50 Years of Rhodar: Delivering Against the Clock at Anfield
Posted on in Company News
As part of Rhodar’s 50th anniversary, we are looking back at some of the significant projects and defining moments that have shaped our business.
Few projects capture the pressure, complexity and determination of our teams better than the work we delivered at Liverpool FC’s Anfield Stadium in 2016.
Rhodar was appointed to undertake a £1.15 million demolition and dismantling project as part of the redevelopment of the stadium’s iconic Main Stand. The wider development would increase Anfield’s capacity by 8,500 seats and introduce new hospitality facilities and corporate boxes.
Our role was to remove the roof and gantry from the existing stand, working beneath the newly constructed stand suspended above it. The old structure had to be carefully dismantled without damaging or affecting either the new stand or the pitch below.
The technical challenge was considerable—but it was the deadline that made the project truly exceptional.
All work had to be completed during the close season, with the stadium ready for Liverpool’s opening fixtures of the 2016/17 campaign. Delaying the start of the season was simply not an option.
The original programme allowed just eight weeks. However, Liverpool’s successful European cup run extended the previous season and removed a further two weeks from an already demanding schedule.
Our team responded magnificently.
Forty Rhodar demolition specialists worked alternate shifts over 24-hour periods throughout the project, coordinating their activities with our client and as many as 750 other contractors working across the stadium.
With conventional access extremely restricted, 35-tonne demolition machines were carefully dismantled, transported through the stadium tunnel and reassembled on the pitch. A specialist matting system protected both the playing surface and its underground heating network, while temporary works and propping allowed the high-reach machinery to operate safely.
Every element of the programme had to be meticulously planned—but also flexible enough to respond to the constantly changing demands of such a busy and complex site.
Despite losing two weeks from the original programme, Rhodar completed the work safely and handed it over five days ahead of the final deadline.
It was a tremendous achievement by everyone involved. At a formative stage in the development of our demolition division, Anfield demonstrated our ability to take on highly complex, time-critical projects and deliver when the stakes could hardly have been higher.
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