Project Overview:
In June 2015 The Department for Education announced the appointment of BAM Construct UK (BAM), as the main contractor to refurbish its new headquarters in Whitehall. The department is due to move into the Grade II listed Old Admiralty Building in Horse guards Parade in 2017, restoring and enhancing one of the Whitehall Estate’s most recognisable landmarks. A building of significant national importance, the Old Admiralty Building has become known as the backdrop of key military events such as Trooping the Colour. It also makes up part of the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics, having been the showground for the beach volleyball competition. Currently occupied by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Old Admiralty Building has housed some of the most famous figures in history and literature, including former Prime Minister Winston Churchill when he was First Lord of the Admiralty, and James Bond author – and former naval intelligence officer – Ian Fleming, whose renowned ‘Room 39’ was located inside the walls during World War II. It was also home to Admiral ‘Blinker’ Hall’s Naval Intelligence Department in World War I and later occupied by Lord Mountbatten when he became Fourth Sea Lord in 1950. Old Admiralty Building includes numerous well-lit attic rooms used by engineers and architects at the turn of the last century as the British Navy developed its Dreadnought fleet in the arms race with Imperial Germany. Historic features, such as these, will be sensitively preserved in the upcoming works.

In August 2015 Armstrong York were invited to participate in a competitive tender exercise for analytical works during a programme of planned asbestos removal works at The Old Admiralty Building and were successfully appointed in October 2015. The project itself has the residual risk of asbestos within the structure which means that all works may require an element of analysis to ensure they are carried out in the correct manner. The asbestos removal project involves a concentrated process of enclosure construction, strip and clearance of multiple enclosures for the removal of bulk asbestos insulation, debris and residues. The site is over 6 floors of the building plus the roof space, the proposed programme of work will be:

• Soft Strip; 7 weeks
• Structural Alterations with associated asbestos works; 33 weeks
• Refurbishment and fit out works; 30 weeks

Armstrong York is required to provide the following UKAS Accredited duties:

• Witness and recording of smoke tests in conjunction with, or representing, the contractor;
• Background and leak testing associated with the removal work program;
• Monitoring of transit and waste routes, hygiene and welfare facilities, temporary waste and equipment storage areas, lifts, fire escapes and other areas that may be used or accessed by non-asbestos operatives, tenants, building occupiers or site visitors;
• To provide visual inspections and reassurance testing following non-licensed removal work;
• To complete all 4 stage Certificates of Re-Occupation for each individual enclosure and to advise on remedial work where necessary in the event of failure at any Stage 1-4;
• To advise the Project Team in the event of multiple failures of CoR where this may represent poor working practices or deviation from the agreed specification for asbestos removal, to allow the Project Team to review or revise the appropriate procedures;
• To liaise closely with the removal contractor to ensure that their program is fully supported by provision of the necessary resources to ensure that the program is maintained and that the analytical work is organised in the most efficient and cost effective timescale;
• To provide at least hand written certificates of analysis on the day of analysis to keep the site operatives and the Project Team appraised of enclosure completion and/or continued safe working conditions within the work areas.
• To provide formal copies of all certificates within 7 days of the date of analysis to allow retention against the scope of work and inclusion by the Project Team within the final Health & Safety file for the project.

Our Approach:
On appointment, Armstrong York submitted a detailed Plan of Work and associated Risk Assessments for approval by the Project Team which included the names and management structure for those persons to be appointed for the project. The building maintains a permit to work system and Armstrong York comply with the requirements set out by the building and the local rules required under the terms of the main contract. The Client and his appointed professional team recognise that health and safety is of paramount importance. Under no circumstances is the Health of the Employer’s Employees, the public or visitors to the site to be compromised. Armstrong York complies within the current Health and Safety Legislative requirements and guidance notes for the duration of the work. All work procedures and activities, including roles, responsibilities and communications regarding the works are included within our site specific plan of work and method statements.

Armstrong York is gratified with our appointment by BAM Construct UK and work in partnership to manage the security, logistical and technical challenges that this site presents. This is the kind of challenge that Armstrong York has shown time and again it can deliver successfully and we are thrilled to be part of the team. We will be working carefully with The Department for Education, BAM Construct and Historic England on many of the decisions that will need to be taken on this historic and complex building.