Natural Cement Distribution have been closely involved with the flood resilience project being headed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and attended the VIP launch at the demonstration house in Watford. The ‘Resilient House’ has been developed by BRE to demonstrate how simple alterations can make homes and businesses more resilient to future flooding, as recently featured on the BBC’s Countryfile programme.
They demonstrated how by using innovative ideas and products such as our Natcem 35 together with making simple adjustments to the walls and floors of the property they could reduce the damage and time lost during the recovery after a flood situation. The Natcem 35 was applied to several walls within the Victorian building to show that despite the building being flooded the Natcem 35 plaster to the walls would not need to be removed as it is waterproof, salt resistant, vapour permeable and resistant to chemicals. Trials have shown on other sites where flooding has occurred that properties can be handed back in weeks instead of months as with Natcem 35 plastering there is no requirement for a long drying out period.
The launch was attended by Floods Minister Therese Coffey and Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency who both mentioned the importance of limiting the damage that can be caused to a property by using different techniques and making the recovery process quicker in at risk areas.
‘There are an estimated 5.2 million homes considered at risk from surface, river and coastal flooding. Preventative measures play a key role but given the scale of our vulnerability, we need to think more practically about flooding and start to adapt to ‘living with water’ says Dr. Stephen Garvin, Director of the BRE Centre for Resilience.
Once refurbished the home was put to the test by flooding it with water and then monitoring what damage occurs and how quickly the home recovers and is functional again.
The other partners involved with the project included: BRE Trust, AXA Insurance, Property Care Association, and Cunningham Lindsey.
Date added: 12/04/2022