24/04/2018

Specified for its durability and simple installation, Sikafloor® will ensure visitors to Lord's enjoy an improved, uninterrupted view of the field of play in safety and comfort.

Lord’s Cricket Ground, one of the oldest and grandest sporting venues in the world, has undergone a multimillion pound renovation. The new Warner Stand – located beside the London ground’s glorious, grade II-listed red-bricked pavilion – represents a masterplan redevelopment of Lord’s Cricket Ground.With the original Warner Stand, built in 1958, deemed unfit for purpose, it was demolished. 
 
Its modernisation included the reconfiguration of its two-tier seating area to improve sightlines for spectators, as well as an upgrade of its concourse, kitchen, hospitality and officials’ areas. Lifts will also be installed to help maintain the ground’s status as the world’s number one cricket venue. For a project of this stature, an appropriate simple-to-install, flexible-yet-durable flooring system was required to cover different areas of the stand and add to its 21st aesthetic.

Sikafloor® more than met this exacting challenge.Main contractors, BAM Construction, required a 2,000m² flooring system which was quick and simple to install to ensure the readiness for the 2016-2017 season. For the Warner Stand’s concourse, Sika ComfortFloor® was applied. Ideal for a range of commercial, industrial and domestic applications, Sika ComfortFloor® is an attractive alternative to traditional vinyl flooring, carpet or timber. An easily-applied, high-performance liquid, this hard-wearing system – particularly suited to areas of heavy footfall – is available in an expansive range of colours to meet a wealth of aesthetic requirements.

Sika ComfortFloor® is the only resin flooring solution on the market to be classified in the BRE Green Guide with an A+ rating, setting a benchmark for sustainability in the industry. Its chemical composition and texture absorb impact, granting it excellent acoustic insulation.As with all products in Sika’s extensive Decorative flooring range,  Sika Decoflake, installed throughout the Warner Stand’s VIP hospiltaily and dining areas, is a low emission, UV-resistant, high-performance, low visciois epoxy resin – a perfect complement to areas requiring stlyish and practical flooring.

Events held off the pitch was of  importantance to a stadium’s revenue as matters on it, therefore great emphasis was placed on ensuring the new  Warner Stand is capable of hosting an array of all-year-round events such as businesses conferences or celebrity-laden banquets. Catering will play a vital part in fulfuilling this extracurricular role, hence the specification of Sikafloor®-20 PurCem®, a multi-component , resin-rich, cement and aggregate screed in the kitchen area. Suitable for floors subject to heavy loading, abrasion and chemical exposure, Sikafloor®-20 PurCem® has a textured aggregate surface providing medium to heavy profile slip resistance, making it the ideal surface for food processing and chemical plant areas.Completed in 2017, the Warner Stand houses 2,656 spectators, with the number of restricted-view seats being reduced by 100. The redevelopment includes a number of sustainable features including solar panelling, living walls and an environmentally-friendly system that collects and recycles water. 
 
Stephen McDaid, Director at McDaid Screeding Services, the project’s sub-contractors, commented:

"Sikafloor® is a very good product, our operatives love installing it. It’s, durable, versatile and a joy to lay. The only challenge we’ve faced so far during this project is the fierce glare from the members in the neighbouring pavilion – they’ve been watching us like hawks. But they can rest assured; we’re armed with the skills, experience and product to carry out the job to the highest specification."

By providing the total flooring solution for the redeveloped Warner Stand, Sikafloor® is laying the foundation for the sport to flourish at this hallowed venue for centuries to come.