etag has played a key role in the structural repair and reinforcement of the roof at the London Coliseum, home to the English National Opera. The distributor provided fixings and, critically, its pull-out testing service to the project, helping preserve one of the UK’s most historic and culturally significant venues.
Following significant water damage to the roof of the London Coliseum, 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, 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, black ash is also mixed in strength, requiring a careful and bespoke approach to fixings.
Having worked with etag for several years, Cuandor Roofing and Facades approached the distributor to help find a solution. In response, it called on its specialist knowledge and experience of Sympafix fixings, with etag providing free-of-charge pull-out testing from its Construction Fixings Association (CFA) certified tester.
Across the project, etag 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 1000 screws were supplied to the build that is over a 250m2 area. In addition to testing, etag gave on-site training to the Cuandor team to help ensure the fixings were installed as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Speaking about the project, 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.”
The pull-out testing services from etag provide contractors with essential data to ensure the safety and reliability of fixings in real-world conditions. Using Hydra-Jaws, etag conducts precise assessments that eliminate guesswork, providing engineers and contractors with confidence in their chosen fixings and necessary documentation for legislation such as the Building Safety Act. In addition to testing, etag offers guidance and hands-on training to help ensure fixings are installed correctly to prevent costly delays and structural issues.
