ABSTRACT
No matter the country, client or purpose, all large multidisciplinary infrastructure projects face similar construction challenges throughout their lifecycles. There are now added pressures to these projects including from Net Zero carbon emission targets, the UN sustainable development goals and land use changes. For the benefit of all, lessons must be learnt and shared from both past and current projects to improve our future projects whilst providing the required social and economic benefits. For this purpose, this paper outlines the principles of the design coordination and assurance processes used on the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Marine Works project, which includes two intake and one outfall tunnel, associated connections and heads, and onshore galleries, shafts and connection tunnels.
Owing to its extremely complicated and innovative nature and the nuclear safety functional requirements of the HPC Marine Works, the team delivering the tunnels and shafts for the works had to develop exceptionally thorough and efficient means of communicating and collaborating to be successful, which can provide benefits for other projects both in the nuclear sector and more widely. On the HPC Marine Works project, success was achieved through consistent coordination throughout the design and construction stages of the project between designers, contractors, quality assurance teams, independent checkers, and the ultimate client. Also, by the development and implementation of flexible management procedures and processes while ensuring full traceability of decisions and changes using designated Design Coordinators embedded into the on-site Contractor organisation.
