Sika – a global provider of specialty chemicals and products for the construction industry – has supplied a range of solutions for Weston-Super-Mare’s award winning Grand Pier.
The privately owned Grade II listed pier was destroyed by fire for the second time in its history in July 2008, which led to a £39 million reconstruction, featuring Sika concrete admixtures and Sika Sarnafil roofing membranes.
The new pier finally opened to the public in October 2010 and has been enjoyed by many seaside visitors since then.
“The coastal location and access requirements posed a number of challenges for us on this project,” comments Tom Forsyth, Sika’s Target Market Manager for Concrete. “During the reconstruction concrete had to be pumped from the shore to the pavilion across a distance of 400 metres whilst retaining a high consistence and strength without segregation.”
Luckily Sika’s expertise, along with the skill of its concrete supplier Bristol and Bath Concrete, proved to be the perfect solution for the pier. Sika Stabiliser 4 and Sikament Boost Pak were added to the concrete to prevent segregation and to allow the concrete to be successfully pumped and placed at the pier’s end.
In addition the pier’s platforms, terraces, and balconies required a waterproofing system that would withstand the harsh coastal elements, including water and wind uplift.
Hodge Single Ply Roofing specified and installed 1000sqm of Sarnafil G410-15EL, a high performance single ply membrane that has been independently assessed by the BBA to have a life expectancy ‘in excess of 40 years’ in their opinion. The system’s light weight and speed of installation made it an ideal solution for the logistical problems on site.
The specification of Sika products and excellent working relationships with Sika partners ensured the pier was completed on schedule, despite heavy snow during the construction period.
Complimentary to the Grand Pier’s rebuild was the £17 million Weston-Super-Mare Sea Defences and Seafronts Enhancements project, which also benefitted from the use of Sika products as Sikaflex PRO-2HP and Sikaflex Construction polyurethane sealants were used to seal the movement joints between the promenade paving and the concrete promenade wall.
