The Pump House – Rawlplug products at the heart of London’s Docklands!

Once one of the largest steamship ports in the world, Royal Victoria Dock is now a vibrant business and leisure hub. It is here that the modern Pump House building was constructed – with Rawlplug products ensuring the safe installation of balustrades, handrails and façade systems.

A site rich in history

Located 14 km from London Bridge, Royal Victoria Dock is the largest of the Royal Docks. Since its opening in 1855, it played a key role in the development of London’s maritime trade – as the first dock equipped with hydraulic machinery and directly connected to the railway network. In the 1960s, the dock began to decline due to the container revolution in shipping, and was officially closed to commercial traffic in 1980. Today, thanks to investment by the London Docklands Development Corporation, the area is being transformed into a modern urban space, centred around the ExCeL Exhibition Centre.

Did you know? At its peak, Royal Victoria Dock handled over 850,000 tonnes of cargo annually – twice as much as the older London Docks.

A new chapter – The Pump House

Construction of The Pump House began in 2017. This 15-storey residential and commercial building quickly attracted buyers and tenants, thanks to its modern form and attractive waterfront location. The installation of windows, balustrades and cladding was carried out by Salisbury Glass, with Rawlplug supplying the key fixing solutions.

Rawlplug solutions in demanding applications

During the installation of windows and balustrades, a significant technical challenge emerged – around 50 mm of recess was found in the concrete at the fixing points. A solution was needed to compensate for the depth difference in the substrate.

Based on calculations by Rawlplug Ltd.'s Technical Department, the following products were selected:

• R-XPTIIA4 – stainless steel throughbolts used for the installation of cladding, balustrades and handrails
• R-HPTIIA4-10140/60 – stainless steel throughbolts specifically chosen for areas requiring compensation for mounting depth variation

Names of the buildings or engineering constructions may be registered as trademarks in the name of third parties. Rawlplug is not an owner of said trademarks and claims no rights there to.