NEC Pavilion Exhibition Building Displays New Roof

A long and thorough procurement process resulted in success for roofing manufacturer Bauder, when they were selected to replace a new roof on the Pavilion building at National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham.

The brief was to come up with a solution to replace the 4,700 m² roof on the exhibition areas adjacent to the arena, which was originally constructed in the 1970s.  The shortlisting process reduced the tenders down to 10 and then to three before being awarded to Bauder.

Antony Hawkins, from Bauder said, “We were delighted to secure this prestigious project and I believe our success in securing the contract was down to our excellent reputation in the industry and our ability to provide excellent value for money.

“As one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of flat roof waterproofing membranes and insulation products - our portfolio of waterproofing options includes reinforced bitumen membranes, hot melt structural waterproofing, single-ply synthetic membranes, cold liquid applied systems, high performance PIR insulation and green roof landscaping solutions.”

This was a reasonably straight-forward project for Bauder and their approved contractor NRA Roofing. The main challenge was to work around four very large chiller units on the roof and improve the water-proofing. A bespoke design was successfully drawn-up which overcame the specific aspects of this project.  A comprehensive core sample analysis of 150 samples cut from the old roof identified 15% was wet. These areas were replaced before the new surface was applied.

Russ Burnham, venue engineering manager at the NEC said, “Right from the off, I was impressed with Bauder’s professionalism and their clear understanding of our requirements. They fulfilled their stated obligations at every stage throughout the project. Their specifications were clear and well supported. A core survey, carried out at no additional cost, allowed us to clearly see the extent of the wet areas and their high standard of technical support throughout the works gave us a real confidence that the correct product and people were being used on the job.
He added, “The enthusiasm of key individuals also contributed to the delivery of the project which amazingly came in three weeks early on a nine week contract period.

In the UK, Bauder has enjoyed substantial growth over the last decade, and with this set to continue the company recently expanded into new premises which doubles its current offices and warehouse facilities.