Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

The Problem

Originally established in 1932, the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is an award-winning London landmark, and one of the city’s largest theatres. Every year it welcomes audiences in excess of 140,000 over its 18-week season of top-class performances, all taking place with both a stage and auditorium open to the English elements.

With such large numbers of people, safety is clearly of paramount importance – which is why the theatre owners called upon Thermagrip when they recently were looking to refurbish the auditorium’s many steps.

In fact, this is the second time Thermagrip has been used on the steps. Back in 2012, this award-winning treatment was installed direct to the concrete steps to provide patented full step anti-slip coverage (as opposed to the more common simple step edge), making the whole step an anti-slip surface with letters incorporated into it for seat guidance.

Unfortunately, whilst the anti-slip treatment was still fully functional, a lot of the concrete steps were showing signs of irreparable damage, simply due to the age of the venue and the ravages of time, and the management team were faced with the prospect of a very expensive step replacement programme.

The Thermagrip team had the most cost effective and safe solution…

The Solution

Unique Thermagrip technology

Thermagrip is unlike any other non-slip solution.

Thermagrip is NOT A PAINT but our own formula heavy-duty thermoplastic coating, which is odourless and non-toxic, providing a permanent waterproof and airtight bonded finish, six times more durable than anti-slip paints. It offers protection and prolonged life to the subsurface, is fully conforming to all DDA and Health & Safety regulations in terms of slip resistance and contrasting colour step edge nosing, and has the added advantage of being able to incorporate letters/numbers, logos etc, WITHIN the non -slip matrix.

The Thermagrip product has been rigorously industry tested with outstanding results in terms of durability and slip resistant values (SRV). Full test results available upon request).

The Application

Whilst we can apply our treatment directly to the subsurface, our preferred method is to apply the Thermagrip product to aluminium profile at our factory, creating a step cover which is an exact fit to each receiving step.

At Regent’s Park, all areas were cleaned and prepped with the step risers being spray-painted with an industrial heavy-duty acrylic paint, ready for the pre-manufactured covers to be securely fixed into place complete with their integral row markings.

The whole process was completed within 3 working days with the minimum of downtime and disturbance to the Theatre’s normal routine.

Creating an auditorium fit for the 2019 season …. and beyond

“We’re delighted that our Thermagrip treatment was the first choice for such an important installation” commented Thermagrip’s Founding Director, Jonathan Hamp.

For further information, contact Thermagrip Ltd on 01625 874534 or email info@thermagrip.co.uk