COVER FEATURE
PHD Rises to the Top on Big Ben Project
It is without doubt the UK’s most visible scaffolding project – encasing one of the world’s famous iconic landmarks that is the Queen Elizabeth Tower at the Palace of Westminster. ScaffMag’s Editor Daniel Norton visited the prestigious PHD Modular Access and Layher project to find out more.
A
magnificent International symbol of democracy, standing at 96 metres tall, the Elizabeth Tower or better known as Big Ben is the focal point of the Palace of Westminster, which forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.The world-famous landmark has chimed through the reigns of six monarchs, and is said to be the most photographed building in the UK. However, years of decay have taken their toll on this
world-famous clock tower, with £61m worth of renovation works now underway.The work will involve urgent repairs to cracked and crumbling masonry, restoration and repairs to its leaking roof and a major overhaul of the 159-year old clock itself. The last time Big Ben had a major overhaul to this magnitude was over 30 years ago, in the early 1980s – although scaffolding was last seen creeping up the
34 | Summer 2018
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