gifford's 60th commemorative book

A word from Edwin W H Gifford

Gifford founder

A word from Malcolm Woolley

Managing Partner 1971 - Chairman 1986-1997

A word from Geoff Clifton

Chairman 1997-2007

A word from Gordon Clark

Chairman 2007-2011

Integrity

Independence

Excellence

Innovation

Reliability

Safety and Security

Responsibility

Sustainability

Gifford Mission Statement and Values

Gifford Values Integrity

We act with fairness and

objectivity in all that we do.

Gifford Values Excellence

We believe in creating great projects

by sharing excellence with clients and

professional colleagues.

Gifford Values Innovation

As a company, Gifford constantly endeavours

to improve and develop.

Gifford Values its Staff

Gifford people enjoy working at Gifford!

Gifford Values Reliability

Gifford is an organisation founded

on strong principles and values.

Gifford Values Safety

and Security

…in both business approach and through

respect for all.

Gifford Values Sustainability

We are committed to putting sustainable

development at the core of our thinking.

Our values inform all that we do…

We share excellence and apply innovative

thinking within an open and independent

culture which attracts and retains exceptional

people. Our commitment is simple: to

provide sustainable and safe solutions

that meet our clients’ business goals and

aspirations…every time.

14

2011 2012

Gifford Partners over the years

Ian

Bolton

Matthew

Collings

Tim

Bowden

William

Brook-Hart

Carl

Brookes

Steve

Canadine

Steve

Chewins

Mike

Cooper

Nigel

Cossons

Richard

Court

Peter

Curran

Tony

Bassett

Gordon

Clark

Paul

Davis

Steven

Bentley

Nick

Clarke

Dave

Grove

Claire

Hall

Jon

Hartley

Neil

Harvey

Paul

Hillman

Tim

Holmes

Stuart

Divall

Paul

Jackson

Gifford Partners 2011

James

Miller

Ben

Rowe

Debbie

Montgomery

Richard

Smith

Adrian

Palmer

Mark

Stevenson

Alan

Pauling

David

Tasker

Tony

McGlory

Chris

Rhodes

Simon

Price

Martin

Ramsey

Pat

Jansen

James

Reeves

John

Wyles

Andy

Truby

Stephen

West

Gary

Willis

Philip

Kite

The full range of our services is listed below:

Airport Engineering

Bridge Engineering

Building services/MEP

Engineering

Cultural Heritage

plans

Energy & Utilities Environmental Studies

Ground Engineering &

Condition

Maritime & Coastal

plans

Masterplanning &

Development

Project Management

Rail Engineering

Roads & Highways Specialist Consulting Structural Engineering

Surveying

Sustainability

Transport PlanningWaste

plans

Water

tests

Carlton House Studios,

Netley Marsh

Carlton House, Netley Marsh

Carlton Lodge,

where it all started

Carlton Crescent,

Southampton

Sir Thomas Herbert House,

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Gibraltar

Abu Dhabi

Cyprus

Delhi

Dubai

Gifford 60 Year Overview

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1951 - 1960Representative projects:

1951-1960

Description:

Review

1951-1960

1951-1960

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Representative projects:

Glen Eyre School under

construction:

Restoration of a 14th

Century Building

Tracked Hovertrains

Hovermarine Building

Shop, Southampton

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Jetty and Fish Market

- opened in 1971

and market – Opened in 1988

New pier development-

opened 1980

New market and quays

– opened 1988

Stage 1

Stage 2A

Stage 2B (Bray Viaduct)

Aba-Oron 120km Trunk Road - Nigeria

Carter Bridge, Lagos - Nigeria Qua River Bridge - Nigeria

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ENERGY

PROPERTY

TRANSPORT

Wave Test Tank

Cavendish Laboratory experimental wind

Wells Cathedral, Wells, Somerset

PropertyHistoric Structures

The project involved the design of

a new roof structure to the main

hall of the museum to replace the

existing one which had deteriorated

into an unsafe condition.

The brief was to provide a low

maintenance structure with the

minimum number of internal

display.

The roof covered an area of

some 8500 m2 and 550 tonnes of

tubular steelwork were erected.

National Railway MuseumLocation: York

Client: National Railway Museum

1981-1990

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National Railway Museum, York, North Yorkshire

PropertyMuseums & galleries

developments in the classical

theatre took place in Stratford

with the construction of the Swan

Theatre, a third auditorium for the

Royal Shakespeare Company.

The Swan provided a medium

sized theatre with an open stage

and is used for the more neglected

Elizabethan and Jacobean plays.

It replaced the original theatre

A new rehearsal studio was created

above the auditorium in the space

formed by adding a pitched roof in

the style of the original building.

Swan Theatre

Location: Stratford-upon Avon

Architects: Michael Reardon

and associates

Client: The Royal

Shakespeare Company

1981-1990

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Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire


coastlines. This was motivated

by Giff’s belief that improvement

methods was a better way forward

for Africa and South Asia than

the introduction of westernised

associated building of harbours.

A range of boats were developed

powered by air cooled diesel

engines and each carrying an

auxiliary sail for low-cost propulsion.

These vessels were designed

to operate through heavy surf

and thus enable small-scale

An invitation was sent to Giff by

the leader of a community-based

to advise on alternatives to the

traditional wooden boats which

were becoming too expensive. This

was followed by hands–on visits

by Giff and Joyce. Responding

to the views of the locals this led

of Sandskipper which introduced

construction technique. In the

produced over 200 boats, and by

2002 the total number of boats

around the coast of India derived

from this design had reached

some 10,000. This is probably

the most successful technology

transfer project in the modern

For his effort in all this Giff

was awarded the OBE.

1981-1990

TransportNaval Architecture

The swing bridge is released from

its bearings when the ends of the

bridge are elevated by cable stays

attached to the A-frames at the

centre of rotation of the bridge.

Jacks at the top of the A-frames

tension the cable stays so lifting

the bridge clear of the bearings.

This method of operation has

been developed by Gifford on

a number of bridges and has

medium sized swing bridges.

To provide lightness, the deck is

formed from greenheart timber

planks surfaced with epoxy coated

plywood panels. The timber

deck rests on a conventional

welded steel beam grillage.

Gifford engineers have extensive

experience in the use of timber

decks on highway bridges.

The 12 metre approach spans

are supported on pile bents of

concrete with tubular steel piles.

Particular attention has been

paid to corrosion protection by

means of a method developed by

Gifford which uses three separate

anti-corrosion systems to protect

the piles. Concrete in exposed

locations has also been protected

with a Silane coating system. The

swing span is designed for fully

automatic operation by one man

using the latest programmable

logic controller technology

incorporated in an easy-to-use

master console on the bridge.

Yar Bridge

Location: Yarmouth

Client: Isle of Wight County Council

Note: As well as winning the

approval of the Royal FIne Arts

Commission, the bridge won a

design from the Institution of Civil

Engineers Southern Association

1981-1990

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Yar Bridge, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight

TransportBridge Engineering

‘The design and construction of a modern swing bridge across an esturial site of outsanding

beauty represents a considerable design challenge... the challenge has been met with the New

Yar Bridge by a design that incorporates the latest technology to the full but which complements

this with the use of simple and economical structural, careful selection of materials, attention

engineering approach to a very sensitive problem at a scale appropriate to the surroundings’

The brief given to the partnership

of appearance in sympathy

with the original cast iron

bridges at an economic cost.

The solution adopted was a

composite steel arch form

vierendeel steel plate webs

supporting an in-situ concrete deck

for the carriageway and timber

decks each side for the footways.

A cast iron edge beam bearing the

names of the owner picked out

in gold against black produced

a most pleasing elevation.

Albert-Salthouse Bridge

Location: Liverpool

Client: Merseyside

Development Corporation

1981-1990

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Albert-Salthouse Bridge, Livepool South Docks, Merseyside


Location: Liverpool South Docks

Client: Merseyside

Development Corporation

Hartley Bridge is a cast iron

design by Jessie Hartley. It is

the last remaining cast iron swing

bridge in the Liverpool Docks

Six of the eight cast iron ribs had

been severely damaged by ship

collision and it was not possible to

open the bridge to allow access

to the historic Albert Dock.

Gifford were commissioned

to devised a scheme for the

refurbishment of the bridge, to be

operable as the original design

and also able to provide access

for a 15 tonne emergency vehicle.

Accordingly the bridge leaves were

removed, stripped down, repaired

with many smaller parts re-cast.

Hartley Swing Bridge

1981-1990

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Restoration of Hartley Swing Bridge, Liverpool, Merseyside


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Flintshire Bridge over River Dee (left and centre)

Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth (top)

Dean’s Window, Lincoln Cathedral (bottom)

Gateshead Millennium Bridge (background)

1991 - 2000Representative projects:

ENERGY

LNG tanks

ENVIRONMENT

Royal Clarence Yard

PROPERTY

Windsor Castle

Lincoln Cathedral

Gunwharf Quays

Southampton University -

Insititute of Oceanographic

Sciences

Sandown Dinosaur Museum

Chichester Institute LRC

Brading Roman Villa

TRANSPORT

Gwadar Fish Harbour

cum Miniport

Gateshead Millennium Bridge

Flintshire Bridge

Wadebridge Bypass Viaduct

Motorway Gantries

is natural gas which has been oC.

of its previous volume and

hence more cost-effective to

both transport and store.

Gifford carried out full detailed

design of the outer concrete

LNG tanks at two new receiving

terminals in the People’s

Republic of China. The tanks

type, with the outer pre-stressed

concrete tanks capable of

resisting the full inventory of

cryogenic liquid in the event of

The chosen sites were subject

Considerable input was therefore

required from Gifford’s highly

experienced geotechnics team,

particularly as one of the new

receiving terminals was located

on entirely made ground.

LNG Tanks

of China

International Ltd

1991-2000

LNG Tanks, China

EnergyEnergy Storage

Following extensive scoping

and consultation exercises, a

number of specialist studies

were undertaken to assess the

potential environmental impacts of

individual studies were reported

upon in a full Environmental

Statement, which included an

environmental impacts matrix to

provide a quantitative assessment

of alternative development options.

Of particular concern were impacts

on the nature designations of

Portsmouth Harbour and on the

historic heritage of the site.

The Environmental Statement also

included a series of mitigation

measures designed to maximise the

sustainability of the redevelopment

and recommendations for an

environmental management plan for

the project. Our recommendations

were followed and resulted in

extensive archaeological work,

contaminated land remediation

and ecological mitigation

measures being undertaken.

Royal Clarence Yard, Gosport

Location: Gosport, Hampshire

Client: Berkeley Homes

Note: At proposed redevelopment

stage, Gifford was also employed

to undertake two Environmental

a more intensive development.

1991-2000

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Royal Clarence Yard, Gosport, Hampshire

EnvironmentEnvironmental Impact Assessment

Windsor Castle is the oldest

continuously occupied palace

in the world. Fire swept through

the castle on 20th November

apartments in that palace and

more than 100 other rooms of

was appointed to undertake all

necessary investigations and

to undertake the design of the

repairs of the historic fabric and

the design of the new structures.

Gifford Responsibilities

- Assessment of strength

particular chalk, brick, limestone

and Bagshot Heath stone

- Assessment of strength of

- Structural survey of

surviving elements

- Taking down and reconstructing

Crimson Drawing Room

masonry bay window

- Repair of medieval timber

- New green oak ceiling

for St George’s Hall

- New glulaminated structure

for former Chapel area

- Design of shell and oak

timberwork for Octagonal

Lantern Lobby

The project had to be completed

wedding anniversary on November

which was within budget.

Windsor Castle

Location: Windsor, Berkshire

Client: Royal Household

Property Serices

1991-2000

Windsor Castle, Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire

PropertyHistorical Structures

The Dean’s Eye Rose Window was

built in 1220 with a daring structural

concept, unfortunately, the tracery

was failing and beyond repair and a

replacement was required. Crucially

was still intact. As the window has

this was no straightforward task.

window as three separate

elements working together.

The selection of the materials

to be used in the window was

demanding. The criteria for stone

included strength, durability,

composition, bed depth,

aesthetic considerations and

A French stone was found that

was an acceptable compromise.

The choice of metal was perhaps

easier with a particular stainless

steel with an electro-polished

Lincoln Cathedral

Location: Lincoln, Linconshire

Client: Dean and Chapter of Lincoln

Cathedral

1991-2000

Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln, Linconshire

PropertyHistorical Structures

The Gunwharf Quays project

is a mixed-use redevelopment

of a major Royal Navy site

within Portsmouth. Gifford had

a major involvement as civil

and structural engineer for the

southern half of the site, where

were built and two scheduled

ancient monuments converted

and brought back into use.

The scale of the development

and the range of engineering

consultancy required provided

an excellent demonstration of the

abilities of the inter-disciplinary

team which Gifford put together

to work on the project.

Of particular note are the new

waterfront apartment blocks with

underground car parking and

the conservation and conversion

of the two scheduled ancient

monuments, including the re-

building of one wing of the Grand

Storehouse which was demolished

after the Second World War.

Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth

Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire

Client: Berkeley Festival Waterfront

1991-2000

Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, Hampshire


A major new facility was built to

relocate the NERC’s Institute of

Oceanographic Science and its

Research Vessel Services together

with appropriate departments

of Southampton University -

Oceanography, Geology, parts of

Engineering and Applied Science.

Because the building is intensively

serviced the opportunity was

taken to introduce long term

adaptability by providing storey

main building which was framed

in-situ reinforced concrete.

Workshops and stores, which cover

about a third of the building area,

were of structural steel work.

The site was heavily contaminated

with methane and extensive

measures were introduced to

prevent this being hazardous.

Location: Empress Dock,

Southampton,Hampshire

Client: Natural Environment

Research Council Southampton

University

Institute of Oceanographic Science

1991-2000

Southampton University, Institute of Oceanographic Science,

Empress Docks, Southampton, Hamphsire

PropertyEducation

Sandown Visitors’ Centre was to

act as a Dinosaur Museum and

Learning Centre and houses many

of dinosaur relics found on the Isle

of Wight. It also acted as a research

centre and included the provision

of a laboratory which could be

viewed from the Exhibition Areas.

Lottery funding and the intention

was to provide an interesting

Public amenity combined with

an architecturally impressive

building. This was achieved by

the unusual shape of the building,

which mimiced the shape of a

canopy intended to act as the beak.

The building comprises a braced

steel frame structure supporting

curved aluminium clad roof. The

building overlooks the seafront

at Sandown, Isle of Wight and

comprises a large single storey

Exhibition Area at the rear and

a two storey plus plant room

section towards the front which

incorporates a smaller Exhibition

classrooms and a library.

Dinosaur Museum

Location: Sandown, Isle of Wight

Client: Isle of Wight County Council

1991-2000

Dinosaur Museum, Sandown, Isle of Wight

PropertyMuseums and Galleries

Gifford were invited to join

Harding Neill and Watson’s team

for a design competition for the

library and resources centre

at Chichester Institute. The

competition brief gave a clear

description of the functional

requirements of the building: a

structural solution which sought to

provide maximum uninterrupted

space whilst minimising overall

building is 5000 square metre.

The new building was planned on

a 10 metre grid, the structure being

a concrete frame based on the use

with steel framed roof and features

a central atrium. The building was

clad in glass curtain walling with

high standard and the integration

of building services and structure

were commendably unobtrusive.

Building Services were designed to

provide maximum natural ventilation

to the open plan areas with air

conditioning in I.T. areas. Major

building services plant were located

in a basement area which meant

fully available for library and I.T. use.

Chichester Institute LRC

Location: Chichester

Client: Chichester Institute

1991-2000

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Chichester Institute Library and Resource Centre,

Bishop Otter Campus, Chichester, West Sussex

PropertyEducation

Brading Roman Villa

Location: Brading, Isle of Wight

Client: The Oglander Trust

Gifford was employed as

Consulting Structural Engineers on

the construction of a new Exhibition

Hall and Visitor Centre at the site

of an existing Roman Villa complex

in Brading on the Isle of Wight.

The project involved the

construction of a new large timber

framed building to encompass the

existing Roman remains at the site.

The building extends out to form

a new interactive visitor centre

incorporating classrooms, shop,

café, kitchens and service area.

The new structure was

predominantly formed in timber

with glulam columns and large

which are tied with circular

metal rods and end bracketry.

A Bauder Grass Roof System

surmounts the building.

Prior to works commencing and

given the sensitivity of the site,

the existing small steel frame over

the remains was removed and a

new weathertight crash deck and

working platform structure was

designed and constructed over the

historic Roman remains. A detailed

soil investigation was undertaken at

the site to ascertain existing ground

conditions and also to reduce

the impact of any disturbance

caused by the excavation works

to the existing historic remains.

1991-2000

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New Exhibition Hall and Visitor’s centre for Brading Roman Villa, Isle of Wight

PropertyMuseums and Galleries

Location: Makran Coast,

Baluchistan, Pakistan

Client: Government of Pakistan

Local Associate:

Gwadar is a remote city situated

on the long sand spit connecting

an isolated offshore headland

back to the main coastline at a

strategic location on the Arabian

Sea. This extraordinary tombolo

provides two large shallow natural

harbours but was without any

substantial pre-existing marine

facilities. There have been long-

held plans to develop some sort

approached by TechnoConsult

to assist them with the marine

in a Japanese study. Gifford

substantially revised the scheme

and produced the tender design.

Following construction tender

assessment Gifford were appointed

project management and resident

supervision of the eventually

selected Belgian Contractor BeSix.

access channel and harbour basin,

groyne. The port’s associated

facilities included an auction house,

accommodation. The contract

also included provision of a cutter

suction dredger, other harbour craft

and port operating equipment.

The design paid particular attention

to designing for durability and

protecting the 1400 tubular steel

piles from corrosion. The design

also had to take account of the

location at the periphery of zones

of frequent seismic activity.

The long submerged groyne,

armoured with concrete Haro

blocks, protected the dredged

basin and channel from siltation.

in this location provided great

challenges and experience for all

concerned from initial deliveries

of equipment over the beach by

landing craft to negotiations with

local tribal leaders to remove

blockades on imported aggregates.”

Subsequently Gifford undertook the

lead for a major techno-economic

study for a large deep water port

at this location. This was then

developed into a detailed design

joint-venture with Posford Duvivier

The port was eventually built to

essentially this design by China

Harbour in the period after 2002.

Gwadar Fishing Harbour cum Mini Port

1991-2000

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Gwadar Fish Harbour cum Mini Port, Makran Coast, Baluchistan, Pakistan

TransportPorts & Harbours

Gifford’s alternative design for the

Mainline Viaduct formed a major

part in the winning tender for the

a dual four-lane expressway and

the Mass Transit Railway forming

a major element of the Route

Core Programme projects.

The structure comprises a total

discrete multi-span post-tensioned

structures formed from precast

pretensioned U-beams made

continuous with in-situ concrete

crossheads and deck slabs, with

both longitudinal and transverse

post-tensioning. Extensive use

was made of Gifford CAD facilities

to model the complex geometry

of the structures and to produce

the high level of detail required

for the working drawings.

Highways Department

1991-2000

The bridge form, a pair of steel

arches spanning 100m between

concrete islands, is rotated

through 40 degrees to permit

vessels to pass beneath.

The bridge deck provides both a

footway and separate cycleway,

taken in a wide curve across

the river. The deck section,

principally a stiffened steel box,

is suspended from steel cables

steel arch. The arch and deck

unite at each end support location

where they converge about a

transverse cylindrical arrangement

which in turn is supported at

each end by spherical bearings.

From this cylinder extends a

steel paddle to which a bank of

hydraulic rams is connected. To

open the bridge, the groups of

rams thrust against the paddle

rotating the structure through the

required angle of 40 degrees.

Each end support rests on groups

of bored cast-in-place large

diameter piles founded in the coal

measures which underlay the site.

structure has been recognised

with numerous awards including

the 2002 RIBA Stirling Prize and

Structural Excellence from the

Institution of Structural Engineers.


Location: Gateshead

Client: Gateshead Metropolitan

Borough Council

Architect: Wilkinson Eyre Architects

1991-2000

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Gateshead Millennium Bridge across River Tyne, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear

Transport


Her Majesty Queen

Elizabeth II conversing

with Gifford Chairman

dedication ceremony

for the bridge in 2002

1991-2000

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Gateshead Millennium Bridge across River Tyne, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear

Transport

This bridge across the River Dee

was the central feature of the

Deeside Roadlink carrying the

A548 in North Wales. The structure

was an asymmetric cable-stayed

metres. A 118 metre high tower

supported a near 200 metre main

span over the navigable waterway.

The 1.5 metre deep reinforced/

pre-stressed concrete deck was

supported by twin inclined planes

of cable and was constructed

in-situ by cantilevering out from

the tower in 8 metre bays.

The cable-stayed span was

detailed to be cast in a series of

8 metre segments formed in a

single pour. Each segment was

supported by the permanent cables

and provided the platform for the

gantry to cast the next segment.

The cables were constructed

on site using galvanised wire

strand, greased and covered

by an HDPE duct. An integral

damping system was developed

jointly with Freyssinet to prevent

excessive wind induced vibrations

proved extremely effective.

Flintshire Bridge

Location: River Dee, Flintshire

Client: Flintshire County Council

Note: Gifford Graham and Partners’

competition proposal was selected

from more than 40 entrants.

1991-2000

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Flintshire Bridge across River Dee, Wales


“The Commission would like to congratulate the engineers and

architects on a splendid design which, it is convinced, will result

in a beautiful bridge.” (The Royal Fine Art Commission)

The nine span 458m long viaduct

Bypass over the River Camel

estuary. The design of the of

for re-establishing the use of

external post-tensioning in bridge

Prior to the design of the viaduct,

the use of external post-tensioning

was not covered by BS 5400.

Initially, Gifford wrote design

criteria which were then approved

by the Headquarters of the

Department of Transport. The

criteria were subsequently used

as the basis for a Department

memorandum covering the use

Wadebridge Bypass is bounded

by Area of Outstanding Natural

Since the Viaduct was visible

from many viewpoints, a sensitive

approach to its appearance was

required. To meet the needs of the

Padstow Harbour Commissioners

the bridge crossed the river at a

height of 20m to provide a minimum

of 14.5m navigational clearance.

Particular attention was paid to

future maintenance of the bridge.

Easy inspection within the box

and under the expansion joints

was ensured by the provision of

permanent lighting and electrical

power for maintenance.

Wadebridge Bypass Viaduct

Location: Wadebridge, Corwall

Client: Cornwall County Council,

Department of Transport

1991-2000

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Camel Viaduct, Wadebridge

“The overall impression is of a thoughtful design,

in aesthetic and environmental terms, is also evident

in the attention to detailing.” (Judges’ Comments)

Gifford have developed a family

of designs for steel sign/signal

gantries for the provision of

road signs and signalling, spans

of up to 52m are available.

The design allows for rapid and

reliable erection with the actual

placement taking less than 10

minutes, this can be achieved

with a rolling roadblock and

therefore avoids the need for

disruptive road closures.

The gantries have been erected

widely throughout the country.

Motorway Gantries

Location: Various -

throughout the UK

Client: The Highways Agency

1991-2000

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Motorway Gantries

TransportRoads and Highways

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2001-2011Representative Projects:

Celebrating 50 years of GIfford

ENERGY

Concrete Offshore Windfarm

Foundations

Tir Mostyn and Foel Goch

Windfarm

ENVIRONMENT

Swindown Village

Fulham

PROPERTY

Mercedes Benz World

Capital Gate

Bournville College

Lewisham Hospital

Jumeira Beach Residence

Tom Reilly Building

Sculptures

Gifford Studios

Devil’s Tower Camp

Building Information Modelling

(BIM)

Laser Aided Modelling (LAM)

Advanced and Computational

Engineering

Bridge Master Builders

TRANSPORT

M25 Widening

Degwany Quay Marina

Cathaleen’s Falls Bridge

Media City Footbridge

Boyne Bridge

Twin Sails Bridge

Forthside Footbridge

Reading Mainline Bridge

Docklands Light Railway

Fifty years have passed

started the practice as an

independent structural engineer.

Dave Parker reports from

the non-conformist consultancy

he founded are getting on.

For more than three decades

ambitious young structural

engineers have been turning

their backs of the bright lights

of London and opting instead to

work in a converted agricultural

merchant’s yard on the outskirts

of Southampton – usually for

lower salaries. Why?

The thriving sports and social

club in the former navy huts is

hardly a substitute for the trendy

bars of Victoria or Fitzovia. Does

the whiff of academia still linger

from Carlton House’s original

a boy’s reform school, giving

the site something of a cosy

campus feel? Or is it simply

the opportunity to get involved

with unorthodox challenging

projects like Gateshead’s

Millennium Bridge or the Dee

Crossing, without too much

obvious pressure from the bean

counters?

answer. People joined to work

with a charismatic engineer

who was pioneering new

structural materials and systems.

Innovation was the breath of life

to EWH Gifford – so initialled to

distinguish him from another

practicing engineer, Dr FW

Gifford. Pre-stressed concrete

and glued laminated timber were

the materials of choice. There

wave and wind power.

retired, to pursue his developing

interests in Saxon ships and

small hovercraft, and the practice

had to face its moment of truth.

Maintaining reputation, client

base and morale after the loss

of a charismatic

founding partner

is a challenge

many small to

medium sized

consultancies

have failed to

meet. Those that

do survive have a

tendency to revert

to orthodoxy and to

shun the risky high

on which their reputations

were originally built. Not so

EWH Gifford Engineers, as the

practice had been known since

management sorted out well in

advance and choose charismatic

leaders to follow you’.

He also ensured that partners,

once appointed, do not acquire

a perpetual share in the limited

company that actually owns the

practice’s assets. When they

retire, their share reverts to the

company. Only if the organisation

winds up will anyone receive a

windfall; an arrangement that

accountants, says joint managing

director Ed Hollinghurst.

“Our philosophy is

that we are here

to do more than

just make money”,

he explains. “We

ensure survival

and invest in the

future. It may

sound naïve,

has been a very

low rate of staff

turnover”.

Such altruism has always been a

strong thread in the Gifford saga.

Equally important has been

the drive to optimise structural

use. Both have their roots

in the heady optimism of the

when the post-war shortage of

materials encouraged the more

adventurous engineers to look

conventional structures.

Gifford himself says one of the

visit to the Marne Bridge project

in France, where pre-stressed

concrete pioneer Freyssinet was

producing structural elements of

a sophistication not yet seen in

bridge engineer to Hampshire

County Council – “with a very

tolerant county surveyor”,

he adds. The result was the

stressed concrete structure to be

wholly designed and built in the

the New Forest, was later judged

listed building status.

branch out on his own. Declining

advice from fellow pioneers

such as Alan Harris and Felix

Samuelly, he resisted lure of the

bright lights and opted to set up

in central Southampton. Two key

relationships, with Reed & Mallik

and with Udalls Pre-stressed

Concrete, were to share the

future of the practice. Together

they developed the Gifford-Udall

it built such landmark structures

___________

Maintaining reputation, client base and morale after the loss of a charismatic founding partner is a challenge many small to medium

sized consultancies have failed to meet.

___________

2001

Celebrating 50 Years of Gifford

as Eel Pie Island footbridge, the

stressed concrete bridge in the

More bridge commissions

followed, including the Swan

River and Hobart Bridges in

Australia. Here Gifford acted as

sub-consultant to Maunsell, a

role it was to adopt with several

big names in the early days. Later,

as the practice developed a name

and reputation, approaches were

made suggesting mergers with or

takeovers by longer-established

Instead, Gifford became one

partnering, preferring to get

together on a job by job basis

with other consultants and

professionals.

This is a risky choice, and

there must have been times in

the following decades when

the partners had second

independence. The same goes

for the search for maximum

minimum material consumption.

In the early days of the practice,

things sometimes went wrong

as when the falsework to the

Bridge across the M1 near

was killed, or when unforeseen

corrosion in the exposed PVC

coated pre-stressing tendons

on the Braidley Road Bridge in

Bournemouth led to the then

Ministry of Transport banning

unbonded tendons for more than

20 years.

The practice survived, however,

thanks in no small measure

to Giff’s long term policy of

maintaining very close links

to bodies like the Cement and

Concrete Association and the

Timber Research & Development

Association. He also encouraged

his colleagues to publish learned

papers as often as possible. The

work kept rolling in, and by the

time of the seminal move from

central Southampton to Carlton

and turnover was approaching

was steady if unspectacular. By

had topped £2M, two regional

Chester and York, and the

foundations had been laid for a

second phase of development.

The post-Giff era was to be

less pioneering, more worldly –

into a more conventional set up,

with distinct teams concentrating

were to be testing times for all

engineering consultancies, even

the large and well established.

”Actually we went into the late

small consultant and came out

of it as medium sized” remarks

director Gary Wood. “In 10 years

Hollinghurst attributes much of

of the pent-up energies of four

partners in their 40s. The Carlton

House site continued to expand.

Some £1.5M is currently being

invested in new facilities large

enough to accommodate 150

staff, but Wood says the plan

is to encourage growth outside

Southampton.

Projects like the Gateshead

Millennium Bridge and the second

Mersey Crossing still catch the

eye, but the practice continues

to explore the less conventional

sectors, like historic buildings

and archaeological surveys.

What it will be working on in 50

years time is anybody’s guess,

but Hollinghurst believes that if

it still exists as an independent

organisation it will have at least

one thing in common with the

practice today. He says “we’ve

had some major clients for more

than 40 years. I see no reason

why we shouldn’t keep them for

another 50”.

Independent Thinker -

by Dave Parker

New Civil Engineer

18th October 2001

Reproduced by permission

of Antony Oliver, Editor

In 2004/5 Gifford undertook

conceptual studies on potential

applications for concrete in offshore

and onshore wind turbine structures

for the Concrete Centre. Previous

experience had highlighted the

need for new thinking in offshore

foundations and radical approaches

for their construction and installation

emerged from these studies.

Gifford anticipated the opportunity

for new foundation designs for the

larger turbines then being proposed

for deeper water sites and won

support from the DTI Technology

Programme for initial engineering

feasibility studies. These were

promising and Gifford helped to

persuade the newly formed Carbon

Trust of the need for more attention

to new foundation types.

Subsequently in 2008 CT launched

an international Offshore Wind

Accelerator competition for

innovative foundation designs and

the Gifford scheme was one of the

development. The engineering work

under this programme continues

with our Consortium partners BMT

group and Freyssinet.

The proposed scheme is based

on the use of concrete gravity

base foundations of a particular

design rather than the more

generally adopted steel pile

solutions. The gravity foundation

has many potential virtues. The

scheme also involves an innovative

method of installation using a

semi–submersible Transport &

be fully submerged once on

location to place the foundation.

This combination opens the way

for onshore pre-assembly of a

complete support structure and

turbine, and installation in a single

short offshore operation thereby

removing much complexity and

risk from the otherwise extended

piecemeal installation operations

in the aggressive and changeable

offshore environment of the North

Sea and West coast.

Typically a complete structure &

foundation for a 5MW turbine in

rotor diameter of 120m. The scale

of these individual structures is very

large by onshore standards although

not unusual for offshore work. The

number of units required though is

quite unusual for structures of this

2020 is likely to need some 4000

Concrete Offshore Windfarm Foundations

2001-2011

Concrete Offshore Windfarm Foundations

EnergyOffshore Wind

Tir Mostyn and Foel Goch

Windfarm is located 8km south

west of Denbigh, North Wales and

comprises 25 Gamesa G52 turbines

wind farm can produce enough

power annually to light 15,500

homes and save approximately

52,000 tonnes a year in greenhouse

gas emissions measured against

equivalent fossil fuel generation.

The facility was energised in the

autumn of 2005 and handed over

to the ultimate Client Hg Capital

in October 2005. The turbines

foundation bases approximately

10m – 12m square primarily to

safeguard against overturning,

but with an external reinforced

Tir Mostyn and Foel Goch Windfarm

2001-2011

Location: Denbigh, North Wales

Client: WindJen / Gamesa

Tir Mostyn and Foel Goch Windfarm, Denbigh, North Wales

EnergyOnshore Wind

Location: Halton, North West

Client: Halton Borough Council

Note: Gifford were also involved

in the design of the bridge.The Mersey Estuary downstream

of the existing bridge is a SSSI, a

wetland of international importance

designated under the RAMSAR

convention and a Specially

Extensive hydrodynamic modelling

of the estuary was undertaken to

better understand the likely impact

of the proposed works on this

environmentally sensitive area.

The new bridge’s form was

developed together with designs

for other structures. Both a

Design and Access Statement

and Environmental Statement

were assembled to accompany

necessary statutory applications.

Mersey Gateway EIA

2001-2011

EnvironmentEnvironmental Impact Assessment

Location: Swindon

Village, Cheltenham

Client: Gloucestershire

County Council

alleviation design with Robert

Bray Associates and undertook

third party liaison with Network

Rail, the Environment Agency,

the local planning authority

and third party land owners.

Swindon Village Flood Prevention

exceptionally dry April, the County

of Gloucestershire suffered heavy

rainfall. In July it then experienced

Swindon Village Primary School,

which is located in a local low spot

in Swindon Village, Cheltenham,

was one of the schools which

due to inappropriate drainage

Gifford was appointed by

Gloucestershire County Council

and drainage assessment of the

Swindon Village Primary School site

Gifford’s ongoing commitment to

sustainability was demonstrated

on this project through the

comprehensive use of sustainable

drainage measures such as

swales and balancing ponds.

These assets will also be utilised

for pupil education purposes.

Works associated with the FAS

not only for the school, but also for

neighbouring properties and other

third party assets. The scheme’s

excellence was recognised

when it became one of three

Management Initiative of the Year

category at the Water Industry

Achievement Awards 2011.

2001-2011

Swindon VIllage Flood Prevention, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

EnvironmentFlood Alleviation Scheme

Gifford was commissioned to

develop the cultural heritage and

archaeology elements of a Stage

Parks for People application.

The aims of this work were to

assess potential archaeological

and cultural heritage constraints,

risks and opportunities in relation

to the proposed restoration

and redevelopment scheme,

and to design a mitigation

strategy. Restoration works

are currently in progress.

Notable Features

heritage appraisal, desk-

based assessment, impact

assessment and mitigation

strategy for Bishops Park

in Fulham Palace grounds

to determine requirements

for archaeological recording,

support of Listed Building

Consent applications by

project architect and HLF grant

application

heritage in Palace grounds

moat bridge, walled garden,

design and Scheduled

Monument Consent applications

for intrusive works within Palace

grounds

historic moat and sluice gate

as part of developing a scheme

section of the moat

of archaeological investigation

and restoration works

Location: Fulham, London

Client: London Borough of

Hammersmith and Fulham

Architects: Chris Blandford

Associates / Thomas Ford & Partner

Bishops Park and Fulham Palace

2001-2011

Bishops Park and Fulham Palace, Fulham, London

EnvironmentArchaelogy

Location: Barnsley

Client: Barnsley Miller Partnership

Gifford was appointed by the

Barnsley Miller Partnership to

provide consultancy services

for the provision of new

Metropolitan Borough Council.

The structure was conceived

as a high-quality sustainable

building which would underline

the local authority’s sustainability

agenda whilst providing much

A double height entrance space

with reception, meeting spaces

and public function areas

provided a focal point in the east

elevation. The remainder of the

building consisted of open plan

authority’s key departments.

The development comprised a

braced steel framed structure

were constructed as cellular

secondary beams supporting

and acting compositely with the

transfer lateral loads to the

vertical braced frames and also

provided thermal mass which

helps to control the internal

environment. A mass improved

roof and mesh solar shading

on the south elevation provide

a pleasant and comfortable

environment for the occupants

throughout whilst achieving

a low energy consumption

2001-2011

Property

Location: Weybridge

The historic connection between

Mercedes Benz and Brooklands

has been renewed through the

construction of Mercedes Benz

World. The purpose of this centre

is to demonstrate the Mercedes

Benz contribution to our motor

and racing heritage, as well as to

continuing technical innovation.

The building includes a Heritage

Museum, visitor attractions, theatre,

technology centre, conference

and exhibition facilities.

Gifford was originally appointed

by Daimler Chrysler to undertake

the outline design and was

subsequently novated to

Warings under a Design and

Build Contract to undertake the

detail design of the project.

Close coordination between all

disciplines ensured the scheme

achieved the aspirations of the

client and provided a very high

quality development in the heart

of the Brooklands historic circuit.

Mercedes Benz World

2001-2011

Mercedes Benz World, Brooklands

Property

Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Client: RMJM

This landmark tower was the

icon of the Abu Dhabi National

Exhibition Centre. In June 2010

furthest leaning man-made tower

by Guinness World Records.

Using software including

ETABS and DIANA Gifford’s

structural analysis specialists

were responsible for

-The development of a Finite

cambered geometry to achieve

the intended position

-Design of vertical post-tensioning

of the reinforced concrete core

-Development of high-level

data processing software

to assemble construction

sequence simulation data.

Capital Gate

2001-2011

Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, U.A.E

PropertyStructural Engineering

The Bournville design was

developed using a single model

environment which has proved

to be an important design tool

enabling us to communicate

ideas, integrate analysis

and modelling and produce

comprehensive co-ordinated

design information. This has

allowed increased accuracy, greater

communication of our information.

The design resulted in an exciting

new landmark for Longbridge

and the surrounding area with the

spine block providing a dramatic

integrate with the surrounding

buildings proposed under the

Longbridge Area Action Plan.

Bournville College

Architect: Broadway

Malyan Architects

2001-2011

Bournville College, Longbridge Broadway Malyan Architects

PropertyEducation

Location: London

Client:Lewisham Hospital NHS

Trust & Carillion Construction

One of the key factors in winning

the project was the design and the

maximum use made of the available

the Ravensbourne river led to the

which maximised the square area

available for the new hospital. This

presented its own set of challenges

both with the internal design and

with on-site logistics. The curved

nature of the building meant

that each room was not square,

resulting in the need to carefully

plan the position of beds, storage

space, worktops and equipment.

The structural form for this building

is in-situ concrete framing. Flat

slab construction of in-situ

reinforced concrete, enabling

simple services distribution,

was incorporated. Founded

on a Cfa foundation layout,

the structure is supported on

in situ concrete columns and

braced by concrete shear walls

to the three stair lift cores.

In April 2008 the Riverside

development was named Best

Operational Health Scheme at the

Public Private Finance Awards.

Lewisham Hospital

2001-2011

180

Lewisham Hospital, Riverside Development, London

PropertyHealthcare

Location: Dubai, U.A.E.

Client: Dubai Properties

Positioned between Jumeirah

Beach and the Dubai Marina,

the Jumeirah Beach Residence

provides beachfront living

accommodation and car parking for

over 10,000 people. It also includes

amenities such as a shopping mall,

restaurants, bars and beach clubs.

post-tension in situ concrete using

engineering to improve structural

buildability. The lateral stability

system consists of large walls and

restraint to the post-tensioning

and to long-term shrinkage.

Jumeira Beach Residence

2001-2011

182

Jumeira Beach Residence, Dubai, U.A.E.

PropertyTall buildings

Location: Liverpool

Moores University

Architect: Austin-Smith-Lord

Gifford was a key member of the

team which worked on this major

university project. The building

included a number of teaching

and specialist laboratory spaces

for the departments of Sports

Science and Psychology, including

an internal 80m long running track

cut back into the ground. It was

circulation zone splitting the two.

in the architecture of the building.

The gradient of the site meant

that major excavation, retained

with a contiguous piled wall

which also supports the structure

above, was needed at the east

end. The requirement for large

open teaching spaces internally

and light weight circulation zones

around the perimeter, resulted

in a structural concept of long

internal spans, with cantilevers

on all four sides of the building.

The supertructure frame required

12m internal spans with 4m

cantilevers at either end with

minimum structural depth. A

post-tensioned concrete band

beam solution was therefore

chosen throughout, with

precast/insitu composite slabs

spanning between the beams.

The west end cantilever was

shaped arrangement of columns,

over two storeys, propping

the west end elevation

The Tom Reilly Building

2001-2011

184

The Tom Reilly Building, John Moores University, Liverpool, Merseyside

PropertyEducation

Encounter - Birchwood,

Warrington

bold sculpture sited at junction 11

striking beacon for those entering

Birchwood and Warrington East.

Due to the requirement for a

greater degree of certainty about

how the structure would perform,

Gifford took the decision to carry

out a computational dynamic

analysis of the structure on a

up the hand calculations, which

had already been undertaken.

This analysis work was carried out

by Gifford Special Studies section

this, the appropriate design static

wind pressures were applied as

in phase with the natural mode of

vibration of the structure. Sensitivity

checks were also carried out by

applying impulse loads in steps

either side of the fundamental

natural frequency of the structure.

Due to the considerations of the

effects of fatigue upon the structure

we adopted the use of post-

holding down detail of the base

plates of the legs of the sculpture.

Capital Call Centre, Speke,

Liverpool

curved columns. Each column has

though reaching to one another.

Dynamic modelling response to

wind excitation due to slenderness.

Client wanted to light the sculpture

from lights within the sculpture.

This caused problems as it

weakened an already slender tube

Empowerment - River Whitham,

Lincolnshire

The sculpture, designed by artist

Stephen Broadbent, takes its

inspiration from the turbine blades,

produced by the main sponsor

Alstom Power. Within the work,

the turbine blades transform into

touch, to empower one another,

like the blades empower one

another within the turbine. On

structure for the public to walk

through. On the other bank a

single arched cantilever structure

stretching across the river.

Sculptures

2001-2011

Sculptures

Property

Location: Southampton, Hampshire

Client: Gifford

canteen cut into the sloping site.

The design brief was to build an

environmentally sensitive building

at a comparable cost to normal

To achieve relatively column free

to provide thermal energy storage,

cast exposed Omnia planks.

The use of Shear cones and

Omina planks in the design of

forms of construction. Steel

columns were selected to allow the

perimeter columns to be concealed

within the external timber framed

walls around the perimeter.

Gifford Studios

2001-2011

188

Gifford Studios, Southampton, Hampshire

Property

Devil’s Tower Camp is the home

of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment.

The Gibraltar Defence Force was

the reserve of the GDF together

with the Volunteer Reserve of the

form the Gibraltar Regiment.

An upgrade of the camp facilities,

including changes to the road

layout and a mix of refurbishment

and new build was carried out.

Projects we have developed and

completed on this site included:

future development strategy for

the camp

investigation, topographical

survey and contamination

testing

trace

designed to provide daily meals

for 500 military personnel

family accommodation blocks

supply and condition

study of Ministry of Defence

telecommunications site

distribution duct networks

Regiment Bar

access road

Devil’s Tower Camp

Location: Gibraltar

Client: Ministry of Defence

2001-2011

Devil’s Tower Camp, Gibraltar

Property

The use of Revit, NavisWorks and

the whole suite of BIM modelling

tools has helped streamline

Gifford’s project delivery and

speed up the time from concept

to on-site information releases.

found in communication, decision-

making, accuracy, site coordination

Location: Tunbridge Wells

Client: Maidstone &

Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

and Laing O’Rourke

2001-2011

Innovation

& Technology

Pembury Hospital, Tunbridge Wells

is a phrase conceived by

Gifford experts to describe their

pioneering process for integrating

the application of laser scanning

survey technology within the

project Building Information

Our specialists’ ongoing

development of the innovative LAM

technique is supported by their

extensive experience in using and

applying the established principles

Innovation

& Technology

Oystermouth Castle

In the last decade numerical

modelling has become further

established and this type of

activity is now focused within the

Advanced Engineering Group. This

Group brings together Engineering

Analysts, Software Developers and

Specialist Engineers who using the

latest computational and modelling

techniques solve complex problems

and help deliver world class

designs. Through this decade an

environment that has encouraged

innovative thinking has been

maintained and has lead to leading

developments and successes in

structural analysis and simulation,

advanced geometry modelling,

laser measurement modelling

technology, and more recently

wider integration of building

information modelling. Major

advances in non-linear structural

analysis and the development of

an innovative bridge strengthening

system were recognised in 2002

with a Queens award for innovation:

enterprise. More recently there has

been a growth in computational

patterns, building environments

and pollutant dispersion and these

simulations used to improve design

new processes reduce cost. Laser

aided modelling has allowed the

Group to deliver measurement

and monitoring based projects

and establish a trade mark

to the Group’s increasing

visibility within the industry.

Advanced and Computational Engineering

2001-2011

Mercantile Quarter micro climate study – “Micro climate investigation using Computational

Advanced and Computational Engineering

Innovation

& Technology

The project involved an on-line

widening of the M25 from Junction

8 at Reigate Hill to Junction 10 the

symmetric with retaining walls

along the majority of the section

on both sides. The new hard

shoulder was discontinuous with

access through the back span

of structures where possible.

of retaining walls generally using

soil strengthening techniques

either reinforced soil or granular

wedges, slope steepening and soil

nailing. A concrete central reserve

barrier was constructed utilising

slip form techniques. The design

involved replacement of nearly all

the carriageway drainage and repair

of the existing pavement most of

which is of concrete construction.

The project saw the introduction

of a New Standard Gantry to

replace the existing SERO gantry.

M25 Widening, Surrey

Location: Reigate Hill, Surrey

Client: Highways Agency

Note: The design managed by

Gifford was carried out in joint

venture with Frank Graham CEL.

2001-2011

M25 Widening, Surrey

TransportRoads & Highways

Location: Deganwy, North Wales

Client: Lifetime Projects

Developers

An old derelict slate loading

quay in the Conwy River estuary

berth marina development with

associated hotel and housing.

Situated opposite the thriving

Conwy Marina, this project

provides much sought after marine

berthing on the Conwy River

The work involved the formation

of a sheltered basin and gated

entrance by construction of

a new breakwater arm to the

south end of the development.

The marina basin utilised tied back

driven sheet piles throughout. In

the location of the original quay,

cut off sheet piles were driven

to eliminate potential hydraulic

leakage damage problems to

the new impounded basin.

Deganwy Quay Marina

2001-2011

200

Deganwy Quay Marina, Conwy County, North Wales

TransportPorts and Harbours

“Of course we don’t just do

bridges” says Gordon Clark. As

director of consulting engineers

Gifford, Mr Clark is keen to point

than designing elegant structures

that cross railways, roads and

rivers the length and breadth

of the country. The evidence

of this can be found as he

stands proudly for photographs

outskirts of Southampton. The

building, which was designed

conjunction with architects

Design Engine, was needed to

provide accommodation for a

large proportion of Gifford’s

work on everything from civil

engineering to structural design

for buildings, mechanical and

electrical works, environmental

engineering and in what Mr

Clark claims is the largest

archeological department of any

In the lobby of the building

from which Gifford is currently

decamping there hang trophies

celebrating what is probably

The plaques commemorate the

construction of the Gateshead

Millennium Footbridge. Stirling

Prize winner, Royal Fine Arts

Commission Building of the

Year, President’s Gold medal

winner from the Royal Academy

of Engineering - the bridge’s

reputation brightens every wall.

It should come as no surprise

that Gifford would be involved

in such successful project

because, when it comes to

building bridges, the skills are

early development was founded

on constructing concrete

bridges. Just as today, when

bridge technology, back then

Giff brought his knowledge of the

then state of the art pre-stressing

of concrete to steal a march over

his rivals.

architectural form to what had

often been a sector driven by

engineering function. It would

be a combination that would pay

“Our work putting an architect-

ural input into our bridges started

World Heritage Site at Ironbridge

in Shropshire. We had to replace

from the Ironbridge. English

Heritage was involved and it

wanted something a bit different

for the job,” says Mr Clark.

legged tubular steel tower and

steel coil rope attached to its

deck, forget Gifford’s reputation

for doing bridges that are out of

the ordinary.

book on the table in front of him.

to bid for a new bridge in the

North East but also acts as a

handy aide-mémoire of Gifford’s

high work rate since the Iron

bridge project. Hardly a city or

region is missed out through the

pages, with graceful designs

spreading from Basingstoke

to Ireland via North Wales and

Glasgow.

One of the reasons that Gifford’s

skill have come to be in high

demand stems from a tick of the

second hand of clocks around

the world four years ago. The

turn of the millennium, coupled

with the boom in National

Lottery funding, triggered local

authorities around the country

to go looking for an iconic

structure to act as a focal point

for their communities - Gifford’s

Gateshead project being one of

the foremost examples.

So, with burgeoning workloads,

Mr Clark must be in favour of the

current high demand for intricate

architectural bridges?

“There is a time and a place for

upmarket, iconic bridges. It has

almost become a bandwagon

that every town wants to jump

on. If you show people a picture

of Sydney it’s got the bridge on

it. A picture of London has Tower

Bridge in it. That is what people

are trying to achieve by wanting

designers to produced an icon.

There is nothing wrong with that

to come up with the right idea.”

So has Gifford ever tried to tell

a client that they don’t actually

need to spend money on a

bridge will do? Mr Clark’s answer

explains just how ingrained the

desire for keynote bridges has

become.

not surprisingly, we did not win

the sake of diplomacy Mr Clark

declines to identify the project

beyond saying it was a large

footbridge in London.

something iconic. We went in

and said that we didn’t think

it was the right site for such

scheme. We went with a low-key

solution. At interview the client

The Bridge Building Masters

202

was very positive about our

proposals but we didn’t get the

job.’

It is unusual for someone whose

company has been so closely

associated with one of the most

successful iconic bridges in

recent years to be critical of the

forces that drive them but as he

that if you don’t come up with a

whoop and a bang, a wacky idea,

in order to win you will miss out.’

But that is not to say that

Gifford has now put away its

big box of new ideas.The team

that was brought together to

build the Gateshead Millennium

Footbridge, featuring Gifford with

architects Wilkinson Eyre and

mechanical engineers Bennet

Associates, has been reunited,

hoping to bring its magic to Poole

in Dorset. Like the Gateshead

project, it is hoped the bridge

will be a catalyst for change in

Poole. Its design, based on the

mast and sails of a yacht in the

harbour, should have a similar

revitalising effect on the town.

Two triangular leaf elements split

the bridge deck diagonally in

two and when raised will form

triangular shaped decks were

not just chosen for the aesthetic

qualities, it also reduces the wind

loading on the structure that

is expected to be buffeted by

is preparing an Environmental

Impact Assessment analysis

for the structure in the hope

of completing construction by

2008.

The Poole Twin Sail Bridge, like

most others that Gifford’s have

worked on, will require complex

engineering and design to get

off the drawing board. It is

unsurprising Mr Clark says none

been built if it wasn’t for advances

in computing design technology

and improvement in the strength

and versatility of materials.

But with the initial failure of the

Millennium Bridge in London, is

there not a fear of pushing too far

beyond the current boundaries

of engineering. “You design to

current codes of practice,” says

Mr Clark “They have margins

built into them that are deemed

appropriate. I think we are all

comes to who designs closest to

the wire.”

But he admits that some

structures are constructed

without in-built redundancy,

meaning that if one element fails,

the whole thing could collapse.

“That is not too clever but

sometimes you cannot avoid it”

he says. “The trick is to ensure

that whatever this vital element

is , it is strong enough to never

be in danger of failure.”

One structure that presents more

than its fair share of challenges

in terms of construction is the

new Mersey Crossing. Gifford

has been asked to provide

engineering consultancy work

Runcorn and Widnes.

Mersey at that point is not deep

plant and it’s an environmentally

sensitive area. The foundations

are going to be a big challenge

for contractors.

It is hoped that the bridge

will carry both road and rail

with trains running beneath

the road deck. When looking

for inspiration for the design

Gifford’s team could have looked

slightly upstream while working

in Gateshead. Stephenson’s

High Level Bridge was built using

Did you copy it?

He laughs: “I think it’s fantastic.

It was way ahead of its time -

truly integrated transport

Mr Clark’s joy in working on such

ambitious schemes certainly

doesn’t seem to have dulled

over the years, particularly when

it comes to that vital moment

of inspiration that leads to an

award-winning design. But does

he have any dream project that

he hasn’t yet had the chance to

build?

“There was talk of a rail bridge

to the Isle of Wight and as it’s

on our doorstep that would have

to be the one,” he says before

smiling: “But I don’t think that will

ever happen.”

If that’s true then it’s a shame.

Gifford may not only do bridges,

but when it does them, it does

them very well.

Construction News

09 September 2004

By Alasdair Reisner

reproduced by permission

of Nick Edwards, Editor

Gate

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Location: Co. Donegal,

Republic of Ireland

Client: SIAC/Wills Brothers JV

The project consisted of an 11km

bypass with both wide single

and dual carriageway sections,

together with a further 5km of

link and side road improvements.

A grade separated junction and

eight roundabout junctions formed

part of the highway improvements

while the works required the

design and construction of

15 new principal structures

including the Cathaleen’s Falls

Bridge across the River Erne.

Falls Bridge carries the N15 over

the River Erne with a pedestrian

bridge below the main deck. The

in situ, reinforced concrete arch

bridge has a span of 120m.

Cathaleen’s Falls Bridge

2001-2011

204

County Donegal, Republic of Ireland


Location: Salford Quays,

Manchester

Client: Peel Media Ltd

Architect: Wilkinson Eyre

A very original approach to design –

but one which had to be in context

and respond to the practicalities of

the site – was called for. Elements

considered included the location’s

geometric constraints, the fact

that, as with the Lowry Centre

Footbridge nearby, the bridge

needs to accommodate ship

structures up to 20m high, and that

the client wishes the bridge to be

a destination in its own right; “a

unique and memorable landmark”.

Media City Footbridge

Media City Footbridge over Manchester Ship Canal, Salford Quays, Manchester , Greater Manchester


Location: Co. Meath, Ireland

Client: Cleveland SIAC Joint Venture

Boyne Bridge

The central feature of the M1

Northern Motorway Project

in County Meath, Republic

of Ireland was a new bridge

across the River Boyne.

The structure was an asymmetric

cable stayed bridge with a main

reinforced concrete pylon supports

the main span. The bridge deck

consisted of twin steel plate

girders and a reinforced concrete

deck slab. The deck incorporated

a GRP enclosure system.

Gifford developed and detailed

an innovative pylon head steel

liner system. This acted as a

permanent formwork system but

formation of the complex cable

stayed anchorages from the critical

path of the pylon construction. The

steel liner allowed the pylon head

to be redesigned to take advantage

of the composite action provided

by the steel liner attached to the

reinforced concrete section and

thereby providing greater economy.

2001-2011

208

Boyne Bridge over River Boyne, County Meath, Republic of Ireland

TransportBridge engineering

Location: Poole Harbour

Client: Borough of Poole

Architect: Wilkinson Eyre

Connecting Poole town centre

Second Opening bridge will span

the navigation channel of the

Backwater Channel linking Holes

Bay with the main Poole Harbour.

The bridge comprises a 10.8m

wide carriageway incorporating two

vehicular lanes segregated from

two cycle lanes. In addition two

2.5m wide footways are provided

cantilevering from the bridge. The

bridge and approach roads connect

with the junction of West Quay Road

and Bay Hog Road in the east and

to urban feeder roads in the west.

Each lift span superstructure leaf

steel box beam supporting the

carriageway. Each leaf is connected

to pivot bearings at one of the main

piers and rests on a single bearing

near the apex of the triangle on

the other main pier. To permit the

unrestricted passage of shipping

through the navigation channel the

lift spans are pivoted through 88

degrees by two hydraulic rams,

and lighting are detailed throughout

to provide a distinctive level of

aesthetic quality to the bridge and

to enhance the drama of the bridge

during the opening phases.

Twin Sails Bridge

2001-2011

210

Twin Sails Bridge, Poole


Location: Stirling, Scotland

Architext: Wilkinson Eyre

Client: Stirling Council

Forthside Bridge provides

pedestrians with a link between

the constrained city centre of

Stirling and a new development

area on the banks of the River

Forth, across the main railway

corridor. As a result of the visual

and geographical detachment of

Forthside, this Gifford designed

bridge was required to bind two

disparate places, acting as a

signal for the new development

area while maintaining

respect for the old City.

The footbridge deck form

comprises two longitudinal 550mm

edge beams, rotated through

45 degrees, to form a diamond

orientation. These edge beams are

interconnected by a varying depth

shallow box forming the walkway.

Pylons range from vertical at one

opposing end, with intermediate

stanchions inclined incrementally

Forthside Footbridge

Awards: The Saltire Society Awards for

Civil Engineering 2010; commendation

IStructE Structural Awards

2010, Pedestrian Bridges

Category; commendation

Footbridge Awards 2011,

Technical Long-span Category;

highly commended 2001-2011

212

Forthside Footbridge, Stirling, Scotland


Location: Reading

Client: Network Rail

Gifford specialists designed the

new Caversham Road bridge

for BAM Nuttall and Network

Rail as part of a major, six-year

redevelopment of the station

and surrounding rail network.

The new structure successfully

replaced the old rail bridge during

an intensive programme of works

over the Christmas and New Year

period. It carries nine lines of

track at Reading on the main line

between Paddington and Bristol.

Our team designed a super-

slender steel deck to maintain

the existing track alignment

and clearance to the main road

below, while allowing the future

realignment of the track for the

redevelopment of the station.

The 1,000 tonne bridge deck

was fabricated in sections and

assembled in the nearby worksite

before being carried to Caversham

Road by two huge transporters

and then lowered onto the

existing extended abutments.

The design of the structure was

of technology to install it. The

structure was transported by

road. Renowned specialists in

Propelled Modular Transporter

Reading Station Mainline Bridge

2001-2011

214

Reading Station Mainline Bridge over Caversham Road , Berkshire

TransportRail Engineering

A new mainline rail bridge over the Caversham Road just west of Reading Station

and designed by Gifford engineers has scooped two industry awards.

It won the Construction News Award 2011 in the Projects Under £10 million

category with Nick Edwards, Construction News editor commenting: “We have a

At the end of last month the project also won the Institution of Civil Engineers’

Small Project Award in the Thames Valley Engineering Excellence Awards.

Location: London

Client: Arup/Taylor Woodrow

Gifford Responsibilities

- Provision of full design support

during the tender including

development of a number

of innovative procedures for

minimising the strengthening of

structures. The latter include

undertaking strain gauging and

laboratory testing of a weld

improvement technique.

strengthening works to existing

bridges

Delta Junction

designs

Station

Docklands Light Railway Three Car Enhancement

2001-2011

Docklands Light Railway Three Car Enhancement, London

TransportRail

Government announced its

decision to construct a new

cable-stayed bridge across the

Firth of Forth and in December

government and secured through

a Design and Build contract.

The new crossing will comprise

a dual two-lane carriageway with

widened hard shoulders while the

existing crossing will be retained

for public transport, pedestrians

and cyclists and may be adapted

for tram-based LRT if required.

The overall length of the bridge

comprising a southern approach

viaduct of 550m, three towers, two

cable-stayed main spans each of

North of the Forth the new

crossing will connect to the

new dual two-lane carriageway

upgrading and remodelling of

the existing grade separated

junction will be required. South

of the Forth, the replacement

crossing will be connected to the

vicinity of the existing Scotstoun

two-lane carriageway. A new grade

separated junction will be provided

between the new crossing and

the Scotstoun Junction.

Beyond 2011...

218

Forth Replacement Bridge, Firth of Forth, Scotland


In mapping the long term development of Ramboll the plan has always been that

continuity and innovation should go hand in hand. Based on that concept my

commemorative comments should be seen as a preface; the integration of Gifford

into Ramboll in 2012 will be a new beginning. There will be new opportunities for both

parties but with a clear continuation of the standards, values, aspirations and vision

which Gifford has held and is so clearly documented in this anniversary publication.

In all my time (since the mid 70s) with this industry, Gifford has been there

and, here in my country, has been recognized and respected for its expertise

and innovation. Gifford has always been at the forefront in terms of theory

and method - well illustrated when, many years ago, Mr Gifford won a

on projects in collaboration with Gifford employees. It was from these colleagues’

reports that I learned of the similarities between the Gifford values and culture and

our own basic principles. So, when our international expansion plans necessitated

an acquisition in the UK, it was natural that Gifford should be at the top of our

there is a need for a slightly longer courtship to win the most wanted partner.

Ramboll is excited by the future prospects of having Gifford to strengthen

our operation in the UK which, despite its currently depressed state, is one

of our UK operation will be fundamental to our long term success.

Throughout its history, Ramboll has been building its business by allowing new people

to stand on the shoulders of their predecessors; to add, to expand and to develop that

which was already there and to create that which never was. By integrating, by learning

A word from Flemming Bligaard Pedersen

Ramboll Group CEO since 1992

Postscript or Preface?

220

Prepared by the Gifford Marketing Team with the cooperation of Gordon Clark, Malcolm Woolley, Geoff Clifton,

Photo Credits:

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76 – 80 Southwark

Street

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Gifford, part of Ramboll

gifford's 60th commemorative book

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