Wolverhampton Combined Courts

SES has secured a number of courthouse scaffolding projects in the Midlands - and one such project was to be a unique experience for the team. 

Working at Wolverhampton Combined Courts, SES was contracted to design, supply and build two types of temporary roof coverings: a fixed temporary roof over the glass atrium and a mobile temporary roof that could be moved over the court rooms’ glazed roof. 

Ensuring public buildings remain open – and users are kept safe

The fixed temporary roof enabled the court to remain operational while the permanent atrium glass roof was removed and replaced.  This involved a lot of evening and weekend work by SES and tools had to be tethered to the operatives to prevent them dropping onto the roof, or courthouse users, underneath.

Precision engineering

An unusual aspect of the fixed and mobile temporary roof was the installation of a remote-controlled lifting beam that had to be attached to the underside of the temporary roof and was designed to remove the glass remotely.  Its installation – which was completed with a remote-controlled winch - was challenging because of the precision required in installing such a difficult structure whilst suspending men and materials safely at height over a pitched glazed roof.  SES had the added complication of noise restrictions while the courts were in session.

Careful design and planning

However, SES is used to overcoming unusual challenges and careful design and planning ensured both the lifting beam and the glass roof were safely removed.