Lateral support / shoring
Steel sheet piles can be utilised for temporary soil and water retention applications, with profiles and lengths to suit anything from the smallest to the biggest task. Steel sheet piles can be driven, extracted and reused many times, making them a top solution in terms of circular economy and environmental life cycle considerations.
Steel sheet piles have been used for temporary applications for decades, as they as cost-effective and time-saving. Given the re-usability of these sections, there are several business models to optimise the economy of a project: sheet piles can be rented, purchased for re-sale or buy-back at the end of the project, or kept for future works.
Advantages in the realm of health and safety when using steel sheet piles must also be considered. When it comes to risk, excavations are the most significant hazard in any construction environment. For many reasons, temporary excavations are potentially a greater hazard: low budget, time pressure and lack of engineering attention are often unfortunate elements of temporary works, which have an impact on safety. This is exacerbated by preconceived notions that a safe system of work is generally slower and costlier than a “do nothing approach”. Fortunately, steel sheet piles can contribute to lowering project costs and optimised timelines.