Bespoke basement propping installed to facilitate city centre development

Oceana Plaza, Swansea

Project Overview

Location	Oceana Plaza, Swansea
Sector	Building
Products	Mass 25 Enviroguard

Early-stage collaboration with construction company Bouygues UK, has led to the successful design and installation of a basement propping scheme on a high-profile city centre redevelopment in Swansea.

Known as 71/72 The Kingsway, the £33 million scheme involves transforming a former nightclub into a five-storey, 114,000 square foot office structure. Offering up to 600 co-working spaces for the tech, digital and creative industries, the development is part of Swansea Council’s wider £1 billion strategy for transforming the city.

The challenge

Vacant and deteriorated site

The building had been unoccupied since 2014, likely adding complexity due to unknown conditions and potential structural degradation.

Space conflicts with equipment

The original steel walers and bracing struts design would have interfered with piling rig operations, creating a risk of equipment clashes during construction.

Complex excavation

Designing a temporary works scheme that could safely support the basement while accommodating extensive piling operations required a non-standard, carefully engineered solution.

Our solution

In addition to providing structural temporary works support, Mabey Hire installed their Enviroguard monitoring solution, which remained on site throughout both the temporary works and piling operations. This system provided real-time data on site behaviour, capturing any movement of the existing retaining wall and giving the project team critical insight into structural performance.

Lee Matthews, Major Projects Manager at Mabey Hire, highlighted the benefits of their in-house installation service, noting that their team was able to work closely with Bingham Hall and Bouygues UK to quickly adapt to changes on site, ensuring the project remained on track. The environmental monitoring also tracked noise, dust, and vibration, giving the wider team valuable information about site conditions throughout construction.

Learn more about Mass 25

Bouygues UK representatives praised Mabey Hire for their collaborative approach, efficient delivery, and ability to navigate the logistical challenges of the site. The project at 71/72 The Kingsway is part of Swansea’s broader regeneration strategy, creating contemporary office, retail, and leisure spaces that will support over 600 jobs in the tech and digital sectors and encourage further private sector investment.

Funded in part by the Swansea Bay City Deal and supported by the European Regional Development Fund, the development is seen as a key step in revitalising Swansea city centre and enhancing opportunities for businesses to remain in the area.

Get in touch

“Mabey Hire has done a great job for us in terms of the design and delivery in facilitating our logistic constraints and programme requirements. Despite the challenges the site presents, the works carried out have been executed well and collaboratively by Mabey Hire and the Bouygues UK delivery team.”

Chelbie Jones

Site Manager / Bouygues UK