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Location: Lee Valley Ice Centre, London, UK
Project/Case: Lee Valley Ice Centre
Year: 2023
Originally opened by Torvill and Dean in 1984, the Lee Valley Ice Centre had become outdated by the 2010s and was struggling to meet demand. A £30m redevelopment programme was undertaken, and the new facility reopened in 2023 featuring two Olympic-sized ice rinks.
As part of the redevelopment, the building’s façade was clad with copper shingles. Due to the high levels of insulation within the structure, the shingles remained at ambient temperature, allowing snow and ice to accumulate before sliding off onto public walkways — posing a significant safety risk.
The objective was to design an energy-efficient, fully automated heating system that would prevent snow and ice build-up on the façade and eliminate the danger of falling ice.
Working closely with the client, we mapped the risk areas on the façade and delivered a bespoke trace heating system. This was mounted behind the copper shingles using stainless steel fixings specifically designed for the structure.
The system had to be extremely thin to fit into the restricted space and was built with fire-rated insulation to ensure safety. To avoid future maintenance issues, no electrical connections were left in the inaccessible areas behind the panels.
To guarantee automatic and maintenance-free operation, Heatcom supplied roof-mounted moisture and temperature sensors linked to advanced ice and snow melting controllers. This allowed the system to activate only when needed, without manual intervention.
The system was commissioned in 2023 and successfully raised the copper façade temperature by up to 25°C above ambient.
During the winter of 2023/24, when the centre experienced several weeks of sub-zero conditions, the solution performed flawlessly — keeping the façade completely free of snow and ice, and ensuring a safe entrance for all visitors.
Lee-vally-ice-centre-1.pdf
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