Preparation for construction commenced in 2007 with the clearance of all structures on site and reconfiguration of a pedestrian bridge towards The Mailbox.
Bachy Soletanche Limited (BSL), led by Project Manager Oliver Cooper, then set to work creating a perimeter retaining wall around the site to prevent ground movement whilst the foundations were being constructed.
A large diameter auger piling technique was used to install 226, 900 mm (3 ft) diameter piles at 1,050 mm (3 ft) spacings and to depths of 24 m (79 ft).
BSL skipped three piles – after installing the first pile – to avoid concrete flowing into the next borehole and therefore damaging the original pile.
Due to the presence of groundwater when the piles were bored, a Tremie pipe was used which displaced water to the surface as the bore hole was filled with concrete.
At the southwest corner of the site, where the automated car stacking system was to be installed, BSL removed the large diameter auger piles and replaced them with 24Nr, 273 mm (1 ft) diameter minipiles bored to a depth of 24 m (79 ft).
Along the western boundary of the site, a further 54 minipiles were installed to a depth of 12 m (39 ft) to provide further support Washington Wharf, an adjacent apartment building.
BSL then constructed 30 king post piles to provide the foundation for a temporary ramp which was required for future building works.
Each king post pile was formed in a 900 mm (3 ft) diameter pile, with a 400 mm (1 ft) square steel column concreted into the toe of the pile.
These piles ran in two parallel rows down the centre of the site from Commercial Street.

With all the initial piling works complete, excavation commenced on site by local firm O'Donnell, who had to test various ramp gradients at one of their sites before starting work at the Cube.
The optimum gradient for lorries transporting earth from a hill start was recreated at the site, with the surface of the temporary ramp up to Commercial Street being maintained in a coarse condition to give sufficient grip for vehicles entering and leaving the site.
A total of 60,000 m³ (78,477 cu yd) of earth and sandstone was removed from the site.
Once this had been completed, BSL returned to construct 12 temporary anchors to hold back the retaining piles on the east side of the site.
BSL completed the piling project at the end of 2007.

BuildAbility then subcontracted work for the construction of the concrete shell to O'Donnell, who assembled two tower cranes at either end of the site.
O'Donnell used a formwork construction technique in partnership with PERI Ltd. to construct the cores, columns and basement walls.
A rail climbing system was installed, which provided a scaffolding cage around the workforce during building.
Lifting platforms were used to reduce the space occupied by scaffolding.
An aluminium fast slab formwork system named Skydeck was used to construct the floorplates.
BuildAbility decided to use unbonded post-tensioned concrete, an uncommon system in the UK, for the floorplates as this allowed them to be thinner and reduced construction time.

Once the concrete shell had been constructed, work commenced on the construction of the two-storey steel crown which allowed for the installation of the complex glazing system.
Formed with box sections in the larger northern tips and UC sections in the southern tips, the wings were delivered to site in pieces no heavier than 7t due to the tower crane's weight limitations.
The wings were then welded on site using high-precision welding.
The remainder of the structure consists of a composite design with columns of exposed circular hollow sections (CHS), working as an architectural feature.
Heavier 600 mm (24 in) deep plate girders were installed in the centre of the crown to support the window cleaning machine.
The main body of steelwork for the crown was completed in December 2009, with secondary steelwork onto which the cladding was attached being installed later on.

J T Hawkes (Electrical Contractors) who partnered with Robert Prettie and Co were awarded a £28 million contract for HVA
Preparation for construction commenced in 2007 with the clearance of all structures on site and reconfiguration of a pedestrian bridge towards The Mailbox. Bachy Soletanche Limited (BSL), led by Project Manager Oliver Cooper, then set to work creating a perimeter retaining wall around the site to prevent ground movement whilst the foundations were being constructed. A large diameter auger piling technique was used to install 226, 900 mm (3 ft) diameter piles at 1,050 mm (3 ft) spacings and to depths of 24 m (79 ft). BSL skipped three piles – after installing the first pile – to avoid concrete flowing into the next borehole and therefore damaging the original pile. Due to the presence of groundwater when the piles were bored, a Tremie pipe was used which displaced water to the surface as the bore hole was filled with concrete. At the southwest corner of the site, where the automated car stacking system was to be installed, BSL removed the large diameter auger piles and replaced them with 24Nr, 273 mm (1 ft) diameter minipiles bored to a depth of 24 m (79 ft). Along the western boundary of the site, a further 54 minipiles were installed to a depth of 12 m (39 ft) to provide further support Washington Wharf, an adjacent apartment building. BSL then constructed 30 king post piles to provide the foundation for a temporary ramp which was required for future building works. Each king post pile was formed in a 900 mm (3 ft) diameter pile, with a 400 mm (1 ft) square steel column concreted into the toe of the pile. These piles ran in two parallel rows down the centre of the site from Commercial Street.
With all the initial piling works complete, excavation commenced on site by local firm O'Donnell, who had to test various ramp gradients at one of their sites before starting work at the Cube. The optimum gradient for lorries transporting earth from a hill start was recreated at the site, with the surface of the temporary ramp up to Commercial Street being maintained in a coarse condition to give sufficient grip for vehicles entering and leaving the site. A total of 60,000 m³ (78,477 cu yd) of earth and sandstone was removed from the site. Once this had been completed, BSL returned to construct 12 temporary anchors to hold back the retaining piles on the east side of the site. BSL completed the piling project at the end of 2007.
BuildAbility then subcontracted work for the construction of the concrete shell to O'Donnell, who assembled two tower cranes at either end of the site. O'Donnell used a formwork construction technique in partnership with PERI Ltd. to construct the cores, columns and basement walls. A rail climbing system was installed, which provided a scaffolding cage around the workforce during building. Lifting platforms were used to reduce the space occupied by scaffolding. An aluminium fast slab formwork system named Skydeck was used to construct the floorplates. BuildAbility decided to use unbonded post-tensioned concrete, an uncommon system in the UK, for the floorplates as this allowed them to be thinner and reduced construction time.
Once the concrete shell had been constructed, work commenced on the construction of the two-storey steel crown which allowed for the installation of the complex glazing system. Formed with box sections in the larger northern tips and UC sections in the southern tips, the wings were delivered to site in pieces no heavier than 7t due to the tower crane's weight limitations. The wings were then welded on site using high-precision welding. The remainder of the structure consists of a composite design with columns of exposed circular hollow sections (CHS), working as an architectural feature. Heavier 600 mm (24 in) deep plate girders were installed in the centre of the crown to support the window cleaning machine. The main body of steelwork for the crown was completed in December 2009, with secondary steelwork onto which the cladding was attached being installed later on.
J T Hawkes (Electrical Contractors) who partnered with Robert Prettie and Co were awarded a £28 million contract for HVA
The Cube, Birmingham