The Art of Scaffolding

As the transformation of the Old College continues apace, a defining feature of this ambitious project is the scaffolding that has been wrapped around the Grade 1 listed building.

The numbers are impressive; 93 kilometres of tubing weighing over 400 tonnes have been delivered onto site by the Swansea scaffolding contractor Rowecord Total Access Limited, along with 17,600 wooden boards and 138,000 fittings.

Laid end to end, the tubes alone would extend all the way from Aberystwyth to the Swansea headquarters of the project’s principal contractor, Andrew Scott Ltd.

Added to these are the plethora of stairs, ladders and gates that provide access to all 14 floors, or ‘lifts’ as they are known in the trade, and the hoists that are essential to getting all the equipment and materials to where they are needed.

_{Wrapped in scaffolding, including the twelve levels that were required for the re-slating of the South Seddon turrets seen on the right of the image.}

What is more remarkable is the intricacy with which this almighty Meccano set has been constructed by a small, dedicated team led by Site Supervisor Rob Jenkins.

With over 30 years’ experience, Rob has worked on buildings of all shapes and sizes, from houses to oil refineries, as well as heritage projects such as the Newport Transporter Bridge.

More recently, he was involved with the redevelopment of Aberystwyth University’s Neuadd Pantycelyn.

_{Members of the scaffolding team (left to right) Craig Locke, Richard Newton, Matthew Davies, John Donne, Richard Cope and Rob Jenkins.}

For Rob and his team, one of the biggest challenges on the Old College has been protecting the stonework which means the scaffolding barely touches the outside of the building at all.

“We would usually put anchors into the stone or the face of the building, but with Old College we can’t as it would damage the decorative stone. So, we tie through the windows and have had to get the window fitters to take panes of glass out so that we can put tubes inside, through the building.”

_{Barely touching the walls, the scaffolding on the Old College has been designed not to damage the stonework.}

“When we scaffolded up to the roofs, we put a protective layer of foam under the boards so we didn’t damage the slates. Extra care has got to be taken at every step, this is different to normal day to day scaffolding.”

By the time the Old College is completed 70,000 slates will have been moved or replaced on the roof.

To enable Anglesey based Greenough & Sons Roofing Contractors to do the work, the scaffolding has been continuously adapted, sometimes daily.

It has also been key to the refurbishment/replacement of the 664 wooden windows, the 209 steel windows, and those where the glass sits in a stone frame.

There is also the repairing and replacing of stonework and the gargoyles and grotesques that adorn the building, the repointing of the stone façade, the renovation of its 17 chimneys and the building of the new seven storey atrium.

“We have a close relationship with the stonemasons, the roofers and the window fitters. We’ve come to understand them and they have come to understand the way we work. Obviously we try to work to what they require, to keep them happy and in a safe working environment, a safe zone. It works well, we’re on first name terms and we’ve got to know each other and we’re all friends now. I dare say we’ll keep in touch after this job.”

_{New stone lintels fitted above windows on King Street.}

Rob readily recognises that this is probably the most challenging building he has worked on.

It’s not just the demands of working on a Grade 1 listed building, the confined nature of the whole site has meant moving materials to where they are needed requires much more time than on many other sites where he has worked.

“Everything takes twice as long because you have to be so careful, and the logistics, all the materials are at the far end of the site because there isn’t much space.”

But it has also been hugely rewarding.

_{Living on the edge; erecting the scaffolding on the tower.}

In August the team reached the highest point on the project, the tower.

The brief was to create a space for colleagues to replace the tower’s flat concrete roof without having to contend with the wind and the rain.

As with much of the work, dedicated scaffold designers developed the plans for Rob and his team to work from.

_{The tower, the highest point on Old College, required 14 levels of scaffolding, or ‘lifts’ as they are known in the trade.}

Before starting on the tower, Rob said: “The piece that’s going to give me the most pride is the tower. It already has because of the design, because most of it is not touching the floor, and when the roof goes on then, that is the final piece in the jigsaw.”

The Quad roof, with its cantilevered scaffolding, and the circular South Seddon turret are also a source of satisfaction.

“Because of the angles of the walls, the actual circle of the turret, that was interesting to say the least. After you finish you can stand back and look, and it looks good.”

_{Construction of the Castle Hotel circa 1865; scaffolding from a by-gone age.}

Harnessed and tethered for much of his time high above the Old College, Rob is acutely aware of the risks faced by those who built the Castle Hotel back in the 1860s.

“Hats off to them to be honest, what they did to build the place, they definitely were heroes. The old pictures are amazing to see.”

Whilst the building itself has changed significantly since it became Wales’s first university college, the seagulls continue to rule the roost.

During the nesting season, which runs from the end of March until the end of August, the work is carefully planned to allow the birds to incubate their eggs undisturbed, resuming only when the young have fledged.

_{Protecting their young, the seagulls on Old College can make their presence felt.}

“The Aberystwyth seagulls certainly aren’t very friendly! We don’t see much of them in the winter, but in the spring and summer they all come back to see us, and they are on every vantage point on the college, the chimneys, behind the parapet walls, everywhere. I’m sure the same ones come back year after year, have their young, stay around for a few months and go again. It’s a good job we have hard hats!”

As autumn rolls in, the scaffolding on South Seddon is gradually being lowered.

Before long the mosaic, created by the artist Charles F A Voysey with its vivid colours will dominate the view from the Castle once more, but for many who have marvelled at its complexity, the scaffolding that has obscured it has itself been a work of art.

_{The Old College mosaic.}

Having survived the harsh seaside environment and winter storms, it’s hardly surprising that removing it takes a little bit longer as the salt has penetrated the fixings.

For Rob, one of the first people on site, he will look back at his time on the Old College with a sense of achievement.

“It is definitely a privilege to work on a job like this. I’d like to come up here after it’s finished, walk around and step back and say, yes, we worked on that and see what it looks like when it’s complete.

“It’s going to be quite pleasing when it’s all finished, and the last tube is taken away.”

The Old College project is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Welsh Government and the European Regional Development Fund, UK Government, the Coastal Communities Fund, The National Lottery Community Fund, philanthropic trusts and individuals.