Bierkeller Entertainment Complex, Birmingham

The Bierkeller brand is synonymous with large-scale entertainment and hospitality spaces in the UK. With a presence in every major city, the arrival of the Bierkeller Entertainment Complex in Birmingham was no small matter. Situated on the iconic Broad Street, the biggest challenge would be to make this new complex visible on a street that was already crowded with neon lights and flashing signs.

In order to create an eye-catching facade, we offered a bespoke commercial canopy solution that could incorporate LED lighting to compliment the colours of the brand. This would draw the eye to the four richly-coloured canopies displaying each of the four brands contained within the complex. These branded canopies mirrored the 3D signs suspended above and were themselves lit with down-lights to ensure maximum impact. But these CW101 commercial canopies were not just for show. They also offered essential weather protection for smoking customers at the venue, fulfilling a dual-purpose requirement.

The four branded canopies themselves are wedge design, 5,030mm width x 800mm back leg (including a 200mm sign-box ) x 1,500mm projection, and covered with our super-strength Gioflex acrylic fabric. The energy-efficient LED strip-lights are securely fixed to the bottom edges to give a beautiful blue wash effect to the front of the building, but also to provide light for customers sheltering underneath.

At James Robertshaw, we started hand-making traditional canopies in our factory over 150 years ago. In many ways, watching our craftsmen build these timeless creations is like stepping back to a bygone era of steam power and horse-drawn carts, dovetail joints and flat caps.

Except that everything has changed. Our frames are now constructed from lightweight and long-lasting aluminium, the fabrics are precision tested for high performance in all weather conditions, our sign-writing and printing processes are cutting edge to incorporate even the most elaborate logo creations. But they’re still all handmade in our factory.

A perfect marriage of tradition and technology.