The Stage, Shoreditch — validation, pre-commission cleaning, disinfection & commissioning.
A landmark Shoreditch regeneration, built around the excavated remains of the Elizabethan Curtain Theatre. Appointed by M&E contractor MALA Engineering, BWS handled the water-side scope on Building 7 — basebuild validation sampling, BG29 pre-commission cleaning, eradication of sulphate-reducing bacteria found in the heating system, cold water tank cleaning and disinfection, and AHU commissioning.
A landmark built on a stage 400 years old.
The Stage is a major mixed-use regeneration off Hewett Street in Shoreditch, designed around the preserved archaeological remains of the Curtain Theatre — one of the Elizabethan playhouses where Shakespeare's work was first performed. Behind the heritage and the new-build blocks sit thoroughly modern heating, chilled and domestic water systems.
BWS was appointed by the mechanical contractor, MALA Engineering, to take the water-side scope on Building 7 — validating the basebuild heating system, pre-commission cleaning the CHW and LTHW pipework, cleaning and disinfecting the cold water storage, and commissioning the air handling units to design.
Scope at a glance
- Basebuild validation sampling of the LTHW system
- BG29 pre-commission cleaning — CHW & LTHW
- Chemical clean to iron plateau + condensed biocide wash
- Inhibitor passivation — restored to BG50 targets
- SRB eradication & re-sampling (MIC risk)
- Cold water storage tank clean
- BS8558 disinfection of CWST & new incoming mains
- UKAS-accredited chemistry & microbiology sampling
- AHU commissioning to CIBSE Code A — Building 7
Six streams, one accountable team.
Basebuild Validation Sampling
BSRIA Table 4 chemistry and microbiology across the basebuild LTHW, with a written interpretation for the contractor. pH and conductivity were sound and the metals largely clean, but the inhibitor was running low, copper was slightly elevated at a single Level 8 FCU — and sulphate-reducing bacteria were present in the system.
BG29 Pre-Commission Cleaning
Dynamic flushing of the CHW and LTHW systems on Building 7 to BSRIA BG29:2021, an alkaline chemical clean taken through to a verified iron plateau, and a condensed biocide wash — carried out by our water treatment engineer with UKAS-accredited acceptance sampling.
SRB Eradication
Sulphate-reducing bacteria cause microbiologically influenced corrosion and have to be treated with haste. The biocide programme was targeted to eradicate the SRBs flagged at validation, with re-sampling to confirm the system was microbiologically clean before sign-off.
Inhibitor & Chemistry Restoration
With cleaning complete, the closed systems were re-dosed and brought back inside BG50 chemistry targets — molybdate restored to 375 mg/l and nitrite to 300 mg/l — then verified by independent laboratory analysis against the BG29 acceptance suite.
CWST Clean & BS8558 Disinfection
The cold water storage tank was drained, cleaned and chlorinated alongside the new incoming mains to BS8558:2015 and PD 855468 — sodium hypochlorite at 50 mg/l, contact, neutralisation and flush-through — with UKAS potable sampling and disinfection certificates issued.
AHU Commissioning
Air-side commissioning of the Building 7 air handling units to CIBSE Code A and BSRIA AG 3/89.3 — supply and extract volumes measured and proportionally regulated against design, with the FläktGroup AHU verified at 106% of design airflow.
Inside the cold water storage tank.
The sectional GRP cold water tank was drained, deep-cleaned and chlorinated before the domestic system was brought into service — the kind of work that never gets seen once the ceiling voids are closed up, but underpins safe, wholesome water for the whole building.
The compliance map for The Stage.
The standard for the CHW & LTHW dynamic flush, chemical clean to iron plateau, biocide wash and acceptance sampling.
The chemistry the systems were restored to — molybdate 375 mg/l and nitrite 300 mg/l after re-dosing.
The sampling methodology behind the basebuild validation suite and the SRB re-sampling.
The codes the CWST and new incoming mains were chlorinated and certified to.
With BSRIA AG 3/89.3 — the codes the Building 7 AHUs were balanced and witnessed to.
The backdrop for the microbiological controls — SRB eradication, CWST hygiene and potable verification.
Clean, microbiologically sound, balanced & signed off.
The basebuild problem found at validation was dealt with head-on — the sulphate-reducing bacteria were eradicated, the closed systems re-dosed back inside BG50 targets, and the chemistry and microbiology verified clean by independent laboratory before the systems were accepted.
The cold water tank and incoming mains were cleaned, chlorinated and certified, and the Building 7 AHUs commissioned at 106% of design airflow. MALA Engineering received a complete BWS evidence pack — statements of conformity, acceptance chemistry, disinfection certificates, UKAS analysis and commissioning data sheets.
What was delivered
- Basebuild validation report & interpretation
- BG29 statements of conformity — CHW & LTHW
- SRBs eradicated & re-sampled clean
- Inhibitor restored — Mo 375 / NO₂ 300 mg/l
- BS8558 disinfection certificates (CWST & mains)
- UKAS-accredited chemistry & microbiology analysis
- AHU commissioning data — 106% of design
- Full evidence pack issued to MALA Engineering