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Live! - News

Up, Up and Away

Dec 10 2005 18:35

Chris Jackson

Work on the Bessemer building has reached a key stage, with the assembly of a giant crane

The final stage of the crane's erection begins

A giant crane has spent its weekend blocking Prince Consort Road, but what is it for you might ask.

The Bessemer Building refurbishment includes the positioning of 6 air conditioning and boiler units on the roof. However, as is often the case at Imperial College, the Royal School of Mines was causing trouble. The only way to get the units to the required location was to lift them over the RSM building.

As any decent Civ Eng student will tell you, lifting heavy things requires cranes; in this case a 1000T Liebherr crane. Assembly of this rather large piece of kit took place during Friday and Saturday and never failed to draw a crowd of interested passing members of the public.

Lifting was due to take place earlier on Saturday than actually happened, with the delay being blamed on locals having ignored the traffic restriction and the roadway starting to give way at one point.

However, the need to complete the work by the end of the weekend is essential, the crane hire alone has cost in the region of £40,000 and closing the road a further £2,000.

All being well, the crane will have gone by Monday and many students may not even notice it had been there, never knowing the effort that was gone to in order to keep the happy residents of the building at a cosy temperature.

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Discussion about “Up, Up and Away”

The comments below are unmoderated submissions by Live! readers. The Editor accepts no liability for their content, nor for any offence caused by them. Any complaints should be directed to the Editor.

1. Fly on the RSM wall

Dec 10 2005 20:19

Apparently, it was part of Guild's plan to steal Davy once again.

2. prince albert

Dec 11 2005 12:09

Sorry if other people have noticed and just not thought it news-worthy, but http://www.imperial.ac.uk/P7134.htm - IC to leave UL?

3. LifeSci AAO

Dec 11 2005 14:22

Yes, but it's been reported to death already - in Felix, in national newspapers, on TV..

Its a welcome change NOT to hear more about it from a media outlet

4. !

Dec 11 2005 17:12

I wouldn't consider it news exactly... it was hardly like we weren't expecting it!

5. Arts

Dec 13 2005 11:59

As the lorries were parked waiting to for their loads to be assembled, a gleeful traffic warden was seen writing tickets for all the lorries....

6. Sanjeev

Dec 13 2005 13:00

Live! is a media outlet? That's generous.

7. anon

Dec 13 2005 19:05

Sayin Sanjeev is worth listening too would be more generous.

8. Chris

Dec 13 2005 19:07

According to the Project Manager only one lorry got a ticket because he was slightly outside the area that was reserved from them, also, 4 residents cars got towed away for ignoring the parking restriction, hehehe.

9. traffic wardens

Dec 14 2005 14:41

traffic wardens are the Robin Hoods if South Ken - the money they take off the rich folk living around college is going into pedestrianisation of Exhibition road - something we should be massive supporters of (less pollution - nice-looking etc). i think.

10. Reality

Dec 14 2005 18:32

Or maybe not, traffic fines go to the private company who pay the council for the license to run the parking in the area, hence the huge increase in tickets issued in recent years.

Tfl is paying for Exhibition Road, traffic fines will be paying for none of it, just the government and Mayor's office.

11. tom t

Dec 14 2005 19:00

not true

Westminster runs it's own parking enforcement, because, err, it's a massive revenue generator. They probably require their wardens to award a minimum number of tickets per shift (as do Lambeth) or pay the wardens a 'performance related' pay (ie more tickets, more pay). I believe it's such a big number (like 150m) that they've become addicted to the parking tax. Personally I think they should automatically ticket chelsea tractors just for being such anti-social machines. Maybe when I leave Imperial I'll start issuing tickets for a living....

12. lucrative

Dec 15 2005 08:24

It's too lucrative a 'business' to outsource isnt it. Bit like congestion charging - why'd they want to sell off something that makes money? Nothing better than seeing a traffic warden booking some ditsy's Land Rover - usually end up crying into their fur coat and cursing the day Ken Livingstone was born.

13. Andrew T

Dec 19 2005 22:28

Have they built a new building, or is it actually the Bessemer Building that you are talking about?

14. Ashley Brown

Dec 20 2005 10:31

Bessemer is getting a shiny new glass facade by the walkway and undergoing refurbishment. It's part of the creation of some multi-million pound institute of <something>.

15. Sam

Jan 01 2006 20:54

IOBE or summat - Institute of BioEngineering

Basically all the BioEng that's scattered around College is going to be consolidated in Bessemer

16. Ashley Brown

Jan 03 2006 16:42

The shiny new glass on the building can now be seen!

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