We provided the scaffold design for a highly specialist project at The Shard — the replacement of 2-tonne hydraulic cylinders on levels 87 to 91 of Europe’s tallest building. The project required bespoke access solutions at extreme height, including a cantilevered access scaffold from level 81 to level 87 and a purpose-built 2-tonne lifting gantry spanning levels 87 to 91, with a lifting beam at level 91 to handle the hydraulic cylinder components. The project went on to win the NASC Project of the Year (Small) award and was featured as the cover story in Scaffolding Insider magazine.
Working at the very top of The Shard presented challenges unlike any standard scaffold project. The building’s elevators only reach level 78, meaning every component of the scaffold structure — including tubes, fittings, beams and boards — had to be transported manually above that point. The longest elements measured over 7 feet, requiring precise logistics and nightly delivery windows to move materials through the building without disrupting daytime operations.
The cantilevered access scaffold projected outward from the building’s tapering spire section between levels 81 and 87, providing safe working platforms at extreme height and wind exposure. Above that, the 2-tonne lifting gantry was designed to span levels 87 to 91, supporting the removal of the existing hydraulic cylinders and installation of replacements weighing up to 2 tonnes each. A lifting beam at level 91 completed the handling system. The entire design had to account for severe wind exposure at over 300 metres above ground, the unique geometry of the Shard’s tapering spire, and the constraint that every element had to be transportable by hand through the building core above level 78.
Full scaffold design for a NASC award-winning project at the top of Europe’s tallest building. Cantilevered access scaffold from level 81 to 87, 2-tonne lifting gantry from level 87 to 91, and level 91 lifting beam — all designed around the constraint of manual transport above level 78, severe wind exposure at 310 metres, and the Shard’s tapering spire geometry. 2D construction drawings, 3D model and structural calculations delivered to programme.