Suspended Access Platform at KOKO, Camden

We were thrilled to work at KOKO in Camden recently, installing an 11m suspended access platform as part of the huge redevelopment project currently underway.

The music venue closed back in April 2019 for a redevelopment project which included the acquisition of two adjacent buildings and a complete renovation of the iconic rooftop area. Progress was somewhat hampered by a fire in January 2020 that destroyed the famous dome, but work has continued, and we’ll hopefully see the finished results soon.

The venue began life as the Camden Theatre back in 1900. Renamed the Camden Palace in 1982, it was quickly established as a crucial part of the London music scene and watched the rise of New Romantic, Dance and New Wave, Rave, House and Acid House before closing in 2004. Since its reincarnation as KOKO, it has hosted stars including Madonna, Coldplay, Prince, Kanye West, Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Amy Winehouse, Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, J Cole, Skepta and many, many more. 

As a century-old, listed building it posed us some unusual challenges regarding what we could and couldn’t do to achieve the result the client needed. Two storage tanks with a combined weight of 2.5 tonnes were to be positioned in the space below the listed roof. Easy access was needed to safely reach the tanks whenever required. Because of the listed status we were unable to fix the platform to the wall – it had to be suspended using drop rods.

Our highly qualified and experienced install team came up with a solution, spending just two weeks creating a multi-level walkway that placed no weight on the internal roof and had minimal interference with the listed building’s structure. Composite materials were the logical material to use. It’s lightweight; so easy to manoeuvre and work within such a constricted space but still meets the loading requirements.  QuartzGrip® Open Mesh GRP Grating is manufactured to ISO 9001 quality standards providing the highest slip-resistance available, while our heavy duty SafeRail™ GRP Handrail System is certified to BS 4592:0.

The result? A bespoke solution that has provided the client with a non-corrosive walkway meeting all Health and Safety maintenance access guidelines in document M & K of the building regulations and the equalities act, keeping future users safe in an otherwise unsafe maintenance regime.