Royal Courts of Justice, Westminster

24 April 2017

Overview 

The Project

Newton Specialist Basement Contractor Stonehouse Basement were commissioned to waterproof another significant area of the prestigious Royal Courts of Justice to achieve a Grade 3 habitable space. This project followed the success of the vaulted bird beak Victorian arches previously waterproofed by Stonehouse.

The programme continued the structural waterproofing into the Judges’ Robe Rooms.

Methodology

Stonehouse installed the Newton 508 Mesh membrane to the intricate vaulted areas. This required great detailing and expertise. The membrane needed to be carefully lapped and sealed and it was installed with a combination of NuSeal Plugs with WaterSeal Rope (vault spring and above) and Newton MultiPlugs on the vertical plane. Newton 508 cavity drain membrane system is a Type C water management system. The installation ensures that any water ingressing the vaults will be diverted down to the Newton Basedrain for safe removal away from the property. Stonehouse applied a direct plaster onto the membrane to achieve a high spec finish.

Result

The waterproofing works installed by Stonehouse created a habitable Grade 3 environment making the structure fit for its intended purpose. The installation conformed with Listed Building requirements by designing a system that is “reversible” and one that followed the detailed and intricate contours of the structure thus retaining its unique design characteristics.

This second phase of the development – much like the first – was extremely well received by the client and offered peace of mind by having a full design install and guarantee under one contract.

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