Belgravia Basement

London’s increasing density is forcing homeowners to build down, rather than up or out, to create more space. With subterranean extensions, they can sometimes triple the size of the street-level home without needing to build above grade. Despite the benefit to such expansions, it can be challenging to manage construction down in tight quarters among heritage buildings.

Hoping to overcome that disadvantage, one homeowner in the wealthy Belgravia district of London tasked Abbey Pynford with designing an eight-meter- (26.25-feet-) deep basement beneath their existing six-story property. When Abbey Pynford took on the project, they knew there would be several obstacles to overcome, not least figuring out how best to waterproof the space.

Solution

To construct the basement, Abbey Pynford chose to use a top-down approach and added Kryton’s concrete waterproofing admixture, KIM, to the concrete. Then, to completely tank the new basement, they used another Kryton solution, the Krystol Waterstop System.

Noting the advantages of Kryton’s products, Abbey Pynford’s divisional manager at the time, Lewis O’Connor, said:

The flexibility and workability of the Kryton product range enabled a number of construction techniques to be employed, which best suited the ground conditions and engineering requirements for each element of the project.

The end result of such flexibility and workability produced a cathedral-like space that provided the homeowners with much-needed room and a place that will be water-free for the life of the building.