Architect: HKR
Developer: Blue Cube
Specialist contractor: Specialist UK Restorations
Type of works: supply of Sika 1 high-performance waterproofing system.
Sika’s renowned high-performance waterproofing system, Sika 1, has provided the vital finishing touch to Manchester’s latest high-rise office building, ensuring occupiers’ and visitors’ cars are protected from potential water ingress whilst in the building’s basement car park.
Built on the site of Scottish Provident House, a seven-storey 1960s office block, Chancery Place is a £28.5 million, 15 floor office building providing 12,000m2 of commercial space.
Architects HKR were briefed by developer Blue Cube that Chancery Place should try and maximise the original plot. To increase the commercial appeal of the building, a multi-storey car park was added below ground. To avoid damage to cars caused by damp and water ingress, it was essential the car park was completely watertight. To achieve this, Sika 1 was used as part of a holistic waterproofing strategy.
Developed by Sika, a global leader in specialist construction products, Sika 1 is a complete waterproofing system. It comprises all necessary mortars and screeds, plus the vital Sika 1 liquid waterproofing admixture.
An integral part of the Sika 1 pre-bagged waterproofing system, it features a colloidal silicate liquid which reacts to water by swelling on contact to create a jelly-like substance once moisture reaches the structure. This fills the gaps and capillaries within the walls and stops the intrusion of water for the rest of the structure’s lifetime.
The waterproofing was required on a 125m long dwarf wall that followed the car park’s spiral staircase. To achieve a complete watertight seal, Liverpool-based approved installer Specialist UK Restorations recommended that a layer of Sika 1 Spritz Mortar was cast on the wall. This was followed by a second and third layer of Sika 1 Render and Finishing Mortar.
Specialist UK Restorations Contracts Director, Mike Knowles, commented, “We install Sika 1 waterproofing system on a continual basis on a range of projects throughout the North of England. We are 100% happy with the excellent results the product provides for our clients on a consistent basis.”
The Sika 1 system is highly versatile, being suitable for a variety of applications. As well as car park applications, typically installed to BS 8102 Grade 1 and 2, it is certified to BS 8102 Grade 4, the highest recognised standard of waterproofing protection, making it suitable for high-risk applications such archive stores or computer rooms, where a totally dry environment is essential.
Completed in just four weeks, the waterproofing work will ensure that occupiers and visitors to Manchester’s latest office complex will not have to worry about their cars whilst in the basement.
Photography by Daniel Hopkinson, courtesey of HKR Architects.