2018 Structural Waterproofing Conference Review

The Slate, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7SH

“Very well run, some good informative talks”. [conference delegate]

The third PCA Structural Waterproofing conference was held on the 14th September, once again at the Slate conference centre, part of the Warwick University complex in Coventry. The event was a huge success and can go in the record books as the PCA’s biggest one day conference to date, with over 160 delegates attending.

This conference was also the first to be supported by an event app – the PCA Structural Waterproofing app. This technology played an integral part in the proceedings allowing delegates to ask questions to the speakers throughout the day and in advance of the Q&A sessions and panel debate, as well as providing a great platform to maximise networking opportunities. For those interested, the app can still be downloaded and technical documents can be accessed etc (available now for iOS and Android).

Similarly, with previous PCA conferences, the day was split into three sessions. The first session chaired by Cormac Rooney, MJ Rooney Construction looked at “Best Practice in Basement Design and Construction”. One particularly pleasing thing to hear coming out of this session from both NHBC and MD Insurance was the positive impact that working closely with the PCA members had had in making waterproofing claims almost non-existent where as previously then had been considered one of their most problematic and costly areas.

The second session got underway after a short break looking at “Innovation/new ways of looking at waterproofing” and was chaired by Emily Walker from Walker & Walker Waterproofing. This proved to be a very interesting session with some of the take home messages about the advantages of predictive maintenance on waterproofing systems and how we as an industry need to consider how we can become more sustainable.

The lunch break provided delegates with a great opportunity to network as well visiting the numerous trade stands, displaying PCA manufacturers’ latest products.

The third session chaired by Mike Bromley, CSSW Chief Examiner looked at “Design Considerations” this session was and gave an incredible insight into some of the large-scale waterproofing projects that are currently happening in the UK.

The day concluded with a panel debate, which asked the highly topical question “Do you think there should be a revision to BS 8102?” and 100% of attendees voted overwhelmingly in favour of a revision! The panel was made up of a host of speakers from the day with the addition of Alex Burman, Products Manager, Sika and Ian Maclennan, Managing Director, Maclennan Waterproofing Ltd. Questions came in via the app and from the floor making this a very lively and engaging debate.

The day can only be described as an overwhelming success and we look forward to seeing even more of you again next year.