INTERIORS 61 DESIGN FOR THE FUTURE
Complying with legislation to create future-proof, carbon-neutral buildings is key. Andrew Watkins of wedi Systems explores sustainable, long-lasting solutions for bathroom and wet room design amid evolving regulations. Andrew Watkins, Technical Manager at wedi Systems (UK) Ltd, discusses how to best comply with new and emerging legislations when it comes to bathroom and wet room design.
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nsuring compliance with current and future legislation, making buildings future-proof and carbon- neutral is a key concern for architects and clients today. Innovative solutions that last the lifetime of the building and reduce the pressure on the planet are now taking centre stage. However, these are not always new technologies or products – while some solutions directly tackle specifi c challenges, others are more systemic, helping to create the conditions under which all other solutions can be adopted at a greater scale and pace. Protecting the fabric of the building with reliable waterproofi ng has always been vital, but now, NHBC’s Technical Guidance 9.2/06 ‘Substrates for tiling bath and shower enclosures, wet rooms and bathroom pods’ reinforces this. In essence, any new home whose foundations begin on or
after 1 January 2025 in the UK, must comply with this guidance if an NHBC warranty is to be provided. In short, magnesium oxide boards must not be used, and in wet rooms or bathrooms with power showers, there are strict requirements; only building boards that hold technical approvals acceptable by NHBC can be used. Critically, whatever the subsurface, all tanking solutions must have appropriate third party certifi cates such as a European Technical Assessment (ETA) and the tile, adhesive and grout should be compatible with the selected waterproofi ng system. There is an obvious advantage of using directly tileable waterproof building boards as opposed to non-waterproof or only water-resistant boards that need tanking. But of course, providing that they hold the appropriate third party certifi cates, other waterproofi ng solutions,
such as liquid or membrane applied, are also acceptable. However, time is usually of the essence and so it is important to note that not only is research required to ensure compatibility with the chosen substrate and with everything else applied on top of the waterproofi ng layer, but due to several curing times (priming then sealing with a potential requirement for multiple coats), installation is considerably longer when compared to using waterproof building boards that are directly tileable.
It is also important to consider that liquid and membrane type waterproofi ng can also restrict the surface design because, regardless of the substrate, the tanking solution determines whether large-format, heavier tiles, slabs or natural stone can be used for example. Naturally, with waterproof building boards, the weight-load capability is a given. In
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