Project takes just ten days to rise 171ft into the air

A new landmark is taking high-speed shape on Hull's horizon.

It took just ten days to construct the 171ft high walls of a giant silo on the city's William Wright Dock using the same methods deployed in the building of the Humber Bridge. When complete, it will store cement to meet soaring construction industry demand.

The silo will be operated by bulk powder import and transport specialist Damac Group and mirrors a similar 151ft high silo recently built at Goole by the same contractors, Hull-based Spencer Group and Slipform Engineering. The two companies have also worked together to deliver a biomass fuel storage silo at King George Dock, in Hull, to store and transport wooden pellets for Drax Power Station, in North Yorkshire, as well as collaborating on similar storage facilities for other power suppliers.

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The William Wright Dock silo is almost as high as Hull Royal Infirmary and has been built using innovative techniques developed by Slipform which allow for a rapid construction. It involves using continuously moving concrete.

Eamon Hanley, managing director of Slipform Engineering, said: "Our specialist techniques are perfect for a project of this nature and it’s a pleasure to once again be working collaboratively with our colleagues at Spencer Group on behalf of a long-standing client. We had to carry out the slip forming construction 24/7, as it was crucial the product didn’t get wet and that’s why our unique expertise, technologies and experience have been so important."

Richard Green-Morgan, off-site construction director, is leading the project for Spencer Group. He said: "We are delighted to be carrying out another important silo project for Damac Group, a client we have worked with for a number of years. Spencer Group and Slipform Engineering collectively have all the required in-house design and construction capabilities to deliver an outstanding facility, which will meet all of Damac’s requirements, quickly, safely, and to the highest possible standards."

The quayside silo will have a 6,000m3 capacity. The imported cement powder will be received from ships at William Wright Dock directly into the silo, where it will be handled by Damac Group, who will then distribute it using their fleet of specialist bulk powder tankers for construction works across the UK.

The silo will feature a mechanical handling system being installed by Silo Services Ltd. It will be used to transfer the cement onto trucks in a loading bay directly beneath the silo which will stand on stilts.

Damac's managing director Cathy Plaskitt said: "The UK construction industry is buoyant, increasing the demand for bulk powder cement. This increase in demand means we need to import more from abroad and the new silo, in a highly accessible location with good motorway access, will be vital for our capacity to meet demand."

The tower is now a new landmark close to the main A63 route in and out of Hull. It can also be viewed close-up on foot via the public right of way along the Humber estuary next to Albert and William Wright Docks.

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