CLW office, Milk Bottle Designs photography

About

The UK's leading independent structural waterproofing consultancy.

No product affiliations. No contractor commercial pressure. Specialist multi-disciplinary design that genuinely owns the waterproofing scope from RIBA 2 through construction monitoring.

Why CLW exists

There is a structural risk gap in UK commercial development.

Basement waterproofing is consistently high risk in UK commercial development. The scope gap is structural: structural engineers or architects develop design intent for waterproofing at RIBA Stage 2, without the specialist depth to own it. This intent gets pushed down the supply chain until no one truly owns it.

The result is defects, cost overruns, disputes, and. Ultimately. Buildings that leak.

CLW exists to close that gap. Not by selling products. Not by working for contractors. By being genuinely independent, technically expert, and commercially accountable.

The team

Multi-disciplinary expertise. Architects, engineers, surveyors.

Technical Director

Ben Hickman

MEng PgDip MSt(Cantab) C.Build E CSRT CSSW WDS APAEWE MCIOB MCABE

Founder. Past Chair of the Property Care Association. Contributor to BS 8102:2022. Expert witness on waterproofing disputes. ~22k LinkedIn followers. Speaker and white paper author. Family of three sons; climbs when he can get out.

Practice Director

Andrea Maugeri

ARB RIBA

Chartered Architect. Leads process, operations, and quality at CLW. Recently completed CSSW. Sailor and scuba diver.

Design Manager

Adam Leatherdale

BA CSSW PCAQT WDS

20+ years of drawing leadership. Owns CLW's filing protocol, document naming, and drawing standards.

Senior Waterproofing Design Consultant

Johnny Etkind

MEng MSc CSSW WDS

20+ years of structural engineering experience. Deep specialism in deep basement construction and ground engineering interfaces.

CFO (Chief Fun Officer)

Callie

—

Ben's dog. Comes into the office. Excellent at chasing balls.

Credentials

Independently verified.

£10m Professional Indemnity. SSiP Approved Designers. Cyber Essentials Plus. CHAS Elite Accredited. Chartered Building Consultancy (CIOB). ASUC member. PCA member. Three registered Waterproofing Design Specialists (Ben, Adam, Johnny). Ben Hickman contributed to BS 8102:2022.

Full credentials →

Talk to CLW about your scheme.

Whether you're at RIBA 2 and shaping the brief, or you've been handed a contractor's proposal and need an independent read.