MERCEDES BENZ AUTOHAUS, NEWSTEAD
Project Name: Mercedes Benz Autohaus, Breakfast Creek Road, Newstead, QLD, 4006
Applicator: MTS Tiling
Architect: Cottee Parker Architects
General Contractor: John Holland Pty Ltd
Our friends over the ditch got among an Australian first for the automotive powerhouse, Mercedes Benz when they opened a new flagship store in Newstead, QLD. The five-storey, 32,000m² Mercedes Benz Autohaus dealership includes a 539m² museum, garden pavilion, staff training centre, 45 vehicle maintenance bays, a rooftop restaurant and a function area and is the car dealer’s largest development of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
Challenges
The sheer size of the project posed challenges for the general contractor. The five-storey building required 15,000m² of wall and floor tiling of various sizes and areas ranging from showrooms, workshops and amenities.The tiles themselves were chosen specifically by principal and as such, a system was required that could work in conjunction with what was provided.
The project also required a fast turnaround, so a product system was needed that could allow the builders and contractors to proceed at a faster than normal rate to meet the expectations of everyone involved.
Solution
ARDEX tiling products were specified and chosen for this large project. The tiling contractor – MTS Tiling – was also an approved and trained installer of ARDEX products, helping to ensure that the ARDEX system was installed to the recommended specifications and eliminating the risk of product failure. ARDEX K 15 Microtec self-levelling compound is rapid-drying and contains Microfibre reinforcement. Being rapid-dry the compound achieves high early strength and is walkable after 2 hours with most floor coverings able to be installed 16 hours later, allowing a fast turnaround of work.
ARDEX X 18 Non-Slump wall and floor tile adhesive is fibre-reinforced which provides added strength to the tiled areas – ideal for the intended use of the Autohaus. Being non-slump, the adhesive is also ideal for large format and heavy tiles. Beyond the performance of the specified ARDEX products, the level of Customer Service and Technical Support provided also proved to be a determining factor in the success of the job. The Mercedes Benz Autohaus became one of the biggest tiling jobs outside of retail shops completed in Brisbane in modern
University of Canterbury – The Core, Christchurch
Architects: Warren and Mahoney and Jackson Architecture
Installers: Conprep Limited
In the wake of the devastating earthquakes that struck the city of Canterbury in 2010 and 2011, many buildings in the older precincts of the city required rebuilding. An area of priority for reconstruction was the University of Canterbury campus built in the 1960s, where many buildings were closed after failing engineering inspections.
Rebuilding of the College of Engineering was deemed to be particularly critical and New Zealand architectural practice Warren and Mahoney, in association with Jackson Architecture, Melbourne, Australia, were tasked with the project, which began in early 2015.
The Canterbury Engineering the Future (CETF) project began with a vision to create a modern, internationally recognised College of Engineering. The $NZ140 million project involved a full-scale refurbishment of existing facilities, as well as the addition of a new centralised hub or ‘core’. With the project now completed, The Core creates a link between the existing engineering departments, while providing a unified home base for both the College and greater campus and a space that can transform into numerous modes for public and private use.
In order to match the structural codes imposed after the earthquakes, the concrete slab floors had to be lightweight, with an upper limit of 1500kg per cubic metre. ARDEX needed to offer a solution to keep under the weight limit, while also ensuring the strength and quality required.
In response to this challenge, ARDEX created a lightweight screed by combining its ARDEX K 12 New cement flooring levelling product with an aggregate of perlite beads. Perlite, a form of obsidian consisting of glassy globules, is more usually used as an insulation material and in plant growth media. This innovative solution significantly reduced the weight per cubic metre of the floors. Additionally, the perlite mixture was found to increase the workability of the screed and had a 40% higher insulation value than a traditional concrete mix.
From disaster, often comes innovation, as ARDEX has shown by example.
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Installer: JPS Roofing
Following the Christchurch earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, Canterbury did not have a test cricket venue. With New Zealand due to host the 2015 Cricket World Cup, a development plan was made to expand the capabilities of Christchurch as a host city. A small, local ground, Hagley Oval required redevelopment of its main pavilion and spectator viewing areas in order to accommodate test cricket for an international audience.
With the ground surrounding the pitch being an embankment, a strong and durable solution was needed to protect both the pavilion and the spectator areas from water damage.
ARDEX 5000 HD (Shelterseal), was specified by Athfield Architects as the tanking membrane suitable for such a job. An industrial-strength, ‘peel and stick’ bituminous/asphalt membrane, it is reinforced with a layer of polypropylene mesh, giving the product exceptionally high mechanical characteristics. The ARDEX 5000 HD, with core flute protection, was laid over concrete panels as part of the waterproofing system for the spectator seating area.
ARDEX Butynol was applied on the entrance canopies of the venue, and ARDEX WPM 189 Shelterbit membrane was used within the elevator pit.
The project was completed and the Hagley Oval pavilion was officially opened by Prime Minister John Key and Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel on the 15th of September 2014. On Boxing Day 2014, Hagley Oval became the eighth test venue in New Zealand, hosting Sri Lanka as the Black Cap’s opponents. The pitch also had the honour of hosting the opening match of the Cricket World Cup 2015 on February 14th.
Knox Presbyterian Church, Christchurch
Installer: JPS Roofing
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
The Knox Presbyterian Church began its life as the “North Belt Church” in 1880 on the corner of Bealey Avenue and Victoria Street. A Church with a long history in Christchurch, the building became a Christchurch Heritage Location in 1984 having been a place of congregation and identity for many years.
In late 2010 and early 2011, Christchurch experienced violent seismic activity that led to the collapse of the Church’s historic brick walls, along with falling finials and shattered stained glass windows, leaving only the wooden arched-ceiling intact.
Being such an important part of Christchurch’s heritage, many lobbied for the Church to be rebuilt after the quakes with a great focus on restoration and conservation. With the region of Canterbury still relatively volatile, the Church required a restoration that focused on being both dependable and highly resilient during potentially significant seismic activity.
ARDEX SOLUTION
With dependability and longevity in mind, ARDEX Butynol® was chosen as the solution for the unique guttering on the church. Known for its strength, versatility and watertightness, the superior performance of ARDEX Butynol® matched up to the specific criteria needed to complete the project. The deep and narrow gutters required a very strong and watertight membrane that could hold large volumes of water should they need to. Some of the gutters are inclined at a steep angle of 59° degrees. This made the install very intricate and detailed proving to be a challenge for even the most experienced applicators.
The ARDEX Butynol® installation was completed in August 2014 and the Church celebrated its first service since the 2011 earthquake on the 21st of December 2014. The $5.5 million rebuild was opened to an excited congregation ready to welcome the old church to its new beginnings.
Te Wharewaka O Poneke, Wellington
Installer: Aquaheat
Architect: Architecture Plus
Te Wharewaka o Poneke is a ‘canoe house’ located beside the lagoon on the Wellington waterfront. The building accomodates and displays two historical Waka (canoe) which will be accessible for the public but will also occasionally be used out on the water. Wharewaka is a significant arts venue as well as being the centrepiece for Wellington’s Rugby World Cup 2011 celebrations.
Architecture + of Wellington designed this $12 million facility which has recently been recognised at the 2011 Wellington Civic Trust Awards, winning the award for ‘Enhancement or Protection of the City’s Built Environment.’
Ardex waterproofing products were chosen as part of the roofing system to ensure the absolute watertightness of this complex roofing profile. VM Zinc was used as the main roofing material.
Approximately 1000m² of ARDEX Shelterseal was used underneath this as a vapour/separation barrier. 1000m² of 1.5mm Dark Grey Butynol® was used in the hidden and exposed gutters of this complex roofline.
The area around the Wharewaka development will be transformed with marquees, bars and big screens for Rugby World Cup celebrations later this year. Within walking distance of the stadium, this architecturally designed building will form the backdrop for Wellington’s ‘Party Central’. The building has a public cafe and will also be used for functions and art exhibitions.
Paediatric Hospital, Melbourne
GENERAL CONTRACTORS: Bovis Lend Lease
CONTRACTORS: Omni Flooring / Floor 91
The world-class, billion dollar paediatric hospital went under construction in Melbourne by Bovis Lend Lease and was built to meet the current and future health care needs of children and young people.
It was developed on the existing hospital site which was originally built in 1963; however the new hospital will combine new facilities, innovative models of care, leading edge research and education to provide the best health care and environment for patients, families and staff. The new hospital will be able to treat 35,000 additional patients per year and there will be more single rooms for the children.
ARDEX Australia are pleased to be involved in the construction of this state-of-the-art hospital and have supplied several products. The products were installed by two contractors specialising in ARDEX – Omni Flooring and Floor 91 in Victoria. Both contractors commenced work at the hospital early 2010.
ARDEX was successful in being specified on this project by offering a full product system from substrate to surface.
The Royal Children’s Hospital is Australia’s first five-star green hospital with a 45 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases and 20 per cent reduction in water demands. It features attractions from the Melbourne Zoo, Scienceworks, a cinema and an aquarium.
Christchurch International Airport
Installer: JPS Roofing
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
The Christchurch International Airport has been a very important part of New Zealand’s transportation infrastructure since its opening in 1940. The airport became New Zealand’s first international airport in 1950, and has steadily become the country’s second busiest airport in terms of both annual passengers and aircraft movements.
To handle the steady increases of passenger traffic seen by the airport, some major expansions and redevelopments were proposed. With the old terminal being 49 years old, the construction of a new terminal was planned, with construction beginning in 2009. This new terminal needed to handle around 6 million passengers and 120,000 aircraft movements annually.
With such large numbers of passengers likely to use the new terminal, the most important points of design were durability and longevity. For the roof in particular, exposure to damaging elements such as heat, sunlight and ozone needed to be accounted for.
ARDEX SOLUTION
Christchurch International Airport Ltd hoped that the new terminal would provide them with a similar length of service as the old terminal building. For the plant deck of the main building, ARDEX Butynol® was chosen as the roofing solution because of its versatility, durability, strength, and watertightness, proving formidable in many conditions. It had a proven record of success as ARDEX Butynol® was used to roof parts of the original terminal.
It was a complex project with a large number of HVAC components required on the plant deck. The versatility and flexibility of ARDEX Butynol® meant that a quality job and finish was possible.
The roofing installation was completed in late 2010. Since then, independent testing of the completed terminal’s effectiveness showed a resounding success for the new building and received praise for all judged factors. Expect to see ARDEX Butynol® on the terminal roof for another 20+ years.
Water Playground – Elizabeth Quay, Perth
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: MRA (Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority)
WATERPROOFING/SCREED CONTRACTOR: Vercon
TILING CONTRACTOR: J Shed Art Studio (also the artist of the mosaic)
ARTIST: Jenny Dawson
The BHP Billiton Water Park is part of the Elizabeth Quay Development which is located on the North Foreshore of the Swan River and is part of a wider vision to connect Perth CBD with the river. The design is indigenous and represents the dreaming story of the creation of the Milky Way.
Elizabeth Quay opened to the public in 2016 after much debate, drama, dredging and dollars.
The development of the water feature playground faced various challenges, including:
Severe levelling issues (footings were 120mm instead of 50mm);
The project included 46sqm of an intricate tile mosaic where the tiles were hand-made and traditionally fired;
Being next to the river and below the water table – the site flooded after drains were blocked;
Being behind schedule.
Various ARDEX products were used during the construction of the water playground. ARDEX WPM 300 was used to control hydrostatic moisture that may have been below the slab followed by two layers of ARDEX WPM 002 waterproofing membrane to protect the slab and also increase the build thickness where needed.
The tiles were fixed using ARDEX X 18 with ARDEX E 90 additive which aided tile adhesion during high surface temperatures and also to repel water. The installation was completed with ARDEX EG 15 Epoxy Grout which controls efflorescence, has superior chemical resistance and is an easy clean-up making the installation much faster for the contractor.
To ensure the project ran seamlessly, a System Recommendation was sought from the ARDEX Technical Services Department and on-site support was provided by ARDEX Representatives with inspections at various stages.
Picture credit: Peter Zuvela
The Pool of Reflection, Sydney
LOCATION: Hyde Park, Sydney, Australia.
BUILDER: Structus Pty Ltd
WATERPROOFING: Soleace Waterproofing Pty Ltd
TILING: Nationwide Tiling
ARDEX Australia is proud to be involved in the restoration works surrounding the 1450sqm ‘Pool of Reflection’ Memorial which is located in Hyde Park in Sydney’s CBD. The upgrade of the physical pond was undertaken to repair leaks and improve water circulation and filtration. At each stage of the project, the Memorial was visited by dedicated ARDEX staff to provide support.
The Pool of Reflection is a peaceful space where passersby may pause for a moment of quiet contemplation. For manyveterans the still waters of the ‘Pool of Reflection’ evoked memories of the Somme River and its accompanying canals in France. The AIF (Australian Imperial Force) fought some of its bloodiest battles in the Somme Valley in 1916, 1917 and 1918.
CHALLENGE:
There were various challenges that ARDEX had to overcome in this project. One of the key challenges included containing water within the pool while at the same time keeping water out – the pool has expansion joints in the substrate and the concern was that the water coming up from the ground would push the moisture out.
SOLUTION:
ARDEX advised that an outlet was required before the pool was lined. This was done by running the ARDEX WPM 1000 Undertile Butynol Waterproofing Membrane parallel with the expansion joints, resulting in the membrane being turned into a joint with a stainless steel angle and then sealed off with ARDEX RA 88 Multipurpose Epoxy Repair Adhesive. A system of the ARDEX DS 60 Decoupling Mat was installed under a strip of ARDEX WPM 1000 to allow the gas and moisture build-up to escape. Also, ARDEX arranged for ARDEX WPM 1000 to be pre-cut to suit each of the joints, saving on time.
UNIQUE ELEMENTS:
The Pool of Reflection’s tiles could be bonded directly below the water line to the ARDEX WPM 1000 Undertile Butynol Waterproofing Membrane using ARDEX’ X 18 Fibre-Reinforced Flexible Non-Slump Wall and Floor Tile Adhesive, an adhesive that adds strength to a tiled area in addition to ARDEX E 90 Admix for Cement-Based Tile Adhesives. The installation was completed using ARDEX’ new ARDEX EG 15 Easy Clean High Performance Epoxy Grout providing contractors ease of use in addition to a complete system solution.
The installation of the main ARDEX WPM 1000 membrane was carried out by being fully glued with ARDEX WA 98 Butynol Adhesive. At the rear of the pool there is an overflow which the granite stone plinth has been fixed with ARDEX WA 100 Two Part Epoxy Adhesive for Natural Stone.
Opera House Western Foyer, Sydney
INSTALLER: Better Tiles
BUILDER: John Holland
ARCHITECT: Original Architect: Jørn Utzon & son Jan Utzon
COLLABORATOR: Johnson Pilton Walker
CHALLENGES:
- Reproducing Jørn Utzon’s original vision
- Irregular shaped glass reinforced concrete tile was produced specifically for the project the first of its kind in Australia, as Jan Utzon wanted a seamless floor finish construction while building was being used
- Floor movement from stages & loading docks underneath foyer
- Silicone used in perimeter & expansion joints needed to match the floor to create a seamless look
PROBLEMS:
Design improvements included irregular tile shapes & glass reinforced concrete tiles with clear silicone expansion joints to create a seamless floor. Frequent floor movement was expected because of the stage & loading docks below the foyer, which could potentially cause the tiles to crack.
SOLUTION:
To prepare the original substrate for the new tile installation, ARDEX recommended ARDEX Multiprime Water Based Primer which is designed to improve adhesion of ARDEX products to various porous substrates. This primer dries fast allowing subsequent products to be installed quickly.
When applying the screed, ARDEX Abacrete Bonding Agent was specified. It is a liquid polymer additive that greatly improves the shear & tensile bond strength of the screed.
To place the specialty tiles, ARDEX X 77 high performance, fibre reinforced polymer modified adhesive was used in addition to ARDEX E 90 Admix for Cement Based Tile Adhesives. ARDEX X 77 is reinforced with ARDEX Microtec ® Technology. The combination of these two products enhances bond strength for use in high volume foot traffic areas. When mixed with the ARDEX E 90 additive, it has water repellent qualities & improved sag resistance. By using the combination of the two products together, the specialty tiles were less likely to move while the adhesive was drying, maintaining an even surface.
ARDEX SE Coloured Silicone for Sanitary Installations was used to fill perimeter, expansion joints and ARDEX Abapoxy High Performance Epoxy Grout was sprinkled over the silicone for a matt finish. This enhanced the seamless look of the tile installation. To grout the rest of the area, ARDEX Abapoxy was selected for its permanent colour capabilities. It also has a high resistance to chemicals, so commercial cleaning required for a high traffic area would not have an adverse effect on the grout.
Each of the ARDEX products used were low in VOC, allowing the Sydney Opera House to remain open during the installation.