A 16 metre high steel ‘head’ sculpture is erected as part of an urban regeneration scheme, thanks to hewden

Hewden, the uk’s largest specialist equipment rental company has provided principal contractors, brownfield contracts with a contract lift solution for its positioning of a steel sculpture at aycliffe business park in county durham.

The entire hewden lift operation was a success, from removal of the structure from its scaffold surround at the workshop to its erection onsite.

As part of the stunning in our image artwork display, initially commissioned by sedgefield borough council and later delivered by durham county council; local artist, joseph hillier, designed the 16 metre high steel structure, comprising of a 10 metre high ‘head and shoulders’ sat atop a 6 metre high base. Five laser cut figures also appear to be working on the sculpture, welded to the steel grid that forms the front of the structure, as the back is open, as if incomplete.

Fabricated by local steel fabrication specialists, aycliffe fabrications, the structure had to be sandblasted and painted, supported by a scaffold surround before taking up its position at the business park. Therefore to ensure that the structure and its finish remained undamaged, whilst causing minimal disruption to the surrounding business operations, brownfield contracts took full advantage of hewden’s contract lift service, helping ensure that the lift was a success. A hewden contract lift means that any responsibility on the customer to prepare a method statement and risk assessment and to supervise the lift operation is removed. Instead members of the hewden crane team organise and conduct the entire procedure. For this particular lift a combination of an 80 tonne crane and two 60/34 cherry pickers were required. As part of the contract lift a team of four hewden operating staff, headed up by joe mcnamara, were also on site to operate the equipment and manage the lift itself.

Talking of the success of the lift, brownfield contracts’ brian white commented: “we have hired numerous pieces of kit from hewden over the years but this is the first big hewden contract lift that we have undertaken. Joe and the team really eased the pressure of organising and conducting the lift. To work alongside people who do this kind of thing day in day out has made a massive difference; the whole operation was both professional and ran smoothly.”

Director of aycliffe fabrications, christine bewley said of the hewden team, “it is a real pleasure and reassurance to have complete faith in a sub contractor, especially a team that we have never dealt with before. Joe and the team did an excellent job and the erected sculpture has made a significant difference to the whole business park. It is an impressive contribution to the regeneration of durham county, marking the industrial heritage of newton aycliffe.”

For further information about in our image by joseph hillier please visit www.josephhillier.com or www.aycliffefabrications.co.uk
Images courtesy of vivien ellis