Docklands London Floating Plant

The use of Hanson concrete in the Canary Wharf Project showcased our sustainable solutions within a busy city.

Moored to the Wood Wharf quayside at West India Docks, the Hanson plant supplied up to 800 cubic metres a day of concrete to high-rise office and residential developments in the city’s Canary Wharf business and finance centre. Output peaked to approximately 1,200 cubic metres at the end of 2008.

Most of the deliveries were to projects within half mile, and virtually all the aggregates were delivered by barge along the River Thames, significantly reducing the number of truck mixers and tippers on the busy local road network.

Hanson was one of the first concrete producers to get a foothold at Canary Wharf more than 10 years ago when the vision of regenerating London’s once proud but decaying docklands began to take shape.

The original plant was based on land, but after 18 months it was moved to a floating pontoon on the dock as the ground it stood on was designated for building. The floating plant was towed away in 2004 after producing more than 600,000 cubic metres of concrete for high rise construction work. But when Hanson’s commercial team won further contracts to supply concrete to Canary Wharf in 2007, it was overhauled and refurbished and brought back into service.