Case Study / Waterproofing

New Student Halls, Portsmouth

Waterproofing a new basement below student accommodation

Portsmouth is the UK’s only island city and is situated about 70 miles south-west of London.

It is a city of contrasts, a busy cosmopolitan naval and commercial port with around 240,000 inhabitants, 24,000 of which are students. The university is popular, and students come from far and wide to study in the city.

There was a demand for more student accommodation in the city and JCL group, who specialise in residential developments for students, young professionals, and communal living, appointed local Construction company Vale Southern Construction.

The development would consist of 42 student studio rooms, a doctor’s surgery and pharmacy. In the basement area there was to be a communal lounge, storage area and laundry facilities accessed by a lift.

MacLennan Waterproofing were chosen to design, supply and install the waterproofing for the basement area.

Method

Based on the client’s requirements for a waterproofing system for the new build basement, it was suggested by the MacLennan specialist, that 2 forms of waterproofing would be necessary. A Type A Crystalline coating would first be applied to the internal surfaces followed by a Type C, ventilated cavity membrane system installed from floor to ceiling. The internal cavity drainage waterproofing system has been designed to comply with BS8102. A Sump and pump system would also be installed to help drain any water ingress away from the building.

The area between the basement and the ground above would also need to have waterproof protection, and so it was suggested that Polyprufe would be applied to the top of the Head of Retaining Wall to ensure continuity between DPC above ground and waterproofing below ground.