Netherdale Football Stand, UK

THE PROJECT

Netherdale Stand, used by Gala Fairydean Football Club, is an iconic structure designed in 1963 by Peter Womersley, known for his brutalist and modernist designs through the 50s, 60s and 70s. The stand is a rare and fascinating example of this era which sees the architect design an origami type structure from board-marked concrete, featuring a wedge-shaped reinforced concrete roof which gives the illusion of floating over the seating area. It was awarded category A listed status by Historic Scotland in 2013, and still attracts architectural enthusiasts and students from all over the globe due to its dramatic styling. In November 2021, Concrete Repairs Limited were awarded the tender to undertake some much-needed repairs to the stand, overseen by engineer Steve Wood of Narro & Associates. Fosroc were adopted as the provider to the repair materials to undertake the necessary works. Repairing and restoring a structure which is held in such high architectural regard meant the repairs needed to be strictly in-keeping with the finish of the original concrete. The project presented a unique requirement for a ‘contractor to manufacturer’ collaboration, in that repair techniques had to be tried and tested many times to obtain the right aesthetic.

THE SOLUTION

A large element of the repair to the structure were sloped soffit repairs. This presented a challenge in that conventional hand-placed mortars could not be used, as a wooden shutter aesthetic was required to blend with the surrounding texture. To achieve this finish, Conbextra GP grout was gravity fed from the topside of the roof structure via a pre-drilled hole to the soffit. The structure was also DOFF cleaned to provide required preparation work, while minimising damage to the existing concrete. To achieve a harmonious appearance alongside the existing wooden-shuttered concrete finish, CRL adopted a process where a silicone mould of adjoining ‘sound’ concrete was taken to ‘copy’ the actual relief of the original concrete panels. These silicone moulds were then used on the face of the shuttering used to replicate the original formwork. Achieving the right finish involved many sample shutters being struck using a variety of mortar options, before the right look was achieved.

THE BENEFITS

The resulting finish from the ‘relief shuttering’ technique is sympathetic to the structure and doesn’t detract from the over-riding uniformity and simplicity of the form. Through CRL and Fosroc’s joint efforts, the project was successfully executed so the structure’s unique sculptural form can be enjoyed by architectural enthusiasts and everyday users of the facility for many decades to come.