Projects / 3/19/2024

The Westin London City

Construction operations had to overcome several challenges, including the presence of an archaeological site

Located in the heart of London, The Westin London City offers luxury and comfort. The construction of the hotel presented several challenges, including the demolition of an existing building and the need to respect the constraints of an archaeological site. Mapei UK provided technical assistance during construction, offering specific training on the adhesives and construction materials used.

The offer from The Westin, world leader in the hospitality sector, was recently enhanced with the addition of a new luxury destination: The Westin London City, the brand’s first hotel in the UK. Designed by Dexter Moren Associates, it is a 10-storey, 5-star hotel offering clients escape and comfort in the heart of London: the hotel’s 222 rooms, 10 luxury suites, restaurants and bars, swimming pool and wellness zone are located on the north bank of the River Thames, just a short distance from St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tate Modern art gallery and the Globe theatre, founded in 1599 by the theatre company associated with William Shakespeare.

A site with a host of challenges

Construction of this new complex was not an easy challenge for the main contractor, Vascroft Contractors, who had to demolish an old 10-storey building and carry out the work in an area divided into three different lots connected by highly trafficked roads, while at the same time respecting restrictions imposed by the presence of an archaeological site with remains of ancient Roman baths.

Because of the nature of the site “creative” solutions had to be found, such as the construction of a walkway along the northern part of the river and a portion of the building in the form of a bridge over the city streets, as well as the use of reliable, innovative and durable construction systems and materials.

Mapei UK, the local subsidiary of Mapei Group, provided technical support for the company that installed the resilient and textile flooring through site surveys and by carrying out checks to measure moisture content. They also supplied specific training to the floor installers on how to use the products chosen for the work and recommended an installation system suitable for the conditions and type of use in the various areas.

A traffic-proof system

The system recommended by Mapei consisted of treating the substrates with ECO PRIM T PLUS universal acrylic primer to improve adhesion of the successive layers and levelling off the surfaces with self-levelling, fibre-reinforced ULTRAPLAN RENOVATION SCREED 3240, manufactured and distributed in the UK by Mapei UK.

ULTRABOND ECO FIX adhesive and tackifier with low emission of volatile organic compounds (certified EMICODE EC1Plus) was chosen to bond the loose-lay carpet and resilient coverings. Its high residual tack means that, where required, the flooring installed can be easily removed at a later date and replaced.

Rolls of textile materials were installed over the soundproofing underlay using ULTRABOND ECO TX3, an excellent wet grab adhesive with early build up of strength suitable for bonding textile flooring with any kind of backing (jute, polypropylene, Action-Bac, textile, latex, foam, felt, etc.) and needle-punch flooring on any normal, absorbent sustrates stable in the presence of humidity. In this particular case it was also chosen for its capacity to resist normal and intense loads, such as those typically found in environments such as hotels.

These solutions were adopted for textile and resilient flooring in numerous corridors, walkways, and common areas of the hotel.