Posts Tagged ‘design’

concrete deck and buried roof CPD advice

New CPD!

We are now offering a CPD on the Waterproofing Design of Concrete Decks and Buried Roofs.
All your design team needs to know on this very specialist subject will be covered in a 1-hour LIVE online CPD.
What is covered:
– How to design a deck or buried roof for waterproofing – Materials options for waterproofing Buried decks and roofs – Environmental conditions critical to waterproofing – Financial considerations with Winter work – How to prepare for waterproofing – Our best advice on systems – Testing and quality control – Guarantees and protecting the client.
To book email cpd@maclennanuk.com
RIBA CPD Waterproofing promotional image

Our CPD is now RIBA approved!

MacLennan is very proud to have achieved the approval from the Royal Institute of British Architects which goes to show they appreciate the expert opinion of an independent waterproofing specialist.   Our CPD covers all aspects of waterproofing design and installation, including different types of waterproofing, legal precedence affecting the design, failed systems, remedial options and most importantly – how to avoid pitfalls and protect your client. When it comes to waterproofing, there is much more to consider than purely the materials you choose. We are an independent firm who insist there should be no split liability when it comes to waterproofing.   Our CPD diary is booked up for September, we are open for bookings from October. If your team are designing basements, they would hugely benefit from our RIBA approved CPD, gaining double points. To book, please fill out a FORM.   We are currently providing seminars in person in your offices or over Zoom (or Teams) conference.
Design meeting at MacLennan headquarters

Waterproofing, Better by Design.

ian scroggins

Ian Scoggins CSSW

I have worked in the construction industry for 28 years and have been specialist waterproofing surveyor for 12 years, my time as a waterproofing specialist has given me a rounded experience of the industry.

During that time in the industry, I have seen projects that have gone very well and some not so great.

Based on my personal experiences, I have come to realise that its early engagement and collaboration with the overall design team that delivers the best results. By everyone investing time in early engagement, I find that designs can often be simplified as sitting around a table and everyone giving their input can often take out expensive complexity and give a much better overall solution, that ultimately benefits the end client.

This only works when the correct sub-contractors are engaged on project early, so they are associated with the project from day one, one thing that sets us apart from manufacturers offering technical support is that we are involved in projects on-site every day and know the practical solutions to problems that aren’t always evident when looking at a drawing.

When it comes to high-risk elements like the basements and waterproofing, going out for multiple tenders and the lowest bidder often leaves you with skills and scope gaps as there is a clear lack of ownership. It can then become about delivering a solution to a budget, rather than a simple but effective solution that works with all the other key partners on the project in mind that’s actually deliverable on-site.

This doesn’t mean the client shouldn’t benchmark the competition and capabilities, as I live in the real world and want to offer real value for money to my clients but I want to do this without them un-intentionally building in unnecessary risk by accident by being insightful and helpful early on. It’s what falls between the cracks where the real risks sit (no pun intended) that really sets out your specialist subcontractor as part of a collaborative team that makes all the difference.

"My role is as much about sleeping well at night, as it is about waterproofing."

As myself, my MD, our insurance company, the main contractor and my end client all want to never ever worry about what the waterproofing is doing as it’s a hidden system in their beautiful property that just does what its supposed to. Its why our company takes full design and solution responsibility and hold genuine guarantees as we offer our clients leak free basements from a waterproofing perspective rather than material warranties.

If you found this blog helpful or would like to hear more technical advice, try booking a CPD with MacLennan! We offer free, lunch provided 1 hour CPD's at your premise.


CPD Booking Form

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Flood season is approaching

We are getting into that time of year where we will be called on to protect homes from the dreaded floods.

flooded houses

   
MacLennan waterproofing have a number of strategies for this. We always try and reduce the problem with external works if possible. This can include barriers, pumped systems and breathable water repellents as well as the repair of defects in pointing, service entries etc.Internally we make the property as watertight as possible and then install a cavity water management system with sealed sumps and pumps on the outside.

See Flood Control Systems click here

See Flood Control Case Studies click here
 

Here is an example detail, click on the picture below:

image001

Inspector allows two-storey Kensington basement despite policy limiting basements to one storey

A planning inspector has granted planning permission on appeal for the construction of a building with a two-storey basement in west London, despite an adopted planning policy restricting basement developments to one storey.

Planning
UK
Europe

The inspector decided that allowing the proposed development would not be contrary to the underlying aims of the relevant policy, which sought to keep the construction impacts on neighbouring homes to acceptable levels.

Sugar Bay Hill Limited (SBH) had proposed to construct a four storey building with two basement levels at the vacant site of the former Kensington Tavern in west London. Commercial uses were proposed for the ground and below-ground levels, with 13 homes to be contained on the upper floors. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea decided to refuse permission for the scheme in January. The Borough had adopted a core strategy policy seeking to limit basement developments to 50% of the open part of any development site and for basements not to comprise more than one storey. In an appeal decision dated 18 September (9-page / 163 KB PDF), planning inspector Peter Rose said he attached significant weight to existing planning permissions for the site which allowed for the same amount of excavation at basement level as the appeal proposal. Rose noted that the only additional excavation that would take place under the appeal scheme would be a small lower basement area and that SBH had provided evidence that this additional excavation would add a maximum of 17 further days of work across a two-year construction period.

The inspector was satisfied that the proposed development “would not significantly harm the living conditions of neighbouring occupiers during the construction period” and was not, therefore, contrary to the underlying aims of the Borough’s basement development policy. Rose considered that the impacts of the development would be “outweighed by the overall net benefits of the scheme”. He noted that, compared to the proposals for the site that had already received permission, the appeal scheme would have greater benefits “with regard to housing and townscape” and offered more beneficial use on its upper floors thanks to the additional lower basement space for commercial uses. Planning expert Victoria Lindsay of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com said: “The construction impact on neighbouring residents and homes from basement development is a key concern for London boroughs at the moment, particularly in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea which is consulting at the moment on a draft Code of Construction Practice. The consultation draft Code of Construction Practice seeks to impose greater controls on hours of construction work and audible noise levels. The Borough is also looking at introducing an Article 4 direction in April 2016 to withdraw permitted development rights for basement development works.”

“Although this appeal decision grants planning permission for a two-storey basement contrary to adopted planning policy, it cannot be taken as a precedent for two-storey basements in the future across the Borough,” said Lindsay. “The inspector clearly placed a great deal of weight on the extant planning permissions for the site permitting the same amount of basement excavation as the appeal proposal and decided that there would be no significant additional construction impact over a two year construction period. Therefore, the purpose of the policy, seeking to keep construction impacts on neighbouring homes to acceptable levels has not been hindered.”

“This appeal decision helps to focus minds on how basement policies should be applied and properly interpreted,” said Marcus Bate, another planning expert at Pinsent Masons. “The size of a proposed basement can be given too much weight in isolation. What really matters is whether the impact on neighbouring living conditions is acceptable. The Inspector rightly recognised that this was the only way to reach a proper balanced judgment in the case.”

Ian MacLennan
CSSW CSRT

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