Limetec® hydraulic lime mortar from Lime Technology has been specified for the ambitious £13 million expansion to the Whitechapel Art Gallery in East London.

Designed by Belgian architect Robbrecht en Daem and former Yaya nominee Witherford Watson Mann Architects, the remodeling will unite and preserve two landmark buildings – the gallery and the adjacent Grade II listed library. The result will be an increased gallery space of 78% and vastly increased opportunities for learning by trebling training and education facilities.

The façades of the two Grade II listed buildings will remain separate, with restoration work carried out to restore the terracotta and ceramic tiles that cover the front of both buildings.

In view of the historical significance of the buildings, all new building materials had to be carefully chosen. Lime Technology’s Limetec® hydraulic lime mortar offered the ideal product to match the existing mortar and maintain the building’s integrity.

An environmentally sensitive alternative to cement-based mortar, lime mortar has many desirable characteristics. It is porous and breathable. It is also flexible,
which means that it has the ability to accommodate slight movements in a building caused by settlement or thermal shock eliminating the need for intrusive expansion joints.

Limetec® offers all the benefits of traditional lime mortar, but is produced using modern manufacturing techniques. As well as 25kg bags, Limetec® mortar is available in 1 tonne bulk bags or 30 tonne bulk silos. This provides onsite production of mortar, significantly reducing wastage and guaranteeing a correctly proportioned mix every time. This solutions ensures that lime mortar is now viable for large scale restoration projects such as the Whitechapel Gallery extension.

Due to open in the spring of 2009, the expanded Whitechapel is set to become a major cultural resource and destination for the arts and play a pivotal role in the continued growth of East London and its transformation into the most vibrant contemporary arts quarter in the world.