BALCONY PROJECT:
A GRANDSTAND VIEW
Builtain, our contractor, today started site preparations at London Rowing Club…
Site perimeter is secured around scaffold and floor coverings.
Our main club windows are boarded over and protected.
Our boat bays are now closed and secured.
Our branded project hoarding is put in place. The information and story is designed by Bob Silver, and is planned to evolve over time.
Closing the site for the end of the first day!
Just over a week to go! The project starts on 19th December and will follow the sequence below:
Stage 1 - Site set up and preparation - During this stage, which will take a short time, the area in front of the boat bays up to the bollards will be fenced off and made secure. The contractor’s welfare facilities will be set up in the workshop (which is later the place where steelwork will be painted), and the contractor’s equipment and skips will be brought in. We will have some smart covers for the fencing with information about the project and to make sure everything is smart and tidy throughout the construction period.
Stage 2 - Demolition of the present balcony - The planned method for demolition is to support the balcony from the underside with temporary props and a cut will then be made carefully along the length of the balcony where it connects with the building. This will leave the balcony separated from the building but fully supported. The separation of the balcony from the building is the most sensitive part of the demolition process and is planned in order to prevent harm to the fabric of the building from vibration while the component parts of the balcony are demolished. The floor of the present balcony is made of concrete which will need to be broken up and the old rusty steel frame cut into sections and removed from site. This stage is expected to take until the end of January.
Stage 3 - Construction of the new balcony - the columns, steel frame, balustrade, grating, fixing system and timber deck will be brought to site and erected. The steel will be brought to site galvanised and will be painted on site. The construction stage is planned for completion by the end of February and we hope there are not too many unknowns and other events that might cause a significant delay.
A lot of work has been taking place over recent months to ensure so far as possible that everything is ready on time to come to site when it is needed.
On Friday we visited the fabricators in Hailsham to see how the fabrication of the steelwork is progressing and to discuss some of the details - the right type of bolt head, counter sinking some of the bolts, making sure there is a rhythm in the visible elements and connections. As in rowing and sculling, attention to detail is important and the Club is very fortunate to have the expertise of Stuart Forbes, Simon Harris and Alex Fothergill on the project team.
For more information ask Peter Halford or Bill Baker.
Stuart Forbes, Alex Fothergill and Simon Harris looking at perimeter beams with the fabricators.
The new balustrade in production.
The new support columns and some of the intermediate beams.
Choosing the right bolt heads.
Bill Baker
Representatives from the balcony construction and fund raising sub committees got together to present the project background and the plan for commencement of works. Stuart Forbes, the architect behind the splendorous new design also gave a talk about the inspiration and creative process for his ideas.
Bill Baker opens the presentation…
Peter Halford takes the audience through the project timelines…
Members are invited to a meeting at the clubhouse at 7pm on Thursday, 20th November to hear plans for the replacement of the balcony. We will provide a Teams or Zoom link for those unable to attend in person.
Representatives from the balcony construction and fund raising sub committees will be present and there will be an opportunity for questions.
In the meantime, the balcony sub committee has compiled more information for members in the form of questions and answers that we hope will be informative:
Will the contractor be working all weekend?
Saturday mornings only.
If the contractor is not working on a Saturday afternoon and on Sunday, why will we not be able to access the boathouse?
The contractor will follow health and safety rules to the letter and will not compromise these. The contractor and the directors of LRC are legally liable for any breaches of regulations which could result in our and the contractor’s prosecution. We are discussing access for boating at certain points in the build but we can't promise that this will be possible.
Will the Club help to provide racking elsewhere?
Yes. We are looking into alternative racking at other clubs and trailers on the hard.
Will TopRow continue to boat?
Yes. We are discussing racking with Toprow to see if LRC can use any racking they don't need.
Why can we not use the Top Row racks?
As above.
Will we get a reduction in our membership fee if we are unable to boat?
Our aim is to pay for the balcony through our fundraising campaign and we have not planned to refund members for the period when access to the boat bays is not possible. We ask for your understanding that this is an essential one in a 100 year project and the build period is relatively short. We are looking into some alternative racking for this period to enable some boating.
Is there a possibility of reallocating some of the racks in the sculling shed so that boats that are rarely used are locked in the boat house and others who boat regularly are able to store their boats in there?
We are looking at this.
Might we ask scullers who have racks in the sculling shed to voluntarily give them up for the period so that others can use them?
We are looking at this.
Is it possible to store my sculling boat in a rack in the gym?
No. The gym is not for boat storage and will be used during this period. We also have to consider external users who have a contract to use it.
In the gap over Christmas between demolition and the rebuilding works starting, when builders usually shut down, can the Club be open for outings?
Having demolished the existing balcony and supported the arches over the doors there will be no way of opening the doors. The props are needed to support the arches until we can undertake the necessary repairs to them so cannot be removed.
Can we store boats in the workshop and use them?
The workshop will be used for contractors materials so this will not be possible.
Will the Long Room remain usable throughout the project?
Yes, the doors to the balcony will be boarded up.
Can we use the Club trailer to store fours and quads outside?
Our brokers are to confirm insurance cover.
Might we rent another club’s trailer to enable us to store boats outside?
We are looking at this.
I would like to race in the Quintin and Hammersmith Heads and know that there is always a squeeze on boat availability. Will we be able to get access to the boathouse in order to participate in these events?
Access to the boat bays at this time is unlikely. We are looking at options to rack boats in other locations.
Can I use the lack of access to the boathouse as an excuse for not going out when it is really cold during the winter whilst still appearing keen?
Yes!
Great news — you can now support our Balcony Appeal with a quick tap! A Tap to Donate machine is now available at the LRC bar!
We recently discovered some views of the Boathouse, balcony, bollards and the embankment from a British Pathé video “Out Takes / Cuts From Cp 295 - Rowing Race Family (1960)” Watch here – reminding us how spick and spam our boathouse looked back then and how fine it all looked in our club colours!
