Roof Heating system for LG Arena at Birmingham NEC

20-02-2014

Development: LG Arena, NEC
Location: Birmingham
Project brief: Roof heating system to prevent dangerous snow drifts and build-up Roof Heating system for LG Arena at Birmingham NEC

The LG Arena at the Birmingham NEC was seeking a solution to the build-up of ice and snow in the winter on the 1,200m² roof of the building. To allow the arena to suspend additional audio-visual equipment from the roof they either needed to go through the costly and disruptive process of reinforcing the roof, or find an alternative way of ensuring the snow loading did not need to be taken into account.

Heat Mat’s solution was to supply a cost effective roof snow-melting system that would eliminate the risk of ice and snow buildup on the roof. Care was taken to design a system that was capable of achieving the objective whilst working within the power constraints onsite.

12km of specialist heating cable were manufactured bespoke for the roof and Heat Mat’s designers worked with the roofing contractors to ensure that the fixing method would not harm the integrity of the roof structure.

In addition to the roof heating system it was important to ensure that the significant quantities of water produced by the heating were able to drain away without the risk of refreezing. A powerful gutter de-icing cable was specified and this ensured all gutters and downpipes remained free of ice at all times and also prevented dangerous icicles forming which could have fallen onto property and people below.

For further information about Heat Mat Ice and Snow systems visit: www.iceandsnowsystems.co.uk Heat Mat can provide installation training if required or recommend a fitting service for their ice and snow prevention systems.