A live NHS hospital roof, waterproofed in seamless liquid coating.
How we waterproofed 1,400 m² at The Whittington Hospital, Archway, London, in cold-applied Garland liquid coating — no disruption to wards, low-odour, fully guaranteed. An NHS commercial roofing case study.
Case study · Healthcare / NHS — The Whittington Hospital, Archway, North London · Live 24/7 site · 1,400 m² liquid waterproofing · Cold-applied, low-odour
Project at a glance
| Location | The Whittington Hospital, Archway, London |
| Sector | Healthcare / NHS / public sector |
| Area | ~1,400 m² |
| System | Garland cold-applied liquid coating |
| Method | Seamless liquid-applied waterproofing |
| Constraint | Live, occupied 24/7 hospital |
| Priority | Infection control & low odour |
The brief
A failing roof over a hospital that never closes.
The estates and facilities team at The Whittington Hospital needed roughly 1,400 m² of roof brought back to a fully watertight condition. The existing covering had reached the end of its service life, with water finding its way into the building below — a serious problem anywhere, but a critical one over clinical areas where ceilings, services and infection control all have to stay sound.
The non-negotiable was the building itself. The Whittington is a busy acute NHS hospital running around the clock, with wards, clinics and theatres in use directly beneath and beside the work. There was no option to close the building, decant patients or stop the works flow. Everything we did had to fit around live clinical operations, satisfy NHS health and safety and permit-to-work, and keep odour, noise, dust and fumes away from patients and staff. The roof also carried the usual healthcare complication of heavily serviced areas — extract ducts, rooftop plant, pipe penetrations and upstands — every one of which is a potential leak path that needed detailing properly.
What we did
A cold-applied, seamless liquid system, phased around the hospital.
We specified and installed a Garland cold-applied liquid coating system across the full area. Liquid waterproofing was the right answer here for two reasons: it cures into a single seamless membrane with no joints or laps to fail, and it can be installed cold, with no hot works where they can be avoided — which matters enormously on an occupied hospital. From there:
- Surveyed and prepared the existing roof — cleaning, drying and priming the substrate so the liquid system could bond properly and perform to its full design life.
- Detailed every penetration by hand — dressing the liquid coating seamlessly around extract ducts, plant plinths, pipe penetrations, upstands and outlets, where felt and sheet systems are most prone to fail.
- Worked cold and low-odour — choosing a cold-applied liquid system specifically to keep fumes and smell away from wards and clinics, with no naked-flame hot works over occupied space.
- Phased the work around clinical operations — sequencing areas so that no ward, clinic or theatre below was disrupted, and the building stayed weathertight at every stage.
- Worked to NHS permit-to-work and infection control — full compliance with the hospital’s permits, RAMS, segregation and infection-control requirements throughout.
- Reinstated falls and rainwater outlets — making sure the finished roof drains cleanly with no ponding.
On site
The work in pictures.
The Whittington Hospital roof — cold-applied liquid coating in progress over live clinical areas.
The result
A seamless, guaranteed roof, with the hospital open throughout.
The finished roof is a single seamless membrane across the full 1,400 m², with every penetration and upstand sealed into one continuous skin. Because there are no joints, laps or seams, there is nothing for water to work behind — which is exactly what a complex, heavily serviced hospital roof needs. The works were completed cold and low-odour, with no disruption to wards or clinics and full compliance with the hospital’s permit-to-work and infection-control regime.
The Whittington stayed fully open and operational from start to finish. The estates and facilities team got a watertight roof, a long-life guaranteed system and a programme that never interrupted patient care. The completed coating carries our workmanship guarantee alongside the Garland system warranty, with full documentation handed over on completion.
Commercial or healthcare roof? If you’ve got a flat or complex commercial roof — occupied building or not — we’d be glad to take a look. Request a free survey or see our commercial flat roofing service.
Keep reading
- Commercial flat roofing — liquid, single-ply and felt systems for flat and complex roofs.
- All our services — domestic and commercial roofing across Edinburgh and the UK.
- All case studies — landmark roofs across Scotland & the UK.
Frequently asked questions
What is a liquid roof system?
A liquid-applied roof is a waterproofing system that goes on as a liquid and cures into a single seamless membrane bonded to the roof. There are no joints, laps or seams, so it forms one continuous skin across the whole roof — including up and around every upstand, outlet and penetration. It's a proven, long-life solution for flat and complex commercial roofs.
Why choose liquid over felt or sheet membranes?
Liquid systems are seamless, which removes the joints and laps that are the most common failure points on felt and sheet roofs. They detail beautifully around rooftop plant, ducts and pipe penetrations — the kind of busy, heavily serviced roof you find on hospitals and commercial buildings — and the better systems are cold-applied, so there's no need for hot works in most cases. That makes them ideal where a roof has lots of penetrations or sits over an occupied building.
Can you work on an occupied building like a hospital?
Yes. The Whittington stayed fully open throughout. We use cold-applied, low-odour systems specifically so fumes and smell don't reach patients or staff, we avoid hot works over occupied space, and we phase the work so no ward, clinic or theatre below is disrupted. We work to the client's permit-to-work, RAMS and infection-control requirements, and keep the building weathertight at every stage.
How long does a liquid coating last, and is it guaranteed?
A correctly specified and installed liquid system is a long-life waterproofing solution, with manufacturer system warranties available depending on the build-up chosen. We back our installation with our own workmanship guarantee on top of the manufacturer's warranty, and hand over full documentation on completion.