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Safety and Security Window Films: Success Stories Protecting the Royal Albert Hall

Installation Summary Problem: Potential Terriorist Attacks

Solution: Installed Armorcoat Window Film for Protection

Amount of film: 188 windows Benefits: 188 windows are now Blast Proof

The Royal Albert Hall is an instantly recognisable world famous venue. Unfortunately, in the current climate, that also means it has to be protected from any potential terrorist attacks. Key to this is making the venue’s 188 windows blast proof, which is why the Hall has installed Armorcoat, an innovative product by Solar Gard that affords protection to all of the venue’s internal and external glass.

Having a world wide totally committed to ensuring – it’s a clear product that just windows and replace it with reputation as an iconic the safety of all of our visitors, goes straight onto the glass new 175 micron Armorcoat concert venue can have patrons and employees. itself,’ said Solar Gard’s Sales film to meet Home Office its downside. That kind of The installation of Armorcoat Manager Ian Penfold. ‘The specifications for bomb profile can also translate into clearly plays a key part in problem with blasts is that blast protection, as well as becoming a potential target that because, in the case 90 per cent of injuries and replacing all the old film on for terrorists. ‘Obviously, as of anything happening, damage aren’t caused by the internal glass to meet with any public building these it prevents any injuries the blast itself, but by flying Health and Safety Executive days, security is extremely byfragments of glass.’ glass.’ duty of care requirements. important to us and it’s ‘We had originally installed something we take extremely The film was installed less Armorcoat is an adhesive protective film at the Albert seriously,’ said the Royal than a year ago by one of film that is cut to size by the Hall about 12 years ago for Albert Hall’s Operations Solar Gard’s accredited installer and easy to affix. bomb blast purposes at the Director, Amanda Squires. ‘It’s installers, Invicta. ‘If we do Last year the Hall took the time of the IRA’s bombing always something that’s at the our job right then people decision to remove the campaign in London,’ said top of our agenda – we are don’t know what we’ve done existing film from all external Invicta’s Sales Director Steve Thompson. ‘This was an out and co-ordinating lots process but we have to train ‘It means we don’t have to upgrade to the new Home of different departments teams of installers – it’s not worry about it for the next ten Office bomb blast standard because we pretty much a DIY job. It doesn’t cause years,’ says Amanda Squires. specification, which is 175 have a show every day,’ says any great disruption to the ‘Once it’s been installed – micron film – the old film was Amanda Squires. ‘By the people in the building, unlike apart from the normal routine 100 micron. We replaced end of 2007 we had had if you were re-glazing, which of window cleaning – it’s very the film on all the external more than 360 shows, so you is a major disruption to the straightforward, so you don’t windows and doors and we can see that we don’t get day to day workings.’ notice it from a maintenance also went a stage further and much down time to keep the point of view either. It’s very ‘Invicta worked closely with put film on all the internal building looking lovely – and easy to maintain – there’s no us and came in and did a full glass in the corridors.’ the Albert Hall is not the kind lifting or peeling or anything reconnaissance beforehand,’ of building you can ever allow like that at all. You wouldn’t says Amanda Squires. ‘There ‘If somebody were to bring to look shabby.’ know it was there.’ Perhaps are 188 windows involved a bomb into the building, unsurprisingly, there’s a large being a contained space it and constant demand for can obviously cause a lot of Armorcoat at the moment. damage,’ he continued. ‘It’s a ‘The demand is across the risk assessment thing. It’s less board, in London and across likely these days that you’d the country,’ says Ian Penfold. get the big vehicle bomb ‘That’s for both government outside – it’s more likely to buildings and other major be a case of someone trying organisations – in fact, the to bring in small explosives Government has its own in a rucksack and explode standing order.’ them inside. Most injuries So would the Albert Hall in a bomb blast are caused install the product again? by the flying shards of glass ‘Yes, absolutely,’ says and that’s something that Amanda Squires. ‘I’d certainly we can quite easily reduce recommend it to other – the film holds the glass organisations. It’s lived up together and stops it spraying to its expectations, and the around, which is what causes installation and ongoing damage. Glass can travel at ‘We worked around their in the project so it’s clearly maintenance have been very huge speeds in an explosion performances, so if they had a major job. The work had good. We’re very satisfied and embed itself in walls and a matinee for example we’d to be scheduled around with the product and very furniture, so it’s an obvious work to suit their hours,’ says performances and meetings, satisfied with the service risk to human life.’ Steve Thompson. ‘It was all not prove disruptive in any we had from the installation Clearly, installing protective done over a couple of months way or interrupt performances contractors. We’ve had no film on this kind of scale with no problem at all. The or people’s enjoyment of the issues at all.’ was always going to pose film comes in a roll and it’s Hall, because we’re here to First published in Homeland logistical problems at a venue cut to just over the size of give people a fantastic show and Border Security Review as busy as the Hall, but Invicta the glass. The glass is then experience.’ August 2008. managed the contract with a thoroughly cleaned, the liner The films have a ten year minimum of disruption. ‘It was on the back of the film is warranty, and are tested at a very complex process of pulled off, it’s sprayed with the end of that period to see planning dates around when water, positioned, trimmed if renewal is necessary. the work could be carried and affixed. It’s a fairly easy

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