About the Project

Fitzalan Enabling Works – Cardiff International Sports Campus, Cardiff

However stupendous the superstructure – and it is invariably the focus of admiring attention – it is only there by virtue of its now hidden enabling works. Nick Hamersley’s intelligent leadership of the enabling works for this replacement school delivered financial and environmental benefits. His scheme also included relocating an air dome and installing sports pitches, MUGAs and two changing-room blocks. 

The £4.3m groundworks operation was a major element in the enabling contract. Nick’s extensive experience of civils and complex earthworks was key to undertaking it efficiently.  

He calculated additional volumes of excavated material that hadn’t been captured by the civils design, and suggested raising the ground levels so more material could be retained on site. He also introduced a ground stabilisation product that turned more than 4,000 tonnes of potentially contaminated soil into a reusable sub-base replacement.  

His actions eliminated 6,000 cubic metres of muck-away. His approach was warmly welcomed by parents at a nearby primary school who had understandable concerns about noise, dust, air quality and lorry movements. Nick also timed construction and deliveries to ensure that the import/export of stone/muck-away that was still needed occurred mainly during holiday periods. 

These initiatives will ultimately be invisible to the casual observer’s eye. Yet their success has given the second phase of the project – one that Nick will also be leading – the perfect start.