Connectors – Anchors – Fasteners

Words: Dan KamysApril 2016

Cintec Technology Aids in Restoration of Award-Winning 12th-Century Castle

Cintec Technology Aids in Restoration of Award-Winning 12th-Century Castle CINTEC International, a leader in the field of structural masonry retrofit strengthening, repair and preservation, announced that its patented anchors were used in the restoration of Astley Castle in Nuneaton, North Warwickshire, U.K. Following its renovations, Astley Castle was awarded the prestigious Riba Stirling Prize for Architecture. Cintec teamed up with architects and engineers from Mann Williams and Newport-based Protectahome to restore the castle. Cintec assisted Protectahome with the first phase of restoration, which included structural repairs and stabilizing the remaining walls of the building prior to rebuilding. Cintec’s patented anchors were used to stitch together and strengthen the walls.
Cintec Technology Aids in Restoration of Award-Winning 12th-Century Castle Cintec Technology Aids in Restoration of Award-Winning 12th-Century Castle
The process of restoring Astley Castle involved using a diamond drill to insert steel anchors into the building. Once in place, grout was pumped into a special sleeve surrounding the anchor, and air was pumped out. Cores removed during this process were retained and reused where the anchors were installed, leaving an almost invisible repair. The work has ensured the survival of the original walls, allowing the award-winning holiday home to be built within the shell of the ancient castle. The Riba Stirling Prize is the U.K.’s most prestigious architectural award. Judging is based on original, imaginative and well-executed designs that excellently meet the needs of their users and inspire those who use and visit them. Cintec Technology Aids in Restoration of Award-Winning 12th-Century Castle “The restoration work on Astley Castle was an impressive enterprise, as anyone who saw the castle prior to its transformation could have been forgiven for thinking it a hopeless ruin,” said Peter James, managing director of Cintec International. “To be awarded the Riba Stirling Prize demonstrates the true extent of its transformation. It has now been turned into a structurally stable building that will stand the test of time and can be enjoyed by many people in its reincarnation as a holiday home.” Cintec anchors have been used to restore historically significant buildings across the globe, including Windsor Castle, the White House and extensive work on Egypt’s pyramids. A video tour of the house is available on the “ribaarchitecture” YouTube channel. The final project worked to a 60:40 ratio of old to new masonry construction.
For more information, visit www.cintec.com.
About: Case Study
PPE That Workers Actually Wear: Building Buy-In Through Education and Smart Selection
August 2026

In masonry construction, personal protective equipment (PPE) is often the last line of defense between a worker and an injury. Yet despite its importance, PPE compliance remains one of the most common challenges on jobsites across the country. The realit

Greg Brown
Safety Library
Read More
Zero Laydown: Navigating the Logistics of Tight Urban Job Sites
August 2026

In modern commercial construction, spatial real estate has become just as valuable as the materials themselves. The industry shift toward high-density, urban projects means that the sprawling job sites of the past have been replaced by tight footprints wh

Shayne Sanders
MAP Partner
Read More
Why "The Software Can't Track That" Is Finally Going Away
August 2026

For as long as specialty contractors have used field software, most of them have kept a workaround somewhere: a spreadsheet on a foreman's laptop, a whiteboard in the trailer, or a text thread where crew leads send block counts at the end of the day becau

Erin Koets
Build Smart
MAP Partner
Read More
Monadnock Building
August 2026

Chicago’s Monadnock Building doesn’t dominate the skyline the way it once did. Surrounded by steel-and-glass towers, the dark brick structure can seem almost understated. But for anyone in the masonry industry, it remains one of the most important buildin

Cass Stern
American Treasure
Brick Clay Brick
Read More