DavidBallGroup

Waterproofing Victory for Trafalgar

Flagship Hotel Development made watertight with PUDLO

PUDLO - the world's first waterproof concrete - was the number one choice when it came to fortifying the basement area of the prestigious Trafalgar Hotel against water ingress.

Trafalgar Square is one of Britain's most famous landmarks. Recently re-landscaped, the square has been transformed from an undignified traffic roundabout into a pedestrianised public space rivalling many of the famous piazzas to be found elsewhere in Europe. The Trafalgar Hotel overlooking Trafalgar Square has itself undergone a transformation being redeveloped by the Hilton Group to become a flagship hotel in Britain's capital.

In rebuilding the Trafalgar Hotel it was important to retain the original facade and character of the old building. Although the existing underground vaults were retained the whole of the underground area was redesigned for a new purpose. One area of the basement was to house a leisure facility and the other part to incorporate a kitchen and restaurant area. The developers had to ensure that the basement area was watertight. The PUDLO waterproof concrete system was recommended by Mitchellson Formwork the sub-contractors on the project. Pile head foundations and existing walls meant that installing a membrane waterproofing system was not practical. The application of a membrane around these intrusions would have been difficult, time consuming and could have run the risk of leaking gaps. PUDLO waterproof concrete admixture system however ensured that the underground vaults could be completely sealed from water impregnation. PUDLO was used in all below ground works, including the basement slab, exterior and retaining wall and in addition hDR Waterstop was applied to all construction joints.

Concrete supplier Pioneer Willment found PUDLO easy to use. Storing the powder requires relatively little space and it can be easily added to the concrete mix either at the batching plant or on site. PUDLO adds a softness to cement mix giving the contractor a product that greatly reduces blowholes, honeycombing and bleeding. A workman on the Trafalgar Hotel project commented 'this PUDLO waterproof concrete pumps beautifully, you can have it glide through the hose." There is no smell or odour of any kind from the wet modified concrete.

PUDLO has been used over many years in the construction industry to provide guaranteed concrete waterproof structures.