Hydrotech protects historic London landmark

Alumasc’s Hydrotech hot-melt waterproofing system has been successfully installed at London’s County Hall, one of the capital’s most iconic landmarks.  Located next to the London Eye on the South Bank, County Hall was previously the HQ for GLC.  It is now a popular hub for arts, entertainment, eateries and accommodation.

As part of a four-year refurbishment programme, County Hall Estate Management (CHEM) needed to remove and replace all existing road surfaces at the location, some of which formed a podium deck structure above the boiler room, offices for the London Eye and tanks for the London Aquarium, containing rare and valuable species.

Hydrotech waterproofing was put forward on the scheme due to its ease of installation, 20-year warranty and impressive 50-year track record of zero product failures. The system was expertly installed by Alumasc registered installer Caretec, who have worked with the product for many years.

A major technical challenge on the scheme was that a hot asphalt layer would be installed on top of the Hydrotech system. Precautions had to be taken to minimise the risk of reactivating the Hydrotech membrane on application of the hot tarmac.  Alumasc’s technical team worked closely with Caretec to assess the risks at different stages of the installation and to ensure that the new asphalt was laid on an appropriate protective membrane at the right temperature.

An additional challenge was the heavy flow of traffic in and around the site. A constant flow of vehicles to surrounding leisure facilities meant that disruption to site facilities had to be minimised, whilst the installation of Hydrotech continued.  Due to the versatility of the product, this was a requirement that could easily be met.

Speaking about the project, Mike Foster at Caretec, said: 

“The existing road surface had reached the end of its life and was allowing water ingress into the basement area below.  Installing Hydrotech as the waterproofing membrane layer means that the basement areas are effectively protected for the lifetime of the structure. This was important to the client, given that these spaces are integral to the daily running of many key attractions such as the London Aquarium and London Eye. We’ve used Hydrotech for years and have always been very pleased with how easy it is to install, and how well it performs.”

Hydrotech is at the leading edge of waterproofing technology, offering a lightweight, flexible and self-healing membrane.  It is ideal for use at zero falls on inverted green roofs and hard landscaped podium structures, particularly in new build applications. Hydrotech is manufactured using 10% post-consumer recycled material, is BBA accredited and has European Technical Approval.

For further details of Alumasc’s full range of waterproofing systems, visit the website www.alumascroofing.co.uk or call 0333 5771 500.

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