Fire Resistant Tunnel Waterproofing, The British Museum

Summary

• 

  The specialist watertight fixings also have a fireproof cover

• 

  Arti Structural Waterproofing contended with challenging installation conditions

• 

  The installation delivered a maintainable, waterproof and fireproof system

• 

  Existing services were left in-situ during installation

• 

  The finished system will be serviced and maintained by Arti Waterproofing

The King Edward VII Galleries is a Grade 1 listed structure and part of the iconic British Museum complex in London.

Constructed between 1907 and 1914, the building sits above a series of tunnels and ventilation shafts, which serve to supply air to the gallery via an external ventilation unit.

Due to water ingress in the tunnels, there was serious concern as to the quality of air supplied to the gallery, and the impact that this might have on the artefacts kept there.

The Project

Newton worked directly with Arti Structural Waterproofing and Oldroyd to provide a solution that would protect the tunnels against water ingress and fire, and allow the tunnels to be re-instated as the primary air supply to the galleries above.

This involved cleaning and repairing the tunnel walls and floors, then installing a permanent waterproofing and fire-rated solution to achieve a Grade 2 environment as per BS 8102:2022 and also meet the British Museum’s fire strategy.

The Solution

Arti Structural Waterproofing and Newton worked with the British Museum, main contractor and Nex Architecture to propose a system that met all of the requirements for waterproofing and fireproofing a Grade 1 listed building.

After ensuring that the team cleaned and properly prepared the walls and floors, they installed HydroCoat 107 Elastic 2K as the primary Type A barrier waterproofing. The flexible, cement-based membrane provided a robust coating to seal existing leaks in places where a Type C system was not feasible.

Next, Oldroyd Xtf membrane provided a full Type C cavity drain membrane system to the walls and floor of the tunnels. Listed structures widely accept Type C systems because they are reversible and require minimal fixings to the substrate.

Installers also used CDM 520 eco Floor beneath the floor build-up to deliver maximum drainage capacity to the pump system.

Oldroyd Fireproof Membrane

Oldroyd Xtf is the number one sustainable fireproof and waterproof solution for underground projects. Specialist manufacturer Oldroyd produces the membrane in Norway using only environmentally friendly raw materials and rigorously tests it in challenging Norwegian and Faroese tunnels.

Oldroyd tests the Xtf membrane in accordance with EN 13501, Fire classification of construction products and building elements – Part 1: Classification using data from reaction to fire tests.

As a result, the membrane is classified to B-s2.d0, meaning it completely prevents burning droplets when exposed to fire. Watch our Xtf fire testing videos for more information.

Oldroyd acts as a specialist UK product partner to Newton Waterproofing Systems, and Newton exclusively distributes the Oldroyd Xtf membrane throughout the UK.

The Result

The trained installers from Arti Structural Waterprofing dealt with many challenges on this complex project.

High humidity levels, coupled with the challenge of fitting a fire-rated membrane to a high standard in a very constrained space made it a physical challenge as well as a technical one.

Project Completion

The team successfully completed the project over 10 weeks, with Newton and Arti delivering a solution that is waterproof, fireproof, maintainable, and reversible.

As a result, the client now has a system that meets all requirements, and Arti Structural Waterproofing will service it regularly.