Explore Our Services
Ownership over the structural waterproofing design can be a point of conjecture on many projects. With ever evolving industry compliance and the need for impartial, quality knowledge; assigning an entity to take control of this activity is paramount. We at RDA-UK want to aid you in this endeavour, so reach-out, we’re here to help.
Competency
Eclecticism
Tenacity
Ingenuity
Collaboration
What We Offer
The core of our practice is the development and design of structural waterproofing protection to below ground structures. Each project deserves to be treated under its own merit, a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach can too often bottleneck a scheme. This creates limitations actually being designed in to the very fabric of the waterproofing strategy.
As certified specialists in this field, we are here to support you and your design team in achieving technical compliance that can be executed on-site. And should the need arise, we have access to expert peers in the geo-environmental doctrine when ground gas and contamination risks must be remedied.
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Client Team Appointment
Making RDA-UK a part of the client-side team allows for equanimity to a niche but albeit critical exercise that is; Belowground Structural Waterproofing. It has a direct impact to the formation and delivery of the structure, even at times dictating the physical profile off walls, foundations and slabs beyond the formal structural or architectural requirements. This is only furthered by the formal sign-off criteria associated with keeping ground water out of a below ground space, from building warranty dischargeables to client ERs. The current British Standard’s (BS 8102:2022) rhetoric dictates that a ‘waterproofing specialist’ be taken onboard prior to the technical design stage at the very latest. With us in place, we’ll be on hand to advise and guide the project in the appropriate direction that merits its individual requirements.
CMT Role
Engaging RDA-UK as part of the Compliance Management Team allows for an impartial set of eyes to ensure that the high-level waterproofing intent and detailed design meet both technical compliance and achievability, a particularly profitable solution if the design responsibility has been appointed via a Contract Design Portion (CDP).
Acting as your ‘early warning system’, we’re on board to support you and your appointed waterproofing designer, giving peace-of-mind, particularly during those later stages of the RIBA timeline.
Peer & Design Review
Sometimes, a second opinion is necessary. Whether the proposed design intent may be falling short of meeting the risk assessment, or there are concerns in the continuity of the waterproofing systems, addressing any unease before the critical juncture is prudent. Having RDA-UK analyse and assert the current design will ensure the appropriate direction is back on track.
Waterproofing Product Manufacturers
Trying to penetrate the UK construction market (it’s not quite the same beast as the European and wider global market..)? Looking to review and sharpen competitive and specification strategies? Want to set your Senior Leadership with a positive, objective challenge? Or perhaps just want assistance with an industry-specific hurdle?
A broad, outside perspective backed by specialist knowledge can give your business the acumen and confidence to tackle those goals for progression. We’re all in this niche industry collectively, collaborating can only bring further consistency and excellence.
Part of what makes RDA-UK such an eclectic choice for your team is our ability to provide technically-led commercial guidance based on real world experience, whilst creating an affable environment for engagement.
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PCSA Design Intent
Often overlooked, establishing the high-level waterproofing intent at the concept design stage gives the necessary building-blocks to allow the structural waterproofing to harmonise with the design team’s vision of the proposed building. Overcoming critical pinch-points, compatibility requirements and design nuances at the earliest opportunity has a phenomenal impact in saving time and expense in the future project lifecycle. With this in-place, the foundation is set for a strong and achievable detailed waterproofing form.
Formal Design
From the initial risk assessment to ‘that Unistrut fixing will need a resin anchor before we apply the membrane’, appointing RDA-UK as your waterproofing specialist ensures that one of the most critical design activities is not just compliant but is tailored to meet the specifics of your project. The value this brings circumnavigates the all-to-common pitfall of ‘blanket specification’, keeping the approach holistic at both the high-level and critical detailing.
Having a ‘CSSW’ on board is more than a luxury, it is a necessity that meets best practice and marks the stipulations set in-place by local authorities, insurance bodies and BSI guidance. Our expertise are invaluable, and we’re here to help. All backed by Professional Indemnity (PI).
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Project
Where deadlines are tight, resources are maxed or the need to ‘reactive’ to a change in situation onsite, RDA-UK can be leaned on to give your team some breathing room to deliver the critical drawings needed for waterproofing belowground.
Specialist Installers & Manufacturers
Whether it is project detailing for a cavity drain system on an important contract, or the typical detail library for a brand-new product launch, RDA-UK are able to produce the suite of drawings needed to move the project on to its next stage.
We can further assist with branded technical drawing layouts (.dwt), assignment of correct naming conventions in-line with CDE (Common Data Environment) protocols under ISO 19650-2, creation of CAD blocks for products to name but a few.
Waterproofing Design Specialists
Supporting our fellow peers in the industry, we are able to provide CAD drawings in .dwg & .pdf format for independents and practices that may not have direct access to technical drawing services internally. All the design intent remains under your banner with the added reassurance of the detailing being completed by a fellow ‘CSSW’, something a CAD House cannot offer...
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Site Survey
Getting eyes on the ground is critical at any project stage. And as such, can take the guise of many forms; a walk over to assess the state of an existing structure to help direct the design at the later stage, or investigation of a failed waterproofing defence causing unacceptable groundwater ingress. Engaging RDA-UK to examine and report on these imperative matters arms yourself and your project with valuable information to then take the most informed course of action.*
*Please note; this is not a damp or timber assessment service, for such activities a qualified CSTDB/CSDB professional should be consulted
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Bespoke Training
RDA-UK are able to offer tailored training on a plethora of subjects involving all things structural waterproofing. From the intake of new employees to sharpening one’s tools, we provide one-to-one and group tutoring to fit your business or project aspirations.
Food for thought..
Plan with Purpose - The Systems
Specification; whether performance-based or a dedicated design, getting the right material in the right scenario is arguably the most fundamental activity during the design stage. Continuity counts here, and at RDA-UK we like continuity.
Plan with Purpose - The Grades
Defining the environmental performance grade can be quite the sticking-point when it comes to client or design team expectations. Understanding the acute characteristics that determine each performance level early-on will enable for a far smoother and more collaborative design-journey. All to often is a ‘blanket Grade 3’ approach taken to a below ground structure without appreciating the impact this has on the building scope and the other professionals involved in the delivery of a project.
Plan with Purpose - The Intent
It would be rather self-indulgent for us Waterproofing Specialists to think that we alone get to be subjective of a building. As important as our involvement is, it is niche, and the architect and structural engineer (along with many others) carry quite the load when it comes to realising the clients dream. That’s why making an independent waterproofing specialist a part of your design team is so critical at those early RIBA stages, it allows for the waterproofing to be a part of that intent and synchronise with the form and function. This is something RDA-UK take to heart, as a holistic approach is often required.
Type A - Barrier Protection
The old-skool will know this as ‘tanking’. But Type A Systems come in many guises, be it a sheet membrane or a two-part liquid product - each has its own benefits and disadvantages. From substrate requirements to spatial & installation restrictions, choosing the appropriate material is very often the difference between a ‘dry’ or ‘wet’ environment..
Grade 1a & 1b
Not to be overlooked, Grade 1a still serves a purpose. If the impact of seepage and damp won’t affect the use of space, you’re good to go. Just don’t expect a guarantee or warranty..
A rather interesting addition to the beloved Table 2 of BS 8102 under its 2022 iteration. Grade 1b essentially tries to fill a design gap where waterproofing is required, but the use of internal space may be superfluous. Although rarely is it accepted by client and insurance body alike due to the acceptance of ‘damp’ from external sources.
Buildability
As wonderful as perfect lines on a technical drawing are, the need for these crucial delineations to have the ability to be realised when ‘knee deep in muck & bullets’ on the ground is paramount. Having solutions that are not just compliant, but also executional is what truly sets a great design apart from the rest.
Type B - Structurally Integral
Quite often misunderstood, Type B is where the physical structure is utilised to prevent the ingress of water from the ground. This is not to be confused with a buildings ability to resist the forces of hydrostatic pressure, as this must be achieved for any system to properly perform.
So understanding the intricacies of a Type B set-up need to be appreciated to reap the benefit of this truly robust approach.
Grade 2
The bulwark environment grade of the waterproofing industry. No external water ingress, damp areas from internal use are tolerable. Some form of ventilation or humidity management is always worth considering to make sure the space remains serviceable.
Serviceability
It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention; so perhaps it’s fair to say that the mother of longevity is maintainability?
Incorporating serviceability into the design is an important balancing act that must be considered, it’s also a rather consistent rhetoric of BS 8102..
Type C - Drained Protection
Type C or ‘cavity drainage’ (not its only variation) has a nuance that no other system can impart, it allows the structure to ‘leak’. Its purpose is to manage any seepage coming through the retaining fabric and collectively discharge the water to an appropriate point, keeping the internal spaces protected. This system really comes into it’s own in existing structure scenarios where new substrates and constructs simply can’t be achieved.
It is not however, a silver-bullet. It does not excuse poor workmanship to other areas of the project and must be meticulously maintained through-out it’s service life. Not to mention obtaining the appropriate discharge license..
Grade 3
The quintessential requirement to a ‘habitable space’ below ground (but by no means exclusively!..). Often misunderstood as just more waterproofing, Grade 3 shares the same performance condition as its penultimate cousin: *no external water ingress is acceptable. It is the management of the internal climate to maintain a ‘dry’ space that is its defining characteristic.
*albeit with some slightly cheeky choice-wording to give a marginally enhanced rhetoric, but pragmatism should prevail ;)
Future-proofing
Taking note from the title of a well-known 90s British sitcom; ‘As time goes by’, needs change and situations evolve. So it’s worth considering the impact a new use of space could have further down the lifespan of the building, and if the design is up to the task.