After months of overcoming challenging working and weather conditions in this seaside site (and a degree of water ingress), the completion of this base slab will be a significant milestone for the main contractor. The base slab also forms the foundations to the two residential buildings above the basement. With a novel approach Meinhardt proposed this solution of a 800mm thick base slab instead of a traditional pile cap and ground beam solution. From a structural perspective the slab forms a number of functions:

• It acts as a pile cap distributing loads from the columns to the piles.
• It spans between the pile caps and resists the significant water pressures from beneath the three-storey basement.
• With the concrete admixture (Xypex) it provides a base seal to prevent water ingress.

Further updates on progress to follow in the coming months.