Listed Vault Waterproofing in Central London

Summary

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  The vault network extends a long way below London.

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  The Newton Recycling Service was also used for waste.

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  The exceptionally neat finished cavity drain installation.

Beneath the streets of Central London lies a network of Grade II Listed underground vaults. As Newton Specialist Contractors, Stonehouse were called in to waterproof four of these impressive structures and turn them into a completely dry commercial space.

The Project

The four Grade II Listed vaults sit just north of the River Thames in Central London, a short walk from landmarks such as Smithfield Market and St Paul’s Cathedral.

The Grade II Listed structures are each over 4 metres in height, and form part of an impressive below-ground infrastructure network. The multinational service provider KPMG asked Newton Specialist Contractor Stonehouse to waterproof four of these impressive vaults and convert them into useful commercial spaces.

The Solution

When waterproofing historic vaults such as these, the Newton CDM System provides the ideal solution. It is maintainable, requires minimal fixings and therefore avoids damaging the structure. Crucially, is deemed as reversible should the structure need to be returned to its original condition in future.

As an experienced contractor, Stonehouse proceeded with an expert installation of a full CDM System to the tricky vaults, including:

• 508 Mesh membrane to the walls, for a direct plaster finish
• 508 membrane and Fibran XPS 500-C insulation boards to the floor
• Basedrain channels to direct any captured water towards two Titan-Pro sump chambers, each containing two NP400 pumps
• Victron Inverter and a NorthStar battery for reliable back-up power

The Result

Stonehouse completed an extremely complex and detailed cavity drain installation with precision. This resulted in an exceptionally neat waterproofing system, and proving the benefits of using a specialist waterproofing contractor.

“In over 30 years in the waterproofing industry this was one of the most complex and physically challenging projects I have been involved with. However, our installation team rose to the challenge and produced a first class installation of the high quality Newton products with pinpoint accuracy. We were also well within the program laid down by the main contractor, who stated that they were “impressed by the professionalism and commitment of all of the Stonehouse team on site”. Richard Allen CSRT CSSW - Senior Surveyor - Stonehouse