Coloured asphalt for football stadium

The Emirates stadium in Highbury, North London is a high profile sports, music and conference venue. It is the third-largest football stadium in England, completed in 2006 at a cost of £390 million. The area around the pitch required resurfacing in a way that complemented the club’s colours that were used in the rest of the stadium. It also needed to provide a smooth, even finish that could be used by club staff and match officials. Access to the stadium was limited. The vehicle delivering the asphalt was not allowed any further than the entrance tunnel, so it would need to be transported into the stadium using a dumper. 

After discussions with Tarmac, the contractor Woodholme Construction, chose Ulticolour 6mm Classic Red for the bright, vibrant colour and smooth, even, low maintenance finish. Ulticolour is a range of coloured asphalts that use a clear polymer modified binder, coloured pigment and complementary aggregate to produce deep, vibrant, long lasting colours. Using a clear binder produces far brighter colours than using a pigment with a conventional black bitumen binder. Ulticolour is available for installation by accredited contractors, with access to guidance and training on material handling and finish. This helped to give the contractor confidence when laying the product and gave the client assurance over the quality of the finished surface. 

The previous black asphalt surface was removed and 90 tonnes of Ulticolour 6mm Classic Red asphalt was laid as planned over a two day period. As expected, the classic red colour perfectly complemented the stadium’s surroundings. The contractor Woodholme Construction commented on how well the material performed on site, which helped them to deliver an excellent finish: “The material was both machine and hand laid with no problems. We would use the material again in the future now we are an Ulticolour accredited contractor”. The high quality, colour matched aggregates used in Ulticolour asphalts also ensure a longer lasting finish that resists surface wear and keeps its appearance for longer.