Summary
Tricel Weston was appointed to supply and install the cold water storage system serving 20 Fenchurch Street, a 38-storey commercial office tower in the City of London.
The project required four hot-press sectional GRP tanks of different sizes:
- 9 m × 6 m × 3 m — 162,000 litres
- 7 m × 6 m × 3 m — 126,000 litres
- 2 m × 2 m × 2 m — 8,000 litres
- 2 m × 2 m × 2 m — 6,000 litres
Together, the tanks provided 302,000 litres of installed cold water storage capacity.
The tower’s high-rise configuration created particular installation constraints. Tricel coordinated the lifting, positioning, levelling steelwork and interconnecting pipework associated with the sectional tanks under a single-point responsibility arrangement.
Project Information
At a Glance
20 Fenchurch Street, London
The cold water storage system was installed for the landmark 38-storey commercial office tower in the City of London.
High-Rise Commercial Office
Tricel Weston
The installation comprised:
Tank 1: 9 m × 6 m × 3 m — 162,000 litres
Tank 2: 7 m × 6 m × 3 m — 126,000 litres
Tank 3: 2 m × 2 m × 2 m — 8,000 litres
Tank 4: 2 m × 2 m × 2 m — 6,000 litres
Total installed capacity: 302,000 litres.
The project involved the supply and installation of four sectional GRP tanks forming part of the building’s filtered cold water distribution system.
The building’s height, structural configuration and plant-location requirements created logistical and installation constraints requiring coordinated lifting, steelwork, positioning and connection of the tanks.
July 2012 — Cold water storage installation
Four sectional GRP tanks were supplied and installed at 20 Fenchurch Street as part of the building’s water services infrastructure.
The four GRP sectional tanks form part of the cold water storage infrastructure serving the 20 Fenchurch Street commercial development.
I would keep this restrained. There is no current Tricel source confirming subsequent refurbishment, replacement or present operating condition.
Project Background
Cold Water Storage for a Landmark London High-Rise
20 Fenchurch Street is a 38-storey commercial office tower in the City of London, widely known as the ‘Walkie Talkie’ because of its distinctive widening profile towards the upper floors.
The building rises to approximately 160 metres, and its geometry concentrates considerable structural mass at height. This created particular considerations for building-services plant and associated installations within the tower.
Tricel Weston was appointed to supply and install the cold water storage system serving the building’s filtered water distribution.
Four hot-press sectional GRP tanks were specified, providing capacities ranging from 6,000 litres to 162,000 litres. Collectively, the tanks provided 302,000 litres of installed storage capacity.
The sectional format allowed the tank systems to be transported and assembled within the building rather than relying on complete large-volume tanks being moved into position as single units.
Delivery Approach
Tricel's Engineering and Delivery Approach
Installing more than 300,000 litres of water-storage capacity within a high-rise commercial development required coordination across tank manufacture, lifting, positioning, structural support and connection.
Sectional GRP Construction
All four tanks were constructed using hot-press sectional GRP panels.
This format allowed large-capacity storage systems to be assembled within the building while accommodating the access and plant-space constraints associated with a multi-storey development.
Coordinated Lifting and Positioning
The location of building-services equipment within a high-rise development required tank components and associated equipment to be carefully moved to their final installation positions.
Tricel’s current high-rise project material records coordinated lifting and positioning as part of the 20 Fenchurch Street installation.
Levelling Steelwork
The supporting arrangement was an important part of the installation.
Levelling steelwork formed part of the works undertaken to create an appropriate supporting structure for the sectional tank systems.
Four Different Tank Capacities
Rather than using four identical tanks, the installation incorporated different sizes to meet the requirements of the building’s water distribution system.
The two largest tanks provided 162,000 litres and 126,000 litres, while two smaller tanks provided 8,000 litres and 6,000 litres respectively.
Interconnecting Pipework
The scope also incorporated coordination of the interconnecting pipework associated with the tank installation.
This allowed the tanks to operate as part of the wider building-services water distribution system.
The Brief
Understanding the Challenge
The 20 Fenchurch Street project presented four principal requirements.
•High-Rise Installation: The facility required stored water to support the cooling
•Large Storage Requirement: The four tanks needed to provide a combined 302,000 litres of cold water storage.
•Different Tank Configurations: The project required four tanks with capacities ranging from 6,000 litres to 162,000 litres rather than a standardised single tank size.
•Installation Coordination: Lifting, levelling steelwork, positioning and interconnecting pipework needed to be coordinated as part of the overall tank installation.
Programme
Timeline
Tricel Weston was appointed to supply and install four hot-press sectional GRP water storage tanks at 20 Fenchurch Street.
The installation comprised four tanks ranging from 6,000 to 162,000 litres in nominal capacity.
302,000 Litres of Total Storage. The tanks were installed as part of the filtered cold water distribution system serving the commercial development.
High-Rise Water Storage Infrastructure Delivered. The completed project incorporated the sectional tanks, supporting steelwork and associated interconnecting pipework within the building’s services infrastructure.
Outcome
Large-Capacity Cold Water Storage Within a High-Rise Building
Total installed cold water storage capacity across all four tanks.
Four hot-press sectional GRP tanks were installed.
The largest tank measured 9 m × 6 m × 3 m and provided 162,000 litres of nominal capacity.
The installation used four different tank capacities to meet the building-services requirements.
Tank components were installed within the constraints of a 38-storey commercial office development.
The scope included lifting, positioning, levelling steelwork and interconnecting pipework.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are sectional GRP tanks suitable for high-rise buildings?
Sectional tanks are supplied as individual panels and assembled at their installation location. This can be particularly useful in multi-storey buildings where plant-room access, lifts, doorways or other routes make it impractical to transport a large complete tank into position.
What should be considered when locating water tanks in a high-rise building?
Designers should consider structural loading, access routes, available footprint, headroom, maintenance clearances, drainage, pipework connections and the practical route for bringing tank components to the plant area.
Why is structural support important for large sectional tanks?
A filled water tank imposes substantial loads on its supporting structure. The base and supporting steelwork therefore need to be designed to accommodate both the tank and stored water while maintaining the level tolerances required by the tank manufacturer.
Can several water tanks serve the same high-rise development?
Yes. Multiple tanks may be used where different capacities, plant locations, distribution zones or resilience requirements make a single storage vessel unsuitable. The configuration should form part of the overall building-services design.
How is a large sectional tank brought into an upper-level plant room?
Rather than moving the complete tank, individual sectional panels and structural components can be transported separately and assembled at the final position. The lifting and access strategy should be planned before manufacture and installation.
What maintenance access should be allowed around a sectional tank?
Adequate space should be maintained for inspection, cleaning, fittings, valves and future maintenance. Required clearances depend on the tank construction and configuration and should be confirmed during design rather than after the plant-room layout is fixed.
Why is tank sizing important in a commercial high-rise?
Storage capacity should correspond to the building’s actual water demand and system requirements. Excessive storage can increase water retention time, while insufficient storage may not provide the required operating reserve.
What should be checked before ordering tanks for a high-rise project?
Key information includes required capacity, tank dimensions, plant-room footprint, structural loading, access route, lifting strategy, base design, inlet and outlet requirements, maintenance clearance and any applicable potable-water requirements.
About 20 Fenchurch Street
20 Fenchurch Street is a landmark commercial office tower in the City of London.
The building comprises 38 storeys and rises to approximately 160 metres. Its distinctive outward-widening upper floors have resulted in the building being widely known as the ‘Walkie Talkie’.
The sectional GRP tank installation forms part of the building-services infrastructure supporting its filtered cold water distribution system.
ABOUT TRICEL WATER
Tricel Water manufactures GRP cold water storage tanks for high-rise and multi-storey developments, healthcare facilities, infrastructure, commercial buildings and industrial applications.
Its sectional GRP systems can be configured for projects where plant-room dimensions, access restrictions, storage capacity and installation requirements make modular tank construction appropriate.
Tricel Water’s current high-rise guidance covers structural support, installation, maintenance and water-management requirements for sectional GRP cold water storage systems.
