English soccer side Fulham FC is currently undergoing renovation works at its historic Craven Cottage home stadium where it is extending its Riverside Stand to increase its seating capacity, and also create amenities along its stretch of the River Thames, for the enjoyment of fans, residents and visitors.
A steel sheet pile installation specialist and supplier, Sheet Piling (UK) Limited, is playing its part in the project to help the club deliver its vision for the future of the club’s home.
Extending the stand and transforming the riverside walkway into a world-class destination, which will boast a pathway that allows leisure users to have an uninterrupted walk between Hammersmith and Putney bridges, required the type of groundwork support in which Sheet Piling UK specializes. Its team started work at the site in April 2020, following the demolition of Fulham FC’s existing Riverside Stand.
The specialist has created three sides of a permanent stand basement structure from steel sheet piles, utilizing the completed and realigned Thames Wall as the fourth. It will next create and install a temporary steel-welded support frame (part cofferdam), before welding the sheet pile interlocks, so as to provide a watertight basement structure.
Sheet Piling UK’s managing director, Andrew Cotton, says: “We are delighted to be playing our part in giving a real community-focused football club like Fulham FC the opportunity to develop its ground in such a way as to secure its future at the site for many years to come. Many sports grounds are reticent to ask their fan base to adopt new grounds, in new locations and, through this project, Fulham FC has not had to do so. It has been able to create a valuable sporting and leisure resource at its much beloved sporting home, with steel sheet piling at its base.”
