Lifted into the 21st century

It is something of a voyage into the unknown for the team charged with guaranteeing a new life for one of the world’s most famous ships. Led by newly appointed construction manager Heery International, the £25m scheme to restore and renew the Cutty Sark ship in Greenwich started at the beginning of the month. The project will centre on a massive technical challenge lifting the ship itself permanently by 2.7 metres to prolong its life. Raising the boat also offers a neat solution for the ship as a tourist attraction it will open up 1,000m2 of extra space below the vessel for visitors as well as an impressive space for events.

The team is in no doubt of the challenge of lifting the precious boat, the only surviving extreme clipper in the world with much of her original fabric intact. “The real risk is when we are raising it. We obviously don’t want to introduce any new load on it,” says senior project manager Joseph James, whose firm Hornagold & Hills has been working on plans to conserve the boat since 2002. James describes the planned lift, due to take place next autumn, as a “critical period”. James likens the operation to reconstructive surgery. “The ship is being destroyed by staying in the dock. It has a saggy bottom,” he says. Once lifted the boat will be held up by a new support system known as a strut and tie. James said the team is still working out the details of the lift. “We are out to tender for a lifting specialist right now. We’re assessing whether to lift it from the top or push it up from the bottom. The preference is to lift it from the top as it’s more stable.”

We’re assessing whether to lift it from the top or push it up from the bottom. The preference is to lift it from the top as it’s more stable

Joseph James, Hornagold & Hills

Given the complexity of that challenge and the programme itself the conservation work on the structure of the boat will overlap with the construction phases, which include lifting the boat then creating a glazed canopy around the berth the construction management route was taken. The team includes QS Walfords, structural engineer Buro Happold and joint architects Grimshaw and Youmeheshe. “By opting for the construction management route someone can control and manage this process. It also lends itself to being split into separate (trade) packages.” James adds that the original plan was to divide the conservation and the construction into two separate periods but overlapping the programme will shave six months off the project duration.

And despite the high budget the team has managed to cut some original costs. The architects at first planned to build a tower next to the attraction, which would create an entrance to the ship. This was ditched for an entrance to the lower hull of the Cutty Sark, which slashed nearly £4.5m from the budget and is a “more elegant solution” according to Richard Doughty, project director and chief executive of the Cutty Sark Trust. He adds that the scheme, due for completion by the end of 2008, is still surrounded by uncertainty. “No-one has attempted to conserve a structure like this before. We can refine it (the project) as we go along.”

No-one has attempted to conserve a structure like this before. We can refine the project as we go along

Richard Doughty, Cutty Sark Trust

Doughty sums up the overall aim behind the project. “We want to keep the magic. We are creating the right solution for the ship and its historic fabric and ensuring a sustainable future for it. We are lifting it into the 21st century.”