Heating a Historic South Coast Icon
Project: Hastings Pier, restaurant and bar area
Underfloor Heating lightens the load for Hastings Pier
A lack of space increasingly proves a deal breaker in urban high-end property where every square centimetre counts and electric underfloor heating creates roomier interiors. Weight can prove critical too, as was the case with the Pavilion Restaurant & Bar at newly reopened Hasting Pier, East Sussex.
The goal:
During the £14.2m refurbishment of historic Hastings Pier, funded largely by the Heritage Lottery Fund, a traditional wet system was ruled out because it would simply have been too great a load for the flooring in the restaurant. The floor is housed within the original superstructure left behind after fire devastated the majority of the Victorian pier in 2010, following closure in 2008 due to it being unsafe and in a state of disrepair.
The solution:
In sensitive sites such as this, electric underfloor heating can carry major advantages. “A wet system would have added additional unnecessary load to the floor, which in turn would have put additional stress to the surface” stresses Paul Yates, director of Premier Electrical Services, the lead electrical contractor. Perched over the English Channel, on the original cast iron structure, the large expanse of floor has to handle the constant influx of visitors to the iconic attraction. Therefore, minimising the load bearing was vital for what was a complex install.
Working closely with wholesaler Edmundson Electrical in Crawley, West Sussex, Heat Mat’s project manager visited the site during construction to calculate the size and nature of the electric underfloor heating required before the wholesaler dispatched the job straight to site.
The underfloor heating was installed in three zones using a combination of loose 3mm heating cable to cover any awkward spaces within the restaurant and 160W heating mats. The zones are thermostatically controlled by three white Heat Mat NGT colour touchscreen thermostats. as well as the main open service area, a toilet and kitchen pod, dry store and staff changing rooms were also fitted with Heat Mat’s electric underfloor heating mats and cables.
The result:
The historic structure, originally opened in 1872, played host to top pop and rock acts such as the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd in the 1960s.
The pier re-opened to the public on 21st May 2016 with a concert by Madness. The band’s lead singer Suggs was born in Hastings and was also invited to nail down the last plank of decking earlier in the month.
The underfloor heating install was completed and commissioned in late April by Premier with the support of Heat Mat’s project manager.
The final heating system provides a flexible floor warming solution for the pier and will add to staff and diners comfort at the restaurant. The lighter weight of the final electric underfloor heating system guarantees the integrity of the floor will be preserved for many years to come.
The Pavillion Restaurant is heated using 160W underfloor heating mats.
Hastings Pier Pavillion following extensive refurbishment to rescue the Victorian building.
Heat Mat Product specification:
- 160W/sqm underfloor heating mats to provide full space heating
- 3mm loose cable
- NGTouch thermostat
