With a long and successful career in infrastructure, there isn’t much Madsen Giersing’s founder, Peter Madsen, hasn’t seen in his time supporting projects in PNG, Australia and the Pacific.
Peter has achieved significant success through his approach to temporary works, an overlooked area that can support constructability, enhance delivery, and significantly benefit any project.
We caught up with Peter to learn more about his approach, which underpins Madsen Giersing’s temporary works philosophy.
Peter, can you describe Madsen Giersing’s approach to Temporary Works Delivery?
Our approach is very much construction-friendly and prioritises safety. We focus on ensuring that temporary structures support the overall construction process effectively while maintaining a safe environment for all workers.
What are the essential elements to successfully delivering a project’s temporary work solutions?
The key element is aligning the method from the start and getting an agreement with the participating contractor. This coordination ensures that everyone is on the same page and can move forward efficiently.
Where can the main gains be made in time, cost, and materials when developing a temporary works solution?
The biggest gains come from close cooperation between the site team and designers. It’s crucial to understand what is feasible and to optimise resources and processes.
Can you walk us through your process for assessing the temporary works requirements on a project?
The process begins by assessing the limitations of equipment and personnel based on the number of repetitions required. From this assessment, the next step is to automate as much as possible to ease the workload for the site crew, while always prioritising safety and ensuring good access for all personnel.
How do you determine the appropriate temporary works solutions for different construction scenarios?
We look at the equipment that is available or can be made available; for example, pile driving with floating equipment gives much more flexibility, in which case a travelling platform with pile gates will be easier. However, the floating option might not always be possible due to the sea state.
What factors do you consider when selecting materials and components for temporary works structures?
The temporary works is, in most cases, a purpose design and fabricated in almost all cases is a structural steel item; because of strength and weight, in some cases, we will use aluminium if the item must be manhandled.
Can you describe a challenging temporary works project you’ve worked on and how you approached its design?
Two projects come to mind: the installation of the Hegigio suspension bridge in PNG, which had a span of 470 metres of a gorge 500 metres deep. We had to develop the construction method and the temporary works to provide safe access. The solution was to have two 30-metre-high towers on each side of the bridge line to provide safe man access for the installation of the clamps in the wind cable. These towers were fabricated in Australia and packed into containers as flat packs and shipped to site.
The other project was the recovery of the Mubi River bridge in PNG. The bridge is an 80-metre single-span bridge, which, during the launching, collapsed into the river. We got involved in the recovery, and because cranes were limited to a 30-tonne mobile crane, we designed an A-frame using a pipe section from the chevon project. This double A-frame was able to lift 60 tonnes and out ridge of 20 metres, which far exceeded the capacity of any crane at that time in PNG.
How do you collaborate with other members of the project team, such as designers and contractors, during the design phase?
We hold weekly meetings, provide updates, and encourage site personnel to be involved and take ownership of the solutions. This fosters a collaborative environment.
What role does risk assessment play in your temporary works design process?
Risk assessment is vital. Identifying potential risks early on and incorporate risk mitigation in the design.
How do you incorporate feedback and lessons learned from previous projects into your designs?
We simply do it. Each project teaches us something new, and we adapt our practices to continually improve our outcomes. We will have open communication with the site to understand the issues that is affected them and lesson learned.
Lastly, can you discuss any innovative or creative approaches you’ve taken in temporary works design to optimise efficiency or cost-effectiveness?
We’ve explored automation where feasible, such as using hydraulic rams for opening and closing piling gates. These innovations help reduce manual labour and enhance efficiency and improve safety.
