The Hive, Wirral Youth Zone, Birkenhead

At times, we’re fortunate enough to get to work with companies who do incredible things that make a hugely positive difference to their communities. This was the case at the end of 2019, when we carried out an external building refurbishment project at a charity-backed organisation: The Hive in Birkenhead.

Our client was HH Smith, the original builder of the property, though we worked closely with everyone involved in the day-to-day running of the organisation.

Working around our client’s needs

Understanding the nature of the work the site is involved in, we knew it was important to discuss how our project could keep impact on operations to a minimum. We sat down with the charity owner and onsite staff to listen to their needs. One of the primary concerns was the operational hours of the building: the times we’d normally consider out-of-hours, such as weekends and evenings, were in fact prime time for this organisation.

The building’s main purpose is to host after-school and holiday activities for children of all abilities, including some from deprived background. Keeping these activity schedules was imperative, so we readily adapted our approach and our working day became strictly 7am – 3pm. The area above entrance was strictly worked on after hours, with all work phased to minimise disruption to youths accessing the building.

Colour – matching brand colours

The Hive initially contacted our team here at Cladding Coatings to solve the problem of peeling and fading (63 decorate fins were showing real signs of wear), which was letting down the building’s appearance. The fins used five different colours, which matched The Hive logo. Therefore, colour-matching was essential.

To get this right, we carried out a sample on some metal to bring to a meeting with our client. Collectively, we agreed the pink wasn’t quite the perfect match. To solve this, we used a Pantone colour reference from one of the property’s internal doors: the result was exactly right.

Installing systems for additional protection

As our team got to work, it was time to install a system that would withstand corrosion. Birkenhead is coastal, so we’d typically class this as a C4 environment: meaning it has reasonably high salinity, but the property is in-shore. In fact, we chose a system suitable for a C5M environment, which means its suitable for a coastal marine property, above and beyond what is needed for ultimate protection.

Next, each fin was prepared and primed, and coated a minimum of four times to get the perfect finish. We installed our ten-year coating system in colours to match the references provided.

This project was completed by Brian and Shaun in just two weeks. We took care of everything, including assessing the impact of possible road closures and including MEWPs access within our costs. We’re delighted that the client and staff were thrilled with the result, which we were able to complete before their busy half-term period.

Working entirely to our clients’ schedules is crucial, and we’re proud we’ve been able to provide a safe, presentable and polished façade for such a worthwhile organisation. If you’d like to chat to us about colour-matching your exact branding, or how we can work around your operational hours, call our team today. Our initial site surveys and quotes are always free of charge.