Royal College of Music, London

03 August 2020

Overview

Basement type: Refurbishment Building type: Education
Type of waterproofing: Type C Member: Newton Waterproofing Systems 

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

The Project

    

London’s Royal College of Music is one of the world’s greatest musical conservatoires for gifted musicians. Opened in 1883 by the future King Edward VII, the College recently underwent major renovations, incorporating advanced acoustic, air handling and climate control measures to allow even the most delicate and valuable instruments from the College museum to 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 have 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, Newton 104 crystalline waterproofing was applied to the structure to protect against the capillary movement of water. Movement joints between the new and existing structure were also protected with Newton 106 FlexProof.

In order to provide a guaranteed solution however, a full Newton CDM System with various bespoke details was then installed throughout the internal spaces in order to safely capture and manage any ingressing water.

All levels were also linked together with Newton’s maintainable Basedrain drainage system, and 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 work was scheduled to allow students to access the building during the work. The waterproofing was completed within budget, on time, and backed by MacLennan’s full installation guarantee and PI cover on the design.