PR38057

21 December 2016

TREMCO MMA waterproofing for Berkshire Car Park

The car park, at 200 Berkshire Place, Winnersh Triangle, serves the offices owned by Fidelity UK Real Estate Fund

Fifteen years after its polyurethane (PU) Tretodek system was applied to the top deck of a new multi-storey car park in Berkshire, by contractor Cemplas, tremco illbruck has returned to provide a modern replacement as part of the structure's refurbishment. 

The car park, at 200 Berkshire Place, Winnersh Triangle, serves the offices which are occupied by tenants including Sage and Amdocs. When erected in 2000, the top deck of the car park was protected with Tretodek, TREMCO's premium PU waterproofing system.

After a decade and a half of excellent performance the system was starting to show its age and the landlord wanted a new 10-year warranted system. Fidelity appointed Resolute Property Consultancy Ltd to specify a replacement system and supervise its application.

During the period since the original application, tremcoillbruck has undergone a significant re-branding and its products have evolved. Tretodek is no longer available, having been replaced by the latest TREMCO PU system.

However, because the original system had performed well beyond its original design life, Resolute founder and partner, Mark Goulding, contacted tremco illbruck and spoke to Sales Manager, Peter Bitten, for advice.

"The old Tretodek system has a 10-year warranty and had reached the end of its natural life without anything but the most basic maintenance so it had done pretty well", says Peter. "But it had been installed on a new-build. The car park is now in constant use and there was no possibility of closing it for any length of time."  For this reason, Peter recommended a fast-curing MMA (methylmethacrylate) waterproofing system on the basis that the rapid curing properties would allow a quick turnaround with minimum disruption.

An invitation to tender was raised to strip out and replace the system and Cemplas, one of tremcoillbruck's longest serving approved applicator partners, was appointed. 

To limit disruption to the offices' employees, with careful traffic management the top deck waterproofing system was replaced in two sections, allowing half the spaces to remain in use at all times.  It was vital to leave the two ramps up to the roof operational when the car park was in use so these were treated during a weekend possession and returned to full use - with their new waterproofing system applied - on the Monday morning.

"MMA chemistry is ideal for this sort of project," explains Peter. "When you have a limited window or there's a risk of interruption - by the weather, for example - MMA allows you to complete a layer quickly. The MMA formulation also has the advantage over other systems of allowing a partial application that can be left for completion at a later date.  With other systems, once the product has cured, subsequent layers don't bond well. With MMA, each layer fuses with the one below, even after it has cured.

MMA technology attracts a premium over PU but the advantage of rapid application and minimal disruption often means it is more cost-effective in the long run.  "PU systems are still widely used," says Peter. "But with a job like this, MMA really comes into its own."

For further information on tremco illbruck, please call 01942 251400 or visitwww.tremco-illbruck.com.

-ends-

With compliments:-

Alison Relf
Taylor Alden Ltd
Unit 2 Temple Place
247 The Broadway
London, SW19 1SD
Tel:  020 8543 3866
e-mail:alison@tayloralden.co.uk

Editors' note

tremco illbruck encompasses four brands in the UK after a worldwide brand reorganisation - more details can be found atwww.tremco-illbruck.co.uk.  The brands are TREMCO, illbruck and Nullifire for the construction business and PACTAN for the manufacturing business.