Thames Water - Little Marlow Cake Barn

BACKGROUND

Little Marlow Cake Barn in Buckinghamshire fulfils a critical function in Thames Water’s water treatment infrastructure. “Cake” in this case is the euphemistic name given to the semi-solid material - known as “sludge cake” - left over when water is removed from sewage. The resulting sludge cake is about 20% of the weight and volume of the original sludge, which makes it easier and cheaper to handle and transport for use as a fertiliser on agricultural land.

THE CHALLENGE

In a built-up area with no room to expand its site, Thames Water knew there was only one way to cope with growing demand to keep up with a growing population. It calculated that removing bays in its cake barn would increase processing capacity by 30%. Aware from the outset this would damage the barn’s flooring beyond repair, it appointed leading performance coatings and technical solutions specialist Ultimate Coatings Limited (UCL) to source and install flooring that would meet the demanding requirements for both setting time and durability.

Aware of Sika® Ucrete®’s reputation for being the toughest flooring on the market, Director Richard Atkinson approached Sika®. He explains, “Our priority with any project is choosing the right flooring for the job, not the cheapest. We needed a smooth, anti-slip, hardwearing floor and there was only one that met all the criteria: Sika® Ucrete®. Sika’s ten-year warranty clinched it.”

At this stage, UCL was not yet a Sika-approved contractor but with its sights set on specifying Sika® Ucrete® IF, this was soon rectified. Richard Atkinson and 12 other members of the UCLs team attended a rigorous training course at Sika’s training academy.

The course is designed to ensure that those installing Sika products lay the best solution for a project to the highestpossible standard. Membership of Sika’s flooring contractor scheme, for which formal certification is provided, is granted only to contractors who have undertaken the required training and demonstrated the necessary skill level and commitment to customer care

THE SOLUTION

The UCL team laid 1600sqm of Sika® Ucrete® flooring in just seven weeks during the first phase of the repair works, despite the added challenges of a leaky roof and very cold temperatures.

With safety of paramount importance to Thames Water, UCL operatives wore full PPE, including helmets, protective goggles and ear defenders, throughout, keeping the workforce injury-free.

Recognising that working with the heavy-duty Sika® Ucrete® IF can take its toll on those installing it and mindful of its duty of care, UCL invested in mechanisation wherever possible to reduce the need for manual handling and protect its operatives. Innovations included using electrified barrows, robots to jet-clean the tanks, a winch for sledge-pulling and even a ‘hover trowel’ built around helicopter principles to handle the finishing.