Victaulic

22 Bishopgate is the second tallest skyscraper in London, standing at 278 m/912 ft tall. Engineering company, WSP, partnered with Victaulic at a very early stage to support on drawing designs for the pipe work. After visiting Victaulic’s Belgian offices to assess the capabilities of the company’s grooved mechanical joints, WSP wrote them into the design specification after concluding they would handle needed pressure up the CHW and CDW risers as comparedto traditional flanges.Due to the skyscrapers' height and total area, the amount of water to be moved around for heating and cooling purposes is much larger than most buildings. Taking into account the extreme dimensions of the high riser, 24-inch diameter pipework was required, which was quickly and easily joined using Victaulic's Advanced Groove System(AGS). As the pressure at the top floors of the skyscraper must reach 25 bar, these large diameter pipe joints undergo a lot of strain. The ability to provide strong support at high pressures was a major benefit that Victaulic W07 AGS rigid couplings and Series 762 butterfly valves delivered. These were the primary products utilized by WSP.To provide further support as the piping ascends, mechanical rooms were built in stages. Starting with a plant room at the basement, further plant rooms are situated at Level 25 and 41 along with a Level 7 heating room and Level 8 mezzanine. In these locations Victaulic products, including flexible couplings and suction diffusers, played a key role in accommodating noise and vibration while guaranteeing efficiency.Construction in London's financial district brought the challenge of operating on a crowded jobsite. To address this, while meeting the tight deadlines set by project owner and global construction company Multiplex, the decision was made to prefabricate a majority of the piping offsite and then install it onsite. In the case of 22 Bishopsgate, where up to 70% of the pipework was prepared offsite, prefabrication helped the team navigate the congested worksiteby cutting down on both manpower and the time needed for construction. The project was a resounding success, achieving all objectives on time and under budget, while exceeding stakeholder expectations.

Plot 9A First Street is a cutting-edge 10-story office block located in the centre of the city of Manchester, UK. Now fully let to the Government Property Agency, the building provides 130,000 ft2 of Grade A office space for civil servants and government officials. The building was designed with an emphasis on sustainability and has utilized the latest technologies to achieve net-zero carbon in operation standards. The project on First Street was managed by main contractor BAM Construction, building services specialists Briggs & Forrester and subcontracted to WHB, with Victaulic becoming involved in the early stages of the project. Having already established a strong relationship with Victaulic, WHB relied again on Victaulic solutions for Plot 9A First Street and took again advantage of a flamefree pipe joining solution for both the heating and chilled water systems.Victaulic’s grooved pipe joining technology enabled the rapid installation of the piping systems in just two months’ time – up to ten times faster compared to welding. Victaulic products employed at Plot 9A First Street included QuickVic™ Style 107V rigid couplings, QuickVic™ V-Range Fittings, QuickVic™ Style 177N flexible couplings, butterfly valves, and strainers. Due to the lightweight design, ease of installation, and minimal labor requirements, mechanical pipe joining helped reduce both on-site time and safety risks. The system’s simplicity to install allowed the contractor to use local labor to carry out the installation without the need for any specialized skills. WHB, with 20 years of experience in construction across north-west England, have transitioned from relying heavily on welding to increasingly adopting Victaulic systems which offer speed, ease of installation, and safety benefits, due to no hot works required. Beyond addressing engineering challenges, Victaulic systems have proven invaluable in meeting cost efficiency and project timeline requirements. With grooved pipe joining systems that are considerably faster to install than traditional flame-based methods, Victaulic has become a trusted partner, offering a modern and reliable solution to mechanical engineers and contractors. Plot 9A First Street has emphasized sustainability throughout its construction, incorporating features that promote circularity and achieving an impressive 5.5-star NABERS rating. Victaulic’s products fit seamlessly into the project’s net-zero goals, and Plot 9A serves as an excellent example of how Victaulic can assist similar future builds aiming for sustainability. The products are made from up to 98% recycled material, install without emissions, allow for reconfigurable piping systems as building needs change over time, and are recyclable at end-of life, ensuring they contribute to both immediate and long-term sustainability goals. The longstanding collaboration between WHB and Victaulic underscores the value of speed, flexibility, and comprehensive support. WHB has praised the durability and ease of maintenance of Victaulic systems, describing them as a “go-to solution” for fast, reliable piping installations. The Plot 9A First Street development highlights the contribution of Victaulic solutions to the efficiency, sustainability, and safety of an exciting new office complex in the heart of Manchester. Victaulic’s innovative solutions have ensured Plot 9A First Street meets modern construction demands while setting a benchmark for sustainable, efficient building practices

Structural constraints, limited access, and the risk of damage to existing features all serve to hamper the success of any heritage retrofit. These obstacles were acutely present in the luxury conversion of the Grade II* listed Old War Offices, Sir Winston Churchill’s base during World War II, to one of London’s landmark hotels. Planning and preparation were crucial for this project, where many factors concerning the building’s preservation needed to be considered. Engineer, Aecom, and contractor, STRUCKTOR UK LTD, were tasked with the design and installation of the HVAC piping system for this monumental building transformation.Their primary concern was the lack of adequate blueprints for the existing infrastructure. Without access to detailed drawings of the existing piping system, it became increasingly clear that problems, like potential pipe collisions, could arise during the design and, more importantly, during the installation phase, which could impact both construction efficiency and the project deadline. The second challenge stemmed from the large amount of trench work that needed to be carried out in confined spaces, another area where the team had identified potential installation problems that could have repercussions on the time spent on the job. With these core challenges in mind, the team needed a pipe joining solution that would fit the following criteria: An easier installation process than welding and flanging, which would have been nearly impossible in the trenches, and the adaptability required for any potential surprises onsite, enabling the team to reroute pipe work more efficiently. They turned to Victaulic to deliver such solutions.The lighter weight, smaller size yet higher integral strength of grooved components compared to welded or flanged systems, make them ideal for projects that are tight on space and time. In addition to increasing installation speed, eliminating the need for hotworks brings greater onsite safety, especially in confined space installations, where the pipe fitters are even more exposed to welding fumes. Installing a mechanical joining system, which provides a union at every joint, also allows for simple field correction of any alignment errors, minimizing schedule disruptions onsite. Moreover, since grooved products are considerably smaller in footprint compared to flanges, pipes can be installed closer to each other.Time spent on the jobsite is a critical cost and risk factor, leading contractors to prefabricate parts of the piping system offsite as much as possible. Unfortunately, due to the confined spaces, the large number of stairs and the mechanical rooms being in the building’s basements, this was impossible to do for the OWO retrofit. However, Victaulic was still able to offer solutions that helped to save time, space, and reduced risk on site. This was done by supplying modular Vibration Isolation Pump Drops for the mechanical rooms.These pump drops provide a factory-tested, single-SKU assembly of products and are easy to handle and help to save on installation time. They are value-engineered to isolate and attenuate vibration caused by pumps and other components in the system, reducing excess noise and stress on pipe joints.Installing pump drops successfully enabled the crew to cut down labour time and realize efficiencies even without a fully prefabricated model. Subsequently, the contractor was able to have the mechanical areas finished well in advance of the deadline, staying ahead of the construction schedule.Costin Antonescu, Operations Manager at STRUCKTOR UK LTD, concluded “It has definitely been a positive and productive experience working with Victaulic at the OWO. We received continuous support, like training, site visits, and recommendations about prefabricated solutions, throughout the entire duration of the project. Victaulic solutions have been the best option for us at OWO, helping us to increase productivity and lower the execution time and labour costs.”

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a 62,000-seater multi-purpose stadium and show arena located in London, UK. Construction of the facility required a highly specialised approach to its mechanical and piping systems. Managed by Mace as the main contractor, with Buro Happold serving as the Engineer, the project had a value of £1 billion.The stadium's design demanded intricate mechanical systems to manage large-scale air handling, heating, and cooling. The primary mechanical plant spaces on levels six and seven, housed eight chillers and ten boilers, with services distributed across six main access cores to feed various levels. To address space constraints and tight timelines, Victaulic employed off-site fabrication of pump skids and utilised stainless steel piping around car park areas, ensuring the project stayed on schedule and met its critical deadlines. Victaulic's full scope of products and solutions was key in overcoming the project's challenges. The Victaulic prefabrication approach, ensured an efficient installation and reducing on-site labor.Victaulic piping solutions - couplings, fittings, valves, strainers where utilised throughout the project.Heating and Cooling systems - DN65 to DN250 diameter pipe