Transforming the Royal College of Music, London

Summary

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  The cavity drain system was guaranteed by MacLennan.

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  One of the College's magnificent concert halls.

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  The College was opened in 1883 by the Prince of Wales.

Newton Specialist Contractor MacLennan delivered a waterproofing solution on another iconic London building when they took on this project across five levels of the world-famous Royal College of Music in South Kensington, London.

London’s Royal College of Music is one of the world’s greatest musical conservatories for gifted musicians. The future King Edward VII opened the College in 1883, and the College recently carried out major renovations, incorporating advanced acoustic, air handling, and climate control measures so even the most delicate and valuable instruments from the College museum can be played.

As part of the project, Newton Specialist Contractor MacLennan designed and installed a waterproofing system that would deliver a completely dry environment in the vast basements that would become auditoriums, a library, an atrium, and music rooms, all with specific and bespoke requirements.

The Solution

MacLennan has previously dealt with some of the largest waterproofing projects in London, so were more than capable of providing a solution across 5 different basement and sub-basement levels on this project.

To start, the team applied Newton 104 crystalline waterproofing to the structure to protect against the capillary movement of water. They also protected movement joints between the new and existing structure with Newton 106 FlexProof.

To provide a guaranteed solution, the team then installed a full Newton CDM System with various bespoke details throughout. This was completed to safely capture and manage any ingressing water.

All levels were also linked together with Newton’s maintainable Basedrain drainage system. No less than five of Newton’s Titan-Pro sump chambers with dual NP400 pumps were installed to remove the captured water.

The Result

The team scheduled the work so students could access the building during construction. MacLennan completed the waterproofing on time, within budget, and backed it with a full installation guarantee and PI cover.

Testimonial

“This is yet another extremely large and prestigious project on which MacLennan have partnered with Newton Waterproofing
Systems to deliver a guaranteed solution. As always, the Newton team are great to work with, as they are with every project we carry out together. Great products, great systems and great service as always.” Ian MacLennan – Managing Director, MacLennan.