TTA Awards - Best Commercial Project – Large (over 250 sq m) ARDEX UK Ltd

April 2019

St Andrew Holborn has stood as a Catholic Church for over 1,000 years.  Throughout its history it has received several major renovations, but it is most famously known for its late 17th century rebuild by the renowned architect Christopher Wren, who later went on to design one of London’s most recognisable and historic landmarks, St. Paul’s Cathedral.  The latest large-scale works date back to the 1950s, and six decades on it was deemed in need of repair again.

Completed at the end of 2018, the latest refurbishments spanned the entire internal area of the church, including some 600 sq. metres of flooring in the main church area and its surrounding rooms, as well as its vestibules and tower.  Consisting of old vinyl tiling, it was worn and damaged and was replaced with new Hopton Wood Limestone.  The existing base was also removed and replaced with a high-strength, rapid drying screed that could work within the client’s limited time constraints.

A full site visit helped ARDEX to understand the project and client requirements, who also provided compatibility testing between the limestone and potential fixing solutions.

They provided the specification and the works were completed in December.  The contractor says: “Throughout the process ARDEX gave us technical support and advice on how to overcome some of the challenges we faced and assisted us with formulating a suitable specification for the screed, adhesive and grouts used.”