These former offices had suffered from uneven settlement causing distortion of the lintels, cracking of the 325mm-450mm thick walls and separation of internal and external walls.

Before they could be converted into residential apartments these numerous two and three storey listed buildings had to be repaired using a concealed, proven and reliable method of structurally stabilisation that would secure the buildings and satisfy the requirements of English Heritage.

Stone finishes and features could not be altered in any way and a structural guarantee for the materials and work was required.

During a phased two year project Charterbuild and Fastrack installed several thousand metres of HeliBar reinforcing bars above and below all affected windows.

This reinstated the lintels, performed general masonry crack stitching and created low level masonry beams which redistributed loads evenly across the structures and assisted the foundations.

The separated internal walls were reconnected to the external walls using long grouted CemTies, installed externally and hidden in the masonry.

The Helibeam System’s rapid, non-disruptive means of installation provided a major benefit to the main contractor’s conversion programme and met the requirements of English Heritage with a 10 year insurance-backed warranty being issued.