106 | Coatings World www.coatingsworld.com September 2014
One of the most striking structural artworks in the UK is the latest eye-catching landmark to feature coatings supplied by AkzoNobel.
Standing 30 meters ( 100 feet) high, The Kelpies – located near Falkirk in Scotland – tower over the surrounding landscape and form
the centerpiece of a new visitor experience at The Helix parkland project.
Designed by Glaswegian sculptor Andy Scott, the structural steel of the two horse head sculptures (which weigh 300 tons each)
is protected by a coatings system supplied by the company’s Protective Coatings business.
Interfine 979, from the company’s International range, was applied to the steel prior to construction, with the various pieces
requiring 100 deliveries to transport everything to the site for final assembly.
Other famous UK landmarks to feature AkzoNobel coatings include the London Eye, Wimbledon’s Centre Court roof, the
Shard, Gateshead’s Millennium Bridge and Wembley Stadium. CW
The Kelpies Protected by AkzoNobel Coatings
Inspired by the working horses of the past and named after Scotland’s mythical water horses, part of the visitor experience includes a guided tour which takes
people inside one of the heads, where they can clearly see the complex internal steelwork featuring AkzoNobel’s protective coatings.
