ENVIRONMENTAL TANK, LOWEST0FT, U.K.

Client: Petans Ltd


industrial

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A tank simulating extreme North Sea conditions to practise underwater escape, constructed within an existing industrial building.

It is equipped with wave generating and damping chambers, wind fans, a rain machine and a p.a. system making the sounds of a storm. There are life rafts, a jumping platform, a scrambling net and provision for lowering a helicopter module into the water.

We were able to realise a very considerable saving against the original budget by changing the concept from a wholly sunken tank to one standing half above the ground. The 20m long tank is constructed in unlined watertight reinforced concrete. To obtain the headroom, the original roof was raised 2m by extending the steel columns. Underpinning of the column bases was avoided by incorporating propped shallow sheet piling.