A car plant, a garden centre, an airport terminal, a museum, and a residential development: whatever the flooring application, we’ve got it covered this month
a Because it’s BMW
It will probably come as no surprise to BMW drivers that the car manufacturer pays as much attention to detail in its factories as it does its cars. The Zaha Hadid-designed plant in Leipzig combines a futuristic look with fluid concrete forms and attracts huge numbers of visitors, car enthusiasts and architecture fans alike.
And while people hardly flock to check out the floor coverings, the product used, like every component in the building, has been carefully selected. A total of 17,000m² of Nora’s grey Norament with a pastille surface was installed throughout the plant, in the hallways and on the ramps. 1,200 Norament stairtreads – pre-formed stair covering elements consisting of nosing, step and riser – in the same colour and design, were used on the stairways.
The low-maintenance Norament certainly looks the part, but it’s also hardwearing, dirt-retardant and has fire protection properties.
b Because when time is tight...
As a project enters its closing phase and the ‘wriggle room’ gets that little bit tighter, deadlines and scheduling requirements are a high priority when it comes to a product’s specification – especially for the last-in-line trades. That was the case when contractor RH Irving had to install paving at Houghton Hall Garden Centre in Carlisle. It selected Chelsea Avenue concrete block paving setts by Cemex for7,000m2 of walkways and sales areas. The 60mm thick blocks were laid using five different block sizes. Edgings and decorative coursings were created from single block sizes to provide some visual relief. Cemex sells the product on its aesthetic appeal too: it reckons the ‘subtle tones’ of its Burnt Elm setts is what sets them apart from the competition.
c Because they’re stiletto proof
On the checklist of qualities a product should have, few would list ‘stiletto-proof’ as essential, but Becks Interiors found itself doing just that during a recent refurbishment it carried out at London’s V&A Museum. With its floors set to support millions of annual visitors, a heavy-duty and tamper-resistant services access solution was needed.
Becks Interiors chose Howe Green’s 5000 series stainless steel floor covers – precision-made to the project’s required dimensions – primarily for their stiletto-proof resistance and ability to cope with high levels of pedestrian traffic.
Ensuring that the floor covers were aesthetically compatible with the V&A refurbishment works was an integral element of the project too. As such, all that can be seen are stainless steel show edges which form a crisp outline on the resin flooring.
d Because it’s a total solution
When it came to preparing the floor at Gatwick Airport, Mapei did it all – its screed, levelling compound, primer, adhesive and grout were used throughout the extension to the south terminal arrivals building.
After floor preparation was completed by PC Flooring – using special hydraulic binder Topcem and Ultraplan Maxi self-levelling compound – tiling commenced using Fiori Di Pesco tiles from Domus. These were laid using Granirapid fast-setting two-part cementitious adhesive and then grouted using Ultracolour fast-setting, fast-drying grout.
Mapei’s Aquacol T and Adesilex VZ were also used for fixing marmoleum dual floor finish and vinyl skirtings on certain areas prepared with Ultraplan Maxi. It’s a total solution that’s really ready to take off.
e Because it can be made to fit
It sounds like a big ask: the provision of curved and splayed flooring components for a large, drum-shaped section of a residential development on Cardiff Bay Waterfront. Acheson & Glover, hollowcore flooring specialists, however, were not found wanting.
The contract involved 5000m2 of 200mm hollowcore slabs, but the drum’s form meant that the production method for them needed careful adaptation. Usually, slabs are manufactured in long straight lengths using a continuous extrusion process but the geometry of scheme needed a bespoke approach.
The irregular forms were needed to create the maximum available floor area and reduce the need for wet trades on-site. A series of temporary restraints and other measures were put in place so that the drum could be stabilised while the precast floor sections were craned into place at each floor level. Result!
Source
Construction Manager
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