Europe’s largest pillar free ballroom can now welcome dancers from around the globe thanks to the installation of an innovative drainage system.
The 4,800 metre2 ballroom, situated in the InterContinental London O2 Hotel, is located close to its iconic namesake, the O2 Arena. The hotel also boasts several restaurants, a spa and a panoramic Sky Bar, offering views of Canary Wharf and the River Thames.
Standing at 19 storeys high and containing 453 bedrooms and suites, it was of paramount importance that the drainage system installed could be trusted not to leak, and so M&E Contractor, H.E. Simm & Son Ltd., approached Polypipe to manufacture a suitable solution.
As experts in providing intelligently designed solutions for the movement of water and air around tall buildings, Polypipe Terrain provided an appropriate system using Terrain FUZE HDPE.
Made of high-density polyethylene, Terrain FUZE is lighter in weight than cast iron equivalent systems and can therefore feature longer pipe runs, meaning less jointing is required. This in turn, provides less opportunities for the system to leak, making it ideal for the project.
As the system is jointed using electrofusion welding, where the weld area is as strong as the host material, system integrity is increased and consequently the risk of leaks in the development is further reduced.
With floor space in the centre of London at a premium, any ways to reduce the footprint of the drainage within the building would maximise commercial space, a key consideration of H.E. Simm & Son Ltd. and the O2 Hotel.
Martin Thompson, Senior Project Manager at H.E. Simm & Son Ltd., said: “The drainage system installed at the O2 Hotel needed to be considered and intelligently designed. The innovation displayed by Polypipe’s Terrain system, including FUZE HDPE made best use of the available space.”
Rebecca Harland, Key Account Director at Polypipe Terrain, said: “At Polypipe we don’t just supply pipes, we provide an intelligently designed Terrain drainage system, tailored to meet the end needs of the building.
"We pride ourselves on being experts in providing drainage within tall buildings and have worked on some of the most impressive buildings around the world. The O2 Hotel is another example to add to this list.”