Peri鈥檚 RCS Max Shaft technology made its debut on the construction of the concrete cores of two 10-storey office buildings on the South Molton Triangle project in central London.
The RCS Max Shaft system was installed on site in April 2025 and the core structures were completed in September.
An addition to Peri鈥檚 RCS Rail Climbing System family of products, the RCS Max Shaft system is a new formwork solution designed to improve efficiency and reduce crane dependency when constructing concrete cores, particularly in congested urban environments.
The key innovation on the RCS Max Shaft system is the overhead gantry, from which all the internal formwork is suspended. The design allows the shutters to be positioned in and out of place for each concrete pour without needing cranes. The entire system then climbs hydraulically at the push of a button, powered by the new RCS Max Module 2 rail system.
鈥淢cGee came to us with a clear problem: on a site as tight as South Molton, how could they reduce crane time?鈥� said Nick Mills, national climbing sales manager at Peri UK. 鈥淭he RCS Max Shaft system is the direct result of that kind of industry feedback. We were developing the concept, and this project was the perfect opportunity to partner with a forward-thinking contractor to prove it. Seeing it debuted so successfully is a huge validation of the technology.鈥�
The primary benefit for the project was freeing up the cranes for other critical tasks, Peri said. This crane-free operation also allowed the core to climb even in high winds when cranes are typically shut down, increasing programme certainty.
McGee project engineer Will Jenner confirmed the commercial advantage: 鈥淲ith the RCS Max system, we can move a lot quicker because we don鈥檛 have to keep taking shutters off and using extra hook time. On a core this size, it saves us around six or seven crane lifts each cycle, which really helps us speed up every jump. Anywhere you can save time is crucial to making sure you stay on programme, so the hydraulic system has been the perfect solution on these cores.鈥�
South Molton Triangle鈥檚 location in the West End of London presented logistical challenges. The site was congested, with only one pit lane for deliveries and just two tower cranes. This made crane time a contested resource and a risk to the project schedule.
Besides the use of the RCS Max Shaft system itself, Peri helped by prefabricating platforms and other shaft components and coordinating the delivery sequence. This minimised the need for assembly space on the confined site, reduced labour requirements, and mitigated programme risk.
Peri UK delivery engineer Ron Turner said: 鈥淏eing the first ever deployment of the RCS Max Shaft system, it was a huge learning curve, but the collaboration was fantastic. Seeing 20 tonnes of formwork and platforms rise hydraulically, with no crane hook in sight, was a proud reflection of all the planning, prefabrication, and on-site product support that made it possible 鈥� saving valuable time, streamlining work and creating a safer, more efficient site environment.鈥�
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