Case Study – Tower Bridge

A defining London landmark, Tower Bridge was opened in 1894 and is a Grade I listed building. We provided various surveys to aid the replacement of the fire suppression system which will protect this iconic historic landmark structure. The survey covered the majority of the bridge including the north and south towers, the connecting walkways, the north and south abutments, accumulator chambers, engine rooms & shop, the reservoir, ‘Dead Man’s Hole’ and Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) routes on the bridge deck.

Much of the survey was carried out using the latest 3D laser scanners to measure the building to a high level of precise detail. Using laser scanners enabled the survey of some tight nooks as well as the large internal areas. Data was captured safely due to the physical separation from high risk areas enabling the survey of high-level mezzanines and ceilings over 10m above floor level. In all, over a terabyte of point cloud data was collected. Surveys were also carried out in one of the underwater accumulator chambers which extends over 17 metres below ground from the bridge deck.

One of the biggest challenges faced was working around members of the public as Tower Bridge is a popular visitor attraction. To overcome this a combination of day and night surveys took place over several weeks to ensure all areas of this multifaceted site were surveyed safely and that the client got the best possible results. Our surveys helped Tower Bridge to spatially confirm existing MEP routes from below ground in the reservoir up through the engine rooms and on to the mechanical chambers. 

Project deliverables included Point Clouds, 3D Revit/CAD models, CAD elevations, sections and floor plan drawing files. Prior to issuing drawings to the client and as per all projects they underwent our stringent QA procedures. We were pleased to deliver a highly accurate combined dataset in multiple formats allowing next stage of their project to progress.