Effective teamwork has enabled occupants of Gateway Housing Association to have their 1930s housing estate brought up to modern day standards whilst still in situ, being able to get on with their day to day lives.

A major element of a refurbishment programme on the Poplar, London housing estate was the walkways. The walkways give access to all the flats above ground level on the two six-storey blocks. Water was penetrating through low door thresholds and exposed corridors were showing visible deterioration of the floor covering. Furthermore, the top floor walkway also served as a roof to a number of the dwellings; it was therefore essential to meet current insulation requirements, compliant with Building Regulations.

Project management from Faithorn Farrell Timms (FFT) entrusted Langley Waterproofing Systems Ltd to assess the condition of the walkways and roof. Langley undertook a comprehensive roof condition survey to confirm areas in urgent need of remedial work, compliance to Building Regulations. Main contractor Axis in turn called in Langley Approved Contractor Premier Roofing & Construction (PRC) to undertake the remedial works to the roof and walkways.

Langleys’ PR-15 and PR-20 Pararapide Balcony and Walkways Systems were specified. The systems’ rapid curing time enabled the walkways to be upgraded with minimal disruption to tenants: the systems can cure in minutes and include a slip-inhibiting finish. Both systems also have an excellent point load resistance, meet NHBC Technical Standards. Chapter 7.1 for roofs and balconies, and have been independently BBA-certified confirming Broof(4) fire classification.

PRC overlaid PR-15 Pararapide Balcony and Walkway System on all the cantilevered walkways, and PR-20 on all those walkways with homes beneath. Pararapide’s self-terminating properties meant it could abut cladding whilst still preventing weather ingress without the need to install separate cover flashings. To conform with current building regulations, the slip-inhibiting finish was further applied for optimum resident safety.

Greg Brown, FFT project manager, observed, “One of the main challenges faced was that the communal floor coverings had to be installed whilst residents were in situ, so the whole process had to be managed and monitored prudently. The choice of a liquid system was crucial for that reason: it allowed for a quick installation by the contracting team and guaranteed a quick curing time.

“Langley recommended solutions that provided the best value for each permutation- providing optimum waterproofing where needed, without over-specifying for a truly cost-effective solution. Its teams of quality-assured Approved Contractors gave us peace of mind about operative competency.”

Added Matt Walker from PRC, “We hadn’t used PR-15 and PR-20 liquid systems before, but are glad we did! We now frequently recommend these solutions to our customers. It’s not just the quality and ease of the system, but the high level of technical support Langley brings as a flat roofing service provider and not just a supplier.”