Swan House Recoated With Sika

Swan House, a prominent Newcastle landmark, is being converted by Shepherd Construction Ltd from office use into 165 luxury apartments a development which will be known as 55 degrees north.

The appearance of this imposing structure is being modernised, making it more appropriate for residential use.

6,000 square metres of white SikaGard 680S have been applied to the external panels of the building, and the joints between the panels have been replaced with 6,000 linear metres of Sikaflex-Pro2HP.

The insert panels below the windows, which are less susceptible to movement, have been sealed with 1,000 linear metres of Sikaflex-15LM.

Sika materials were used in the successful renovation of Swan House ten years ago, whilst in use as offices by British Telecom, and the decision was taken to use Sika sealants and coatings again in the present conversion.

The obvious advantage of using Sika systems again, is the compatibility between the new and old systems.

A major requirement from the client was a coating life of 10 to 15 years.

Following thorough preparation of the existing coatings, two coats of SikaGard 680S were applied.

This one component, flexible, anti-carbonation coating provides protection against water ingress, frosts carbonation and UV degradation.

It has excellent resistance to weathering and aging, is vapour permeable, is compatible with the existing Sika coatings and has an excellent bond to concrete.

The joints between the main panels were replaced with Sikaflex-Pro2HP, a high performance, permanently elastic, polyurethane joint sealant, which is extremely durable and suitable for sealing all types of facade joints.

Sikaflex-15LM, a low modulus, polyurethane joint sealant with a 30 year track record, was used to seal the insert panels below the windows.

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