New Providence Wharf, Canary Wharf

Client: Ballymore Properties
Architects: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Type of works: Hydrotech specified for the podium, roof and balcony areas.

A glass-fibre lined canal set in a landscaped communal garden has made a stunning feature at New Providence Wharf – the exciting new urban quarter in London’s Docklands. When it came to choosing a structural waterproofing system for the development, Hydrotech from Alumasc offered the optimum solution to the project’s complex demands.

Hydrotech was the ideal choice for the podium, roof and balcony areas because of its ability to interface with diverse detailing elements such as the canal, curtain wall and drainage outlets. As a monolithic system, Hydrotech achieves a 100% absolute bond to a range of substrates, with no risk of water tracking below the membrane and no risk of lap failure. Details such as plinths and upstands can be completed first, allowing other specialist sub-contractors to proceed quickly on fast-track projects.

International developer Ballymore Properties created New Providence Wharf, a mixed-use urban village featuring apartments, offices, retail and leisure space and, most dramatically of all, a 27-storey hotel and apartment building. Leading architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, who have an established record of using Hydrotech on major projects, specified it once again on the scheme. Gardens, walkways, water features and ponds including the canal, form an integral part of the development’s podium and roof areas, which were created in consultation with the London Biodiversity Partnership.

Hydrotech has been in use successfully for over 30 years. It features a unique reinforced formulation which results in a tough, yet very flexible, self-healing membrane designed to last the lifetime of the building. As well as green roofs, water features and podiums, Hydrotech is suitable for protected roofs, plaza decks, substructures and access roadways.

In addition to Hydrotech, Alumasc also supplied the award-winning Derbigum high-performance waterproofing membrane to the project. The Derbigum system was specified to complete a section of the development where an epoxy-bonded gravel paving was to be installed over the waterproofing, requiring a more rigid base to support the decorative paving surface finish.

Both Hydrotech and Derbigum form part of the comprehensive waterproofing solutions available from Alumasc. Both systems are BBA certified, with a range of warranty packages also available. Certificate no. 90/2431 and no. 90/2432 (Hydrotech) and no. 86/1593 (Derbigum).