Protecting Christian Dior’s Flagship London Store

Summary

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  Christian Dior’s newly expanded flagship London store will take pride of place on the popular and prestigious New Bond Street

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  The new store required extensive below-ground development, situated between two existing buildings.

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  Newton 107F and System 500 effectively waterproofed multiple substrates in the below-ground development.

Internally and externally waterproofing the below-ground developments of the extended Christian Dior store on New Bond Street, with Newton 403 HydroBond, Newton 107F and Newton System 500.

The Project

New Bond Street has been one of London’s most prestigious retail streets since its 18th-century beginnings. In 2011, experts named it the second most expensive retail street in Europe, after the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The Christian Dior name has also been synonymous with haute couture and luxury retail since its own inception in 1947.

This project required both the internal and external waterproofing of the extended basement area of Christian Dior’s flagship London store. The project significantly extends the existing floor space on this stretch of famous London road. The team will use the extensive basement area for stock rooms, changing rooms, and staff and shop floor areas. It was therefore a crucial requirement to achieve a completely dry internal space.

The Solution

The property line construction between two existing buildings meant that there was a requirement for waterproofing both new and existing structural elements, including pile caps, underpinning, a new reinforced concrete slab, existing foundations, and also existing vaulted areas at the front of the building which extend below New Bond Street.

Because the project required a completely dry internal environment (Grade 3, BS 8102:2009), design specialists G05, in consultation with Newton, proposed a combination of Type A and Type C waterproofing systems. Due to the fact that the build was between the flank walls of two existing structures, the Type A system comprised of a combination of the hydrophilic, fully-bonded Newton 403 Hydrobond membrane pre-applied below the new concrete slab, and was linked to the cementitious, flexible Newton 107F membrane, which was applied to the internal faces of the walls and the prepared internal areas of the vaults.

Following the application of the Type A system, a Newton System 500 Cavity Drain membrane system (Type C) was applied to the internal wall and floor areas by Newton Specialist Basement Contractor Advanced Preservations Ltd, who also guaranteed the work. The system included perimeter drainage using Newton Basedrain, and two Newton Titan-Pro pumping systems. The team lined the under-pavement vaults internally with the Newton 500 system.

The Result

The team achieved continuity with the waterproofing systems across numerous below-ground building mediums and scenarios. The system also conformed to BS 8102:2009 recommendations for combined waterproofing protection, where even minimal water ingress is unacceptable.

The internal areas also achieved an environmental Grade 3 for water tightness, ensuring they suit the needs of Christian Dior’s staff and customers.