Carsten Höller’s Giant Slides at Hayward Gallery

Project Overview Bowler Scaffolding Group was proud to play a vital role in the realisation of Carsten Höller’s Giant Slides installation at the Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, London. This ambitious project, which ran from June to September 2015, featured two towering spiral slides, each measuring 39 metres in length and descending from a height of 15.5 metres along the exterior of the gallery.

Project Scope & Challenges Our task was to design and construct the supporting scaffolding structure to safely install and integrate the slides with the brutalist architecture of the Hayward Gallery. This required precise engineering to ensure structural integrity while maintaining the artistic vision of the installation.

The key challenges included:

Complex Structural Design: The slides needed a secure yet visually unobtrusive support structure that could handle both the weight of the slides and the forces exerted by users.
Integration with Existing Architecture: The Hayward Gallery’s raw concrete aesthetic and angular design meant that the scaffolding had to be carefully planned to blend in without disrupting the building’s iconic appearance.
Safety Considerations: Given the public nature of the exhibition, ensuring maximum safety standards was paramount. This included stability checks, load calculations, and compliance with stringent safety regulations.
Tight Installation Timeline: The scaffolding had to be erected and dismantled within a specific timeframe to align with the exhibition schedule.

Our Approach Leveraging our expertise in complex scaffolding projects, we developed a bespoke support system that seamlessly accommodated the twin slides while ensuring their functionality and safety. Our team worked closely with the project engineers and exhibition organisers to:

Conduct structural assessments and determine optimal scaffold anchoring points.
Use modular scaffolding components to ensure rapid assembly and dismantling.
Implement rigorous safety protocols throughout the project lifecycle.
Coordinate with the artist’s team to maintain the aesthetic integrity of the installation.

Outcome & Impact The successful completion of this project reinforced Bowler Scaffolding Group’s reputation as a trusted partner for high-profile and artistic installations. Visitors to the Hayward Gallery had the unique opportunity to engage with the exhibition interactively, choosing to exit the gallery via the dramatic slides rather than the conventional way.

Our involvement in Carsten Höller’s Giant Slides builds on our legacy of supporting world-renowned artistic and cultural projects, demonstrating our capability to handle technically demanding and creative scaffolding solutions.

For more information on how Bowler Scaffolding Group can support your next project, get in touch with our team at 0800 824 7400.