Harrogate theatre project

Built around the turn of the 20th century, Harrogate Theatre is a prominent, Grade II listed building located on Oxford Street owned by Harrogate District Council.  The theatre bar, in the basement, had recently been refurbished but ground water flooding caused extensive damage.

Britannia Preservation was contracted by the council to undertake an inspection and to design and install a waterproofing system to alleviate flooding.  Our surveyor’s investigation revealed that some waterproofing had been installed prior to refurbishment but this was inadequate for the theatre’s particular needs.  The bar floor area had been overlaid with asphalt and significant quantities of ground water seeped in where this material was damaged.

Les Sellers, Britannia Preservation’s principal charted building surveyor, carried out a careful assessment before designing a remedial works program.  Cavity drainage, a method of water management, was selected as the most suitable solution and a design was created in accordance with BS8102: 2009 ‘Code of Practice for Protection of Below Ground Structures against Water from the Ground’.

After stripping out the bar area, we began work on excavating a channel on the perimeter of the solid floors.  This proved a challenge, especially as the channels began to fill with water while works were underway.  This incoming water was pumped away to allow the works to proceed.

The installed pumps are monitored via a control panel, which is mounted on an adjacent wall.  This Dual Assist Panel not only activates the pumps alternately, thereby minimising wear and tear on any single pump, but it records both the frequency and duration of each pump operation.  This data is extremely useful because it provides precise knowledge of the amount of water that the system is removing.

Harrogate Theatre’s cellar bar area had recently been refurbished, but the newly installed waterproofing proved inadequate and problems began to surface.

Water ingress at below ground level caused considerable damage to flooring.

Walls and skirting had also come under attack from the residual dampness from the water ingress.

Some waterproofing had been installed during the previous refurbishment.

Clearly, the waterproofing system being used was not able to combat the huge amount of water ingress into the basement.

The fixtures and fittings in the bar were completely stripped out prior to commencement of remedial works.

Our specialist team of technicians make a start on the program of works.

Channels are excavated from the floor to allow the easy installation of the Aquachannel drainage system.

After the recesses had been excavated, the ingress of water proved to be a real challenge.  To enable works to continue, this had to be pumped out.

The drainage channels around the perimeter were coated to prevent lime erosion of the cement which can clog filters in water pumps.

The internal walls are coated with cavity drain membrane, Platon Multi.  This high grade material is an industry standard waterproofing product for internal use and provides a highly effective barrier against water ingress.

The Aquachannels are installed on a gravel bed.

A sump well is excavated to allow installation of a pump.  Unsurprisingly, this filled with water very quickly.

A dual pump system was installed to ensure that the system would continue to work effectively should one of the pumps fail.  The floors were then overlaid with a high capacity drainage membrane, Platon 2, which was covered with decking and a floating floor.

A timber framework is created in front of the membranes and Aquachannels and overlaid with plasterboard ready for decorating.

The completed bar area at Harrogate Theatre is now an inviting and usable, dry space.

The finished design was completed to an extremely high standard and created a welcoming environment for visitors and patrons of the arts.

We can confirm that even now, six months after this system was installed, the bar area has remained perfectly dry and free from damp!  The Dual Assist Panel recorded the removal of over 260,000 litres of water since it was commissioned!

If you have been flooded; or have a basement, cellar or other below-ground area that you wish to transform into dry, useable accommodation contact us today to find out how we can help you.