Etag has supported the structural repair and reinforcement of the roof at the London Coliseum, home to the English National Opera.
The distributor provided fixings and its pull-out testing service to the project.
Following significant water damage to the roof of the London Coliseum, a statement said that structural reinforcement works were needed to reinstate its structural integrity while being sensitive to the building’s Grade II listed status and minimising disruption to performances and events.
However, it noted that a further challenge of the project, led by Quinn London and completed by Cuandor Roofing and Facades, was the unusual composition of the roof’s substrate. The roof of the Coliseum is made from black ash concrete, a mix of post-war rubble, sand and cement that is found in buildings across London. As it is variable in composition, the statement added that black ash is also mixed in strength which requires a careful and bespoke approach to fixings.
Cuandor Roofing and Facades approached Etag to help find a solution. Etag provided its free-of-charge pull-out testing from its Construction Fixings Association (CFA) certified tester.
Across the project, the distributor also supplied Sympafix’s SB2 concrete screwbolts and SBA aerated concrete screws to enable the new roof facade to be placed on the black ash roof. Over 1,000 screws were supplied to the build that is over a 250 sq m area. Etag gave on-site training to the Cuandor team to help ensure the fixings were installed as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Kevin O’Sullivan, managing director of Cuandor, said: “Black ash is incredibly difficult to work with, and given the limited timescales and its listed status, we were almost at a loss as to how to tackle it. The help from etag was invaluable. The team was able to find a product that would work but also provide the testing we needed to make sure the solution was safe – and fast. Often, testing can take weeks and months, and we just didn’t have that time for this project.”
Michael Curley, technical sales manager and CFA tester at Etag, added: “Pull-out testing is hugely important in any project, but is especially so in a complex, historic and well-visited venue like the English National Opera. It was a pleasure to help Cuandor, with the support of Sympafix, to overcome the project’s challenges and be a part of preserving such a fantastic building.”
