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York Station Gateway: Safeguarding History with a Cutting-Edge Monitoring Survey
Tri-Tech is proud to be at the forefront of an essential project in the heart of York, contributing to the York Station Gateway initiative. This project, commissioned by the York Council, aims to significantly upgrade the front of York Station, enhancing accessibility and modernising infrastructure. However, the project’s proximity to one of the city’s most treasured historical landmarks—the York Walls—presents unique challenges that demand expert handling and innovative solutions.
The York Walls are more than just a structural boundary; they are a symbol of the city’s long-standing history. As such, any construction work near these walls requires meticulous planning and monitoring to preserve their integrity. The demolition of the old road bridge outside York Station, which includes extensive earthwork piling to retain ground material, is a significant undertaking. These works necessitate the careful movement of vast amounts of materials, making it important to monitor any impact on the historic walls closely.
Tri-Tech have been entrusted with this critical task. Our team has deployed an advanced long-term monitoring survey of the York Walls, ensuring that every shift, however slight, is recorded and addressed. This monitoring is not just a technical challenge—it’s a historical responsibility.
State-of-the-Art Monitoring Solutions
To ensure the safety of the York Walls during the demolition and construction phases, we have installed hundreds of precision markers across the walls. These markers, meticulously placed over a week, are continuously monitored by three Trimble S7 Total Stations. These Total Stations, housed in prefabricated safety cages, are strategically located across the site, where they will operate around the clock for the duration of the construction: approximately one year. Doing this enabled each total station to have a greater line of sight once fitted whilst maintaining complete security of the unit.
Trimble 4D Control software plays a critical role in ensuring every data point is accurately captured and analysed. Its powerful real-time capabilities enable us to monitor any movement with precision. It allows us to customise each aspect of the monitoring project—gathering the data we need, exactly when we need it. The software’s advanced visualisation tools make it easy to track and interpret data across multiple sensors, allowing us to make informed decisions and mitigate any risks.
The real-time data collected by us is vital. We have set up a system that delivers graphical data to the ground and construction teams every 5 to 15 minutes via email and text message. This rapid reporting allows for immediate action should the walls experience any movement that exceeds pre-set alarm thresholds, ensuring that any potential risks are mitigated as soon as they arise.
Challenges and Opportunities
Setting up the monitoring system posed its own set of challenges. The placement of the total stations and their protective cages required careful planning to ensure they would provide optimal coverage without interfering with the ongoing construction work. This meant we had too devise solutions that met both the technical and safety requirements of the project.
The data being collected is not only crucial for the current construction work but could also be of great interest to historians and students in the future. The York Walls, like any ancient structure, experience subtle movements due to environmental factors such as temperature fluctuations and moisture. The ability to observe and analyse these movements in real-time offers a unique glimpse into how historical structures interact with their surroundings, information that could prove invaluable for future preservation efforts.
The York Station Gateway project represents a unique intersection of modern technology and historic preservation, and we are honoured to play a key role in protecting the integrity of the York Walls for future generations.
