Lanes completes drain surveys at striking new London hotel

A CCTV drainage survey team from Lanes Group plc has carried out surveys of internal and below-ground pipework at what will be one of the most unconventional and visually striking hotels in London.

The Lanes London depot was commissioned by Willmott Dixon Interiors to survey the drainage system at the site of the new nhow Hotel at 250 City Road, Shoreditch, London.

The 190-room nine-storey 4-star hotel is the first nhow hotel in the UK and is located within an apartment complex designed by architects Foster and Partners.

It will have a unique interior design concept that immerses visitors in the past, present and future of London, complete with a giant Big Ben tower rocket in the foyer, large bell-shaped lighting, and Cockney rhyming slang on restaurant tables.

A two-person CCTV drainage survey team carried out two full surveys of the site’s drainage system, each taking three days – the first before fit-out began and the second after it had been completed.

Lanes Area Development Manager Roy Howard said: “The first survey was to establish whether any work needed to be done on the pre-existing drainage system before the fit-out started.

“The second was to make sure that the drainage pipes were open and in good repair once it had been completed. The most common problem is construction materials accidentally falling into pipes. These materials have to be removed before work could be signed off as complete.”

The Lanes CCTV drainage survey team used a push-rod CCTV camera system to record HD-quality video of the inside of drainage pipes which were 100mm and 150mm in diameter.

A CCTV survey report detailing the location of drainage assets, the distance between connecting pipes and wastewater flow directions was also compiled.

Roy Howard said: “A pre-adoption drainage survey gives both the contractor and its client assurance that the drainage system was installed in accordance with plans and regulations and is in good working order.

“With construction and interior fit-out projects like this, providing a CCTV drainage survey service in a timely way is essential to meet tight project deadlines and we always work closely with contractors to ensure this happens.”

If CCTV drainage surveys identify problems, such as blockages or pipe defects, Lanes can take a range of remote-access measures to correct and repair them. Blockages can be removed with water jetting or electro-mechanical pipe cleaning. Defective pipes can be restored to as-new condition with pipe lining.

Willmott Dixon Interiors, part of Willmott Dixon, is one of the UK’s leading interior fit-out specialists, working nationally across the commercial, hotel, leisure, retail, education and health sectors on new-build, refurbishment and heritage projects.