The Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) Early Careers Group (ECG) is pleased to announce it has organised a site visit to the new Everton FC football ground in Liverpool, for 8 March 2022.

With 90% of underground work complete, and the piling work now well underway, the site presents an ideal opportunity for ECG members to see for themselves a live project and the intricacies, not only with the work involved, but also with issues such as risk mitigation and safety.

Specifically, Andy Baynton, Laing O’Rourke’s principal engineer, who has managed almost all of the technical aspects of the dock infill works, will provide a thorough overview of all the steps to-date and what that entailed, from the dredging of the sand, through to the final compaction before laying the piling platform.

Gerald Knights, principal engineer for Expanded Structures, who is managing the technical aspects of the build, will also be on-hand to talk about the follow-on works post piling. This will be particularly interesting with the project utilising Expanded’s in-house precast manufacturing yard to provide efficiency in programme.

Danial Jones will also be available to discuss Expanded Geotechnical’s role, and some of the challenges faced to-date, but will also be available to discuss things it is doing differently to maintain quality as well as talk about piling through the dock infill.

The site visit will begin at 9am, with a 30-60 min informal chat, in the induction cabin before taking attendees on a walk through the site to review the site operations. A Q&A at the induction hut will follow before the visit is concluded around 12 noon.

The opportunity is limited to a maximum of 20 attendees, so any members of the ECG wishing to attend should contact Julia Hill, (julia.hill@roger-bullivant.co.uk) and places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.