, from schools and play areas to an IMAX cinema, all within walking distance.

Challenges at Greenwich Millennium Village Phase 6

The primary challenge for the site team at Greenwich Millennium Village Phase 6 was navigating through tricky access conditions for the installation of the balconies. Some of the balconies had to be installed around a bike shelter, leaving very little room of only about 4 inches clear for carrying out the installation process.

Installation of the balconies had to be put on hold due to the space constraints onsite as there was other work going on that could not be interrupted.

Solution

In order to navigate the limited space on site at Greenwich Millennium Village Phase 6, we brought in specialist lifting vehicles to assist and ensure the smooth fixing of the cassettes onsite.  The last few cassettes were sent on a lorry with a hiab crane so that they could be installed on time without obstructing other work on site.

Our Glide-On™ balconies are manufactured and preassembled in a factory and require minimal onsite finishing, essential when working with limited space and tricky access for the installation. Since our balconies are preassembled and delivered ready for installation, they reduce the amount of work and time onsite and require minimal space for the installation process. The factory-controlled environment that they are manufactured and assembled in ensures premium quality. The aluminium cassettes are lightweight compared with steel and reduce the number of façade penetrations required to fix them on the building. The balconies were designed with obscured Crystal® laminate glass balustrades providing residents with greater privacy and shading in the warmer months.

Installation Process

Step 1: Cast in anchors were cast into the slab & incorporated thermal break connections offering superior rigidity to the balconies.

Step 2: Cassette® balconies were preassembled offsite, including the balustrades, decking & soffits.

Step 3: Cassette® balconies were transported primarily with balconies ‘nested’ onto each pallet making transport both cost effective & safe. The final few were transported on a hiab lorry in order to navigate the limited space on site. Balconies were pre-slung offsite ready for installation upon arrival.

Step 4: Once lifted into position, the Cassettes® simply Glide-On™ to the pre-erected support arms, before completing the simple mechanical fixings.