--- title: "Sika waterproofing and restoration Battersea Power Station, London; Opened to public Oct 14, 2022" sdDatePublished: "2026-07-29T11:06:00Z" source: "https://www.sika.com/dms/getdocument.get/74b0f8a8-a88d-459b-9a15-4028b74abba2/glo-battersea-power-station-london-uk.pdf" topics: - name: "construction and property" identifier: "medtop:20000235" - name: "real estate" identifier: "medtop:20000241" - name: "architecture" identifier: "medtop:20000032" - name: "restoration" identifier: "medtop:20000242" - name: "infrastructure projects" identifier: "medtop:20001245" locations: - "Bexleyheath" --- Sika waterproofing and restoration Battersea Power Station, London; Opened to public Oct 14, 2022 saw_Battersea Power Station, UK SIKA AT WORK BATTERSEA POWER STATION, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM CONCRETE PRODUCTION: Sika® admixtures WATERPROOFING: SikaSwell®, Sikalastic®, Sikadur® Combiflex®, SikaDrain®, SikaInject® CONCRETE REPAIR: Sika MonoTop® GROUTING: SikaGrout® SIKA AT WORK BATTERSEA POWER STATION, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION This project features restoration and adaptive reuse of Battersea Power Station – one of the world’s largest protect- ed brick buildings – into a mixed-use destination with retail, offices, leisure and residential components within a 42-acre estate on the River Thames. The historic power station build- ing itself has c. 27,200 m² of floor area. Project phase 1 was mainly the substructure excavation and waterproofing activities for the Power Station’s basement and service tunnels which began in 2016. Phase 2 (the Power Station building, led by Mace as Construction Manager from August 2017) delivered the refurbishment, new energy center and riverside park. The Power Station opened to the public on October 14, 2022. Subsequent estate phases continue toward a multi-phase masterplan. The project was very complexed. Deep basements and service tunnels lie adjacent to the Thames; legacy steel grillages and interfaces with the original structural frame required intricate below-ground detailing, staged sequencing, and integration with the new Northern Line Extension and public realm. At the end, the redevelopment returned a decommissioned power plant (closed 1983) to public use, with phased openings since 2017 and the main building reopening in 2022 – now a major visitor destination and business hub. PROJECT REQUIREMENTS Reviving a Grade II* listed structure of this scale required an intricate balance between heritage preservation and modern performance standards. Durability and watertightness below ground Reliable waterproofing for a multi-story basement and service tunnels in close proximity to the river, with full watertight- ness around complex penetrations, grillages and movement interfaces. Heritage-led refurbishment Preservation of the listed fabric (brick facdes, turbine halls, control rooms) while introducing new uses; detailing had to be non-intrusive and compatible with historic materials and the existing steel/concrete hybrid frame. Phased construction & interfaces. System compatibility (rapid strength gain, minimized over- dig, optimized detailing) and coordination across multiple systems (basement, tunnels, parking, energy center, public realm), managed under a complex multi-contractor setup. RESTORATION OF AN ICONIC LANDMARK Comprehensive waterproofing and concrete repair solutions SIKA AT WORK BATTERSEA POWER STATION, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM 3 SIKA SOLUTIONS Sika was selected as the key waterproofing partner, supplying detailed specification packages and providing ongoing techni- cal support throughout construction. The solution combined several systems to meet diverse site conditions: Watertight concrete (Type B) — primary barrier ~30,000 m³ of watertight concrete placed for the basement structures, using Sika® admixtures to control permeability and enhance durability. Benefits included reduced over-dig versus membranes and compatibility with dense reinforcement. Joint sealing & interfaces Sikadur® Combiflex® and SikaSwell® hydrophilic joint tech- nology deployed at construction joints and details to provide redundancy at critical interfaces, with movement-tolerant so- lutions used where required (e.g., complex grillage zones and penetrations). This is a system approach consistent with Sika Watertight Concrete designs. Structural repair, reprofiling & grouting ́ Ground floor slabs: ~15,000 bags of flowable repair mortar to reprofile and level working/finished surfaces. ́ Columns & beams: ~5,000 bags of repair mortar for local defect rectification and geometry restoration. ́ SikaGrout® used for void filling and precision bedding where required. Detail waterproofing & coatings Sikalastic® one-component coatings and Sika®-1 renders used around complex junctions, plinths and transitions where a liquid-applied or render-based approach was more practi- cable than sheet membranes (e.g., congested details, change of plane). Other solutions SikaDrain® for drainage systems and SikaInject® for injection in the basement waterproofing. Sika collaborated closely with the main contractors – Mitchellson Formwork, P J Carey, and MPB Structures – at- tending design meetings, issuing over 100 detail drawings, and conducting more than 160 site visits over four years. All waterproofing systems were installed under Sika supervision to ensure full compliance and long-term durability. The substructure and interfaces achieved the required wa- tertightness and durability, enabling the October 2022 public opening and ongoing fit-out/operation of retail, leisure and office spaces within the preserved historic shell. PROJECT PARTICIPANTS Project Owner: David Cliff, Andy Edwards Architect: Wilkinson Eyre Architects / SimpsonHaugh / Foster + Partners Contractor: Skanska / Mace JV; Mitchellson Formwork; P J Carey; MPB Structures Sika Organization: Sika Limited (United Kingdom) © SIKA SERVICES AG / WATERPROOFING AND CONCRETE REPAIR / 04.2026 BATTERSEA POWER STATION, LONDON SIKA SERVICES AG Tueffenwies 16 CH-8048 Zurich Switzerland Contact Phone +41 58 436 40 40 www.sika.com Any product name or reference reflects the Sika product name at the time of creation of this document and may differ from the product name or reference during past events. Our most current General Sales Conditions shall apply. Please consult the most current local Product Data Sheet prior to any use.