HOWE GREEN PANELS SEALED FOR ROYAL APPROVAL AT ST PANCRAS

When the Queen officially opened the £800m St Pancras Eurostar High Speed 1 terminal, there was no chance of a Royal slip up – thanks to Howe Green’s top of the range access panels.

In total, more than 1,300 premium stainless steel covers were provided for the massive regeneration project by the UK’s leading developer and manufacturer of floor, ceiling and wall access solutions.

Used as a safe and attractive way to conceal cables, plumbing and other services, they are designed to fit flush with the floor.

The covers create a seamless, smooth finish that guarantees no tripping hazards for pedestrians (or Royal visitors!). This is essential for locations like St Pancras’ main arrivals/departures area, where there is a continuous heavy footfall.

The majority of the Howe Green access covers were manufactured from 316 grade stainless steel, the highest specification available to ensure incredible durability and appearance.

Half of those supplied to terrazzo flooring contractor WB Simpson were hinged HSE 75 models, which also feature top quality, 316 grade stainless steel gas springs (for added ease of use). The remainder were 7500 Series lift out covers, boasting a 2 hour fire rating to BS 476: Part 20: 1987.

Using these ranges ensured flexibility of access throughout the development.

Director Richard Centa commented "Being involved with such a prestigious redevelopment scheme as St Pancras has been a real honour for us. Due to the scale of the project, we worked closely with the flooring contractors throughout and the majority of floor panels ordered were turned around in only a few days. This meant we could support them in meeting the constantly fluctuating needs of such a demanding construction scheme."

As well as being strong and secure – the HSE 75 panels are able to support a 3 tonne pneumatic tyre load –, all the floor access covers had to be aesthetically compatible with the St Pancras regeneration works. In fact, only the stainless steel showedges that form a crisp outline on the platforms are visible.

The new St Pancras Terminal was completed on time and on schedule. It was officially opened by The Queen on November 6.

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