The challenge

Previously a nightclub in the heart of Vauxhall, railway arches 67 and 68 Goding Street were tendered by Network Rail to be entirely refurbished and fitted out to become new retail space.

Both the internal and external brickwork of the arches were black with years of neglect as well as suffering moisture ingress issues. 

As a multi-faceted project, Osborne invited us to tackle the brickwork restoration and protection aspect of the tender. After successfully winning the project, our formidable collaboration got straight to work.

What did we do

The 10 metre wide and 7.5 metre high arches totalled at 1,720m2 of internal brickwork that was coated in old, decaying paint and years of dirt. 

To restore the brickwork quickly and efficiently, our team specified the use of our effective Microstrip abrasive cleaning system. Unlike traditional blast cleaning methods, the use of recycled glass media at high pressure allows the Microstrip system to be enormously delicate to the underlying substrate, leaving it perfectly intact and perfectly restored – pointing included.

The external facade brickwork of each side of the arches totalled approximately 160m2. Again the Microstrip system made short work of the filth, perfectly restoring the brickwork to its former glory.

To address water ingress issues, our team turned to trusted industrial coatings experts Epicuro. As an experienced approved applicator for all Epicuro products, we outlined the use of the Permbloc coating to ensure absolute eradication of the current water ingress problem of the brickwork.

The final step in the process was the application of the dust sealant, also manufactured by Epicuro. Any loose dust after the substrate has completely cured from the Permbloc coating, the dust sealant consolidates the surface completely, leaving sealed yet breathable brickwork. 

The outcome 

Working simultaneously amongst other contractors and work, our aspect of the project was completed on time, and to budget ready for the next phase of work to commence.

“Osborne needed complete flexibility on writing the programme for this project, namely due to this being the first moisture blocker coating application on any arch within Network Rail. Truly close partnership and a collaborative work ethic with Osborne allowed the project to run smoothly, with an outstanding result.”

Martin Izzard, Operations Director, Community Clean