Met Office Data CentreWe often mention the importance of getting involved at the early stages of a project. Engagement with the client at the design stage gives us opportunity to provide the best specification advice and allows for collaboration with the supply chain.
We found this to be especially true with the Met Office Data Centre, where the overall collaboration throughout the project lifecycle recently led to the development winning the Construction News Project of the Year 2017 (£20m-£50m).
The Met Office Data Centre in Exeter Science Park is the new home of a £97million supercomputer, looking to improve worldwide weather forecasting. With this high value equipment being situated within the semi-retained structure, protection from ground water and radon gas on site was vital.
Communication was key on this high profile project, as throughout design progression further detail on waterproofing systems was needed. Plus, it was particularly valuable to develop a relationship with the contractor early on to allow for assistance with queries.
With the site including ground gas, RIW Sheetseal 226 was the first product specified for the below ground structure due to its protection against water from the ground and ingress of radon gas. Internal columns that also required damp proofing were applied with Flexiseal Pro due to its ease when waterproofing vertical substrates and its ability to lap with Sheetseal 226. Further protection from damp and radon was then introduced for the ground-bearing slab using DPM Blue, an effective barrier.
Our collaboration with the ground works contractor helped solve any technical difficulties throughout the project and ensured swift and smooth application. Here at RIW we’re proud to have worked on such a successful project, according to Construction News.
If you’d like more technical information on the products used on the Met Office Data Centre please give our technical sales team a call on 01753 944200.
By Chris Mossman, Technical Advisor at RIW Ltd
