OLYMPIA Events is located on Hammersmith Road, next to Kensington (Olympia) Station, and first opened its doors on 26 December 1886. The venue has since become established as an architectural landmark, holding cultural and business events. Today it welcomes more than 1.6m visitors to more than 220 events each year.
The classic Victorian architecture was designed by Henry Edward Coe, featuring an iron barrel structure in a clear span of 170ft (more than 50m), with a glazed roof, much like Kings Cross Station and the original Crystal Palace of Hyde Park.
When completed in December 1886, the inaugural event was the ‘Paris Hippodrome’, probably the biggest public entertainment spectacle in the world at that time, a circus featuring more than 400 performers, 300 horses, and six elephants in the show.
For almost 140 years, Olympia Events has been a major national venue that has enjoyed a colourful history, with other significant dates and events including: the First London International Horse Show in 1888; the first Ideal Home Show in 1908, a monumental achievement at the time, requiring 3,000 men to build the show; the Cruft’s Dog Show (1948); the first London Boat Show (1954); the first British Electronic Computer Exhibition (yes, computers in Britain way back in 1958); in the ‘swinging sixties’ from 1967 major ‘Live Music’ concerts began with shows from Jimi Hendrix, the Animals, and Pink Floyd; plus, so many more business, cultural and public service events ever since.
In 2024, the management at Olympia Events wanted to refurbish and upgrade the finish of the traditional asphaltic floors in the national hall and galleries, so they searched online for independent advice on how best to achieve their objectives.
They found and contacted NCC, the fully independent specialist materials consultants and distributors, through its focussed website: www.ResinFlooringSite.co.uk.
The advice of a fully independent technically competent advisor was important to them, to avoid focus on a single manufacturer’s product and technical capabilities.
Says the company, ‘One key NCC advantage, is extensive experience and understanding of all available cement-based and resin flooring technologies, with access to leading manufacturers’ technologies and products. It also interacts with a national network of experienced specialist contractors.
‘This is why and how NCC can ensure the best and most cost-effective flooring systems and products are used for each project, and with no time wasted. Olympia Events invited NCC to make an initial survey and make detailed recommendations. NCC was able to propose alternative options, then arrange sample areas on-site, for Olympia to properly evaluate. The best floor refurbishment option was clearly the Conifloor IPS System, and NCC provided details of experienced specialist contractors to tender the works and provide the most cost-effective solution.’
The company continues, ‘The Conifloor IPS System is a coloured, tough and mechanically resistant, very low-emission floor coating based on advanced polyurethane resin, which is tough, resilient and statically crack bridging. Conifloor IPS is ideal for many different flooring applications, especially in floor refurbishment works, including overlaying traditional hot and cold poured asphaltic screeds.’
The key characteristics and properties of Conifloor IPS, in the words of the company include, include: ‘Very high UV-resistance and colour stability (aliphatic PU topcoat); wide range of colours (RAL and NCS); very low emissions (tested to AgBB, M1, A ++ and other standards); slip-resistant surfaces (Class R9 – R11); trafficable (pallet trucks, forklifts and other vehicles); warm underfoot, and suitable for use with underfloor heating; hygienic seamless surfaces, easy to clean; bacteriostatic topcoats to reduce bacterial growth; statically crack-bridging; and flame retardant (class Bfl-s1).’
Furthermore, says the company, there are a wide range of uses for Conifloor IPS including: ‘Production areas with dry and moderately wet conditions; logistic centres and warehouses, including highbay systems; corridors and other heavily used public access areas in hospitals, laboratories, schools and other facilities; exhibition areas, hotels, and other hospitality and leisure facilities; and suitable for many different substrates, also making it ideal for the refurbishment of concrete, anhydrite and asphaltic floor screeds etc.’
As a result, the Conifloor IPS System is said to be ‘the ideal solution for a great many concrete, asphalt and resin floor refurbishment projects’.
The successful specialist contractor for Olympia Events was Cemplas Waterproofing & Concrete Repairs, and its flooring team carried out the works in phases to minimise disruption.
The team thoroughly cleaned the surfaces and used vacuum blast-cleaning to prepare the existing surfaces and expose any defects, these were made good, followed by overall priming and sealing of the entire floor surface.
Then they installed the Conifloor IPS Topcoat in Olympia’s selected colour (RAL 7016), producing ‘a seamless finish, incorporating slip resistant profiles, as and where required. They also ensured full compliance and cooperation with the strict site safety and environmental controls throughout the works, which ensured minimal disturbance to other trades and the public, as well as protecting adjacent equipment and surfaces, right through the phased completion of the works’.
Says NCC, ‘If you’re looking for a new flooring system or finish, or you need to refurbish and upgrade an existing floor, contact NCC for independent advice and assistance. This can include our free site inspection and initial site survey service, where appropriate. We’re certain we can save you time and money on every project, and most importantly, we’ll be able to help ensure you get the right floor to meet your requirements and achieve your objectives.
‘Alternatively, if you’re a resin flooring contractor and would like to work with leading independent materials consultants and help provide quality solutions for our increasing number of clients, please contact us. We need more experienced and quality orientated contracting partners. Unlike most flooring material suppliers, we focus on providing our partners with qualified project sales leads, with clear technical specifications and practical method statements, also inviting your practical input at an early stage.
01257 266696
Sales@NCCinAction.co.uk
www.ResinFloorSite.co.uk
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