Springs Day Spa & Fitness Centre, Noosa
INSTALLER: Thorburn Tiling Pty Ltd M&M Waterproofing Contractors & Sales
BUILDER: Starco Developments Pty Ltd.
ARCHITECT: Alan Starkey & Associates
CHALLENGES:
High quality materials & finishes needed to match the expectations for the $400 million five-star resort (1,030,000 m2 / 11,087,190 ft2)
Areas with large temperature fluctuations caused by infrared heating systems
Fear of erosion to specialized flooring materials from underwater jets
Use of high concentration chemicals with a history of destroying Portland cement structures
Areas with heavy gym equipment
PROBLEMS:
When Noosa Springs Resort decided to upgrade to a luxury five-star venue, only top performing materials would ensure the prevention of flooring failures in their state of the art facilities.
The fitness centre includes heavy exercise equipment & free weights. Therefore, the floor had to be durable to withstand the weight of the equipment. Onsite spa amenities include infrared saunas, steam rooms, blitz showers, a HydroMassage pool & large floating pools.
Each of these features created demanding challenges for the builders, as flexible & strong products were necessary to ensure a quality & long lasting installation.
SOLUTION:
To prepare the new concrete for tile and stone applications, installers used ARDEX WPM 265 Water Based Primer. ARDEX WPM 265 is an acrylic primer system that creates a positive bond between substrates & water- based coatings.
ARDEX WPM 300 Water Based Epoxy Membrane was used because it has superior water resistance & prevents efflorescence while withstanding hydrostatic pressure. It provides excellent adhesion to most substrates, including damp surfaces & freshly laid concrete, & it can be used as a one coat primer for other applied finishes like ARDEX waterproofing membranes & tiling adhesives. ARDEX WPM 300 is also safe for potable drinking water, removing risk of water contamination from materials in the many resort pool areas.
Next, ARDEX WPM 002 Two Component Undertile Waterproofing Membrane was applied. Recognized as one of the fastest drying acrylic membranes on the market, it can be tiled within 16 to 24 hours at ambient temperatures of 23˚C. Its advanced acrylic polymer technology makes it completely resistant to re emulsification.
ARDEX STS 8 Superior Tensile Strength Tile Adhesive was chosen because of its improved adhesion of heavy, large-format wall tiles otherwise prone to lipping and slumping. In a five-star resort, it was crucial that floor tile and wall treatments were not only functional but visually appealing. When necessary, ARDEX E 90 Mortar Admix was used to guarantee the adhesive was water repellent for resort showers and pools.
To finish the job, ARDEX ABAPOXY High Performance Epoxy Adhesive and Grout was selected for its strong resistance to harsh chemicals. This product was developed by ARDEX for applications requiring strict hygiene standards. It is completely solvent-free and suitable for walls and floors. Starco Developments Pty Ltd. selected ARDEX Australia to supply numerous products for the project that would perform well, provide longevity and expedite the installation process.
ARDEX products contributed to the successful completion of a world class standard in the Noosa Springs Golf & Spa Resort.
Lightning Ridge Olympic Pool
Lightning Ridge, well known amongst Australians as the home of the black opal, is located nearly 800 kilometres from Sydney with an official population of around 3000 people. Earlier this year, the ARDEX NSW Sales Manager and NSW Key Account Manager made their way to the Lightning Ridge Olympic Pool Site. Both were excited about potentially being involved in this project and later worked with the tiling contractor to ensure the project ran seamlessly.
CHALLENGES:
There were various challenges that had to be overcome for this project to run to schedule. The indoor heated pool (25m by 33m) had a depth of 2.5 metres at the shallow end through to the middle and 5 metres at the deep end. The time frame was only two months, which in itself was a huge challenge. The pool had never been emptied since it was opened in 2011, so there were a lot of unknown factors, such as, how long would the pool take to empty, to dry out, how difficult would it be to get the old paint off, would anything happen to the overall structure of the pool when the water was drained and what tiles would be best for the project.
PROJECT REQUIREMENT:
To complete the project from beginning to end in two months – empty; repair; tile; refill; treat water; choose a tile that would look great but at the same time suit a commercial heated pool; and a tiler who could work within the two month timeframe.
UNIQUE ELEMENTS:
The complex’ staff were able to purchase Italian glass tiles for the project which look outstanding and give the pool a contemporary look. In addition, the tiler and his team who completed this project were town locals.
To date, a children’s 200 sqm pool and the diving pool spanning 1200 sqm have been tiled.
ARDEX provided a System for the project that included ARDEX X 18, a superior polymer tile adhesive for wall and floor because of its extended open time and non-slump benefits.
In addition, ARDEX E 90, a synthetic dispersion additive provided a water repellant mortar for the two pools.
The grout used was ARDEX FG 8, a flexible coloured grout for tile joints 1 – 8mm wide,in addition to ARDEX Grout Booster that provided improved adhesion, strength and flexibility.
The Canberra Centre, Canberra
CONTRACTOR: PDA Marble & Granite
CHALLENGE:
The challenge posed to ARDEX was that the 6000m2 of walkways at The Canberra Centre needed an upgrade; however, minimal disruption to the walkways was of key importance to allow shoppers to move freely around the centre.
This meant that the new screed and tile adhesive would be subject to heavy foot traffic in a matter of hours.
As some of the work conducted was to outside areas in the middle of winter, the temperature also provided a challenge to ARDEX as the temperature would get down to as low as 2 degrees.
SOLUTION:
Working with Marble and Granite specialist PDA, ARDEX specified the ARDEX A 38 Rapid Set Screed to be used to re-screed the walkways after existing tiles and screed were removed. Large areas of the project could all be done in the one night as the ARDEX A 38 screed has a walkability time of 8 hours and achieves 20MPa compressive strength after 1 day and 35MPa after 28 days. The shopping centre walkway could then be covered to allow foot traffic in the morning and throughout the day.
Areas which had a smaller depth to level before tiling were levelled with ARDEX LQ 92 Under Tile Levelling Compound, which can be accessed in 4 hours after installation in suitable conditions, to a thickness of up to 25mm.
The ARDEX S 16 Rapid Drying and Hardening Tile and Natural Stone Adhesive, mixed with ARDEX E 90 Admix was then used in order to allow the tiling to be completed on the second night. With it being trafficable after 2-3 hours in suitable conditions, ARDEX S 16 allowed the tiling component of the project to be performed efficiently to allow the walkways to be open and ready for foot traffic at the start of the day.
A special batch of the ARDEX A 38 Rapid Set Screed was produced for the 500m2 external areas, which experienced single digit temperatures throughout the winter installation.
In addition to the high performing system components, ARDEX’ Key Account Manager for Tiling NSW, ensured that the products were on site when the project required; and installation guidance combined with advice was always available to ensure the project ran smoothly.
Using a complete system by ARDEX ensured that all components were working together to provide an efficient, robust base and floor at The Canberra Centre which was backed by an ARDEX System Warranty. A special batch of the ARDEX A 38 Rapid Set Screed was produced for the 500m2 external areas, which experienced single digit temperatures throughout the winter installation.
In addition to the high performing system components, ARDEX’ Key Account Manager for Tiling NSW, ensured that the products were on site when the project required; and installation guidance combined with advice was always available to ensure the project ran smoothly.
Using a complete system by ARDEX ensured that all components were working together to provide an efficient, robust base and floor at The Canberra Centre which was backed by an ARDEX System Warranty.
Westfield Miranda, Sydney
BUILDER: Westfield Design & Construct
CONTRACTOR: Terrazzo (Aust), Marble Pty Ltd (Existing areas), Saba Tiling (New areas)
CHALLENGE:
In consultation with Westfield Design & Construct, Terrazzo (Aust) Marble Pty Ltd engaged ARDEX to investigate different options for the re-tiling of the existing centre of the Westfield Shopping Centre at Miranda, in Sydney’s south.
The main criteria when looking at the different options were speed of curing for the screed and tiling adhesive as work had to be completed at night and the centre to be ready in the morning for minimal disruption to walkways.
A traditional sand and cement screed was compared against the ARDEX A 38 Rapid Set Screed to view what the best solution for the project.
SOLUTION:
The ARDEX A 38 Rapid set screed was chosen to rescreed the walkways following removal of existing tiles and screed. Having the ability to accept heavy foot traffic within 8 hours of installation, the ARDEX A 38 screed system ensured that strict timeframes were met during the installation of this critical part of the project.
Achieving a compressive strength of 35 MPa and being dimensionally stable, the ARDEX A 38 ensures the base of the tiling system contains the perfect mix of strength and flexibility.
With its high compressive strength, scissor lifts can be employed directly on the screeded floor, something that is difficult to do with traditional sand and cement screed. The ARDEX A 38 and ARDEX S 16 system meets the low VOC emission requirements of the Green Building Council of Australia Green Star IEQ-13, which were also a consideration for this project.
As ARDEX are committed to ensuring contractors are exposed to high quality training in the installation of their products, ARDEX conducted on site training of the ARDEX A 38 rapid set screed at Terrazzo (Aust) Marble’s head office, with representatives from Terrazzo (Aust) Marble and Westfield attending.
The following night the areas containing the A 38 screed were cleaned and prepared for the ARDEX S 16 Rapid Hardening and Rapid Drying Tile and Natural Stone Adhesive to install the terrazzo tiles and natural stone.
Besides being ideal for installing natural stone Susceptible to moisture sensitivity, the main benefit of using this adhesive on the project is the curing time and the ability for traffic to walk on the flooring, 2-3 hours after installation in suitable conditions. This allowed large areas to be tiled overnight and ready for trading each morning with no disruption to shoppers.
Although the system was originally specified on the existing shopping centre flooring, Westfield were so happy with the performance of the products and the response from ARDEX to ensure the project ran smoothly, they specified the system on the new areas of the shopping centre being installed by Saba Brothers Tiling. In all, the project totalled approximately 12000m2.
Warnbro Shopping Centre, Warnbro
ARCHITECT: Hames Sharley
CONTRACTORS: Marble & Cement Works
When Marble & Cement Works were approached to retile the Warnbro Shopping Centre, there were some stringent expectations placed on them.
Work had to be completed at night with the flooring sections needing to be reopened and trafficable by the public by the morning.
Coupled with this were weight & moisture concerns with a 25mm x 600mm x 300mm Chinese Granite weighing approximately 70kg m2.
Working in close conjunction with the ARDEX team in Western Australia, and ARDEX technical services the
recommendation was for ARDEX S 16 white natural stone adhesive which is a rapid hardening & fast setting adhesive for natural stone.
The unique ARDEX Rapidry Formula Technology locks in moisture, thereby reducing the risk of efflorescence and water marks on certain natural stone tiles.
The ARDEX S 16 natural stone adhesive also allowed the newly tiled floor to be trafficable after 2 – 3 hours, which meant night work did not disrupt the ability of the shopping centre to be functional in its opening times.
The original plan was to utilise the ARDEX S 16 adhesive in a grey but were changed to the white at last minute to assist with cleaning up due to the tight time frame.
Although this was on the Western side of the country, ARDEX head office in Sydney responded quickly to ensure material was available in a short period of time.
To ensure things were installed to ARDEX’s recommendations an ARDEX trained applicator was used on the project. This gives peace of mind as the high quality training ARDEX invest in is beneficial to the contractors undertaking courses.
The Emporium, Melbourne
CONTRACTOR: De Fazio Commercial Tiling
De Fazio Commercial Tiling has recently completed the tiling of all common areas at The Emporium, a premium retail space in the heart of Melbourne CBD. The overall project took three years to complete with the tiling component taking twelve months.
ARDEX Australia supplied a complete system for the tiling installation including waterproofing, tile adhesive and grouts to all public areas. The tiling covered an enormous area of more than 21,000m2.
ARDEX S 16 Rapid Hardening and Rapid Drying Tile and Natural Stone Adhesive, the main tiling adhesive used, was chosen for its rapid drying and reduced risk of water-staining. Early access to the tiled area was viable which helped to fast track the installation.
ARDEX A 38 Rapid Set Cement Screed was also installed. It is a screed that improves on-site efficiencies by allowing traffic shortly after application and the laying of the floor covering on the same day.
The project presented a number of challenges with much time spent on-site assessing and supporting the various areas of the project and undertaking quality assurance for the ARDEX system. Tiling was specified above 2.7 metres which required particular attention and utilised the ARDEX WA 100 Epoxy.
The central CBD location made deliveries more challenging with ARDEX having to adhere to very exact delivery times. The centre contains 225 stores over five levels so product had to be distributed throughout the entire centre.
“ARDEX Australia was thrilled to be involved with the overhaul of such an iconic building,” explained Robert Cameron, National Sales Manager, ARDEX Australia. “The project demonstrated the scope of ARDEX tiling products and combined with quality and skilled workmanship, has achieved an outstanding result.”
MYER Building, Launceston
Continuous leaks, numerous failed attempts at remedial work and concrete cancer had left Launceston’s tallest building, the Myer Building in Brisbane Street Mall, in a serious state of degradation. Several contractors using a variety of technologies had failed to remedy the problem of the leaking roof membrane and by 2010 the leaks had led to the spread of concrete cancer throughout the top four storeys of the building.
Further complications were the multi-layered finish of waterproofing products left on the roof from previous unsuccessful attempts at fixing the leaks. These included asbestos-filled bitumen torch-on sheets and HDPE membranes. There were also a collection of mobile telephone towers and safety balustrades present that were responsible for a further 220 penetrations of the existing roofing membrane.
Zaganite Specialised Coatings was commissioned to reappraise the building and specify a means of completely and successfully waterproofing the roof. Zaganite specified ARDEX TPO waterproofing membrane due to its record of achieving 100 per cent success in challenging projects such as RMIT Melbourne and University of NSW, Sydney.
ARDEX TPO is a high performance waterproofing membrane of thermoplastic polyolefin combining polypropylene and ethylene propylene rubber. The scrim-reinforced membrane combines the durability of rubber with the heat welding properties of a thermoplastic in a flexible sheet. It is hot-air welded to deliver a fully secure, consistent seam quality.
The presence of asbestos within the existing roofing membrane meant its removal was prohibitively expensive while the HDPE membrane was very difficult to bond to – in fact, previous attempts at bonding to the HDPE had failed completely, but the removal of this membrane was impractical.
Unlike almost all competitive waterproofing membranes the ARDEX TPO product could be fastened mechanically and loose laid over the HPDE. Zaganite Specialised Coatings, the applicators, employed a safe work method that ensured the fasteners were able to safely penetrate the asbestos in the bitumen sheet membrane. All penetrations and corners of the 440 square metre roof area were made easier to complete by virtue of the ARDEX TPO pre-formed corners and boots. Zaganite project manager Stuart James said the entire project was facilitated by the supervision and expertise of ARDEX Australia’s Mark Collins. Other features of the ARDEX TPO membrane are its ease and speed of installation plus its environmental credentials.
The ARDEX TPO membrane comes in 30 metre sheets, two metres wide and weighs just 1.53kg per square metre. This delivers easier handling than most other waterproofing membranes and a variety of installation options for low slope roofing applications in both refurbishment and new construction projects.
The fact that the membrane offers single ply protection with fast, hot air welded seams delivers a rapid, safe (no naked flames) installation process.
Environmentally the ARDEX TPO waterproofing membrane has some definite advantages – its chlorinefree, non-halogenated and plasticizer-free formulation, in combination with the hot-air welded seaming method, produce no emissions harmful to the environment. The membrane can also be easily recycled and has a lower manufacturing footprint than comparable systems.
A further advantage of the ARDEX TPO is that the white colour of the product creates a heat-reflective index of over 70 per cent – and a high proportion of this index is retained for the lifetime of the membrane due to its colour-fast retention properties.
Residential Apartments, St Peters
A block of residential apartments in St Peters (Sydney) has added weight to a pilot scheme currently underway in New York.
The ‘Cool Roofs’ initiative, spearheaded by NY Mayor Michael R Bloomberg and former vice president Al Gore, involves coating the roofs of various city buildings in a reflective white coating to reduce cooling costs, energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions. Their research reveals a cool roof absorbs 80 per cent less heat than traditional dark roofs and can significantly lower indoor temperatures.
The St Peters apartment block, built in 2002, was experiencing a number of minor roof leaks and the body corporate sought a new-generation refurbishment solution that would give longer service than the original waterproofing membrane and deliver acceptable environmental credentials.
A brand new ARDEX product, launched in November 2009, was specified for the 500m2 flat roof – ARDEX TPO is a white coloured, high performance waterproofing membrane that was originally chosen for its ease and speed of application and exceptional durability.
However, during completion of the job, a resident of one of the top storey penthouse apartments approached the ARDEX accredited installer and reported that, since the application of the waterproofing membrane, he had experienced a significant drop in temperature inside his apartment. “On a hot day, the temperature in my apartment has dropped four degrees since the new roofing membrane has been installed. I am no longer using my air conditioner as much – and my three top floor neighbours have reported the same thing,” said resident Voytek.
The TPO membrane comprises thermoplastic polyolefin combining polypropylene and ethylene propylene rubber. The scrim-reinforced membrane combines the durability of rubber with the heat welding properties of a thermoplastic in a flexible sheet. In addition, the membrane can be affixed with a water-based adhesive.
The white colour of the product creates a heat-reflective index of 70 per cent – and a high proportion of this index is retained for the lifetime of the membrane due to its colour-fast retention properties.
In addition, the TPO membrane exhibits excellent resistance to the propagation of discolouring bacteria that reduces the heat reflectivity and energy efficiency. This membrane has also been designed to support ‘green’ roofs – the product has passed the FLL (German Landscape Research, Development and Construction Society) test for root penetration resistance for roof gardens using lightweight and low maintenance sedum vegetation.
An immediate advantage of the TPO product over more conventional waterproofing membranes is its ease of installation.
The fact that the membrane offers single ply protection with fast, hot air welded seams delivers a rapid, safe (no naked flames) installation process. Environmentally the TPO waterproofing membrane has some impressive advantages – its chlorine-free, non-halogenated and plasticizerfree formulation, in combination with the hot-air welded seaming method, produces no emissions harmful to the environment. The membrane can be easily recycled – and has a lower manufacturing footprint than comparable systems.
Fire Station, Pyrmont
ARCHITECT: Group GSA
PANDOMO®: Honestone
Honestone, an award winning company specialising in flooring and wall finishes entered the Pyrmont Fire Station project into the ‘Decorative Concrete Council’ awards that were presented by the U.S. Decorative Concrete on the 17th January at the ‘World of Concrete’ that was held in Las Vegas. The flooring by Honestone won the award for cement overlays 6–50mm over 450 sqm.
The Pyrmont Fire Station was built in 1906 to address potential fire danger because of the increase in development of industry in the area during the early 1900’s. The station was staffed until 1945 when it was closed. It was then reopened in 1960 and remained active until 1994 when it closed again for minor renovations.
This iconic building was reopened again in 2007; although, the two upper floors remained unoccupied as the building was much in need of renovation. It was decided that a $2.7 million upgrade to the station would take place over a 16 month period which resulted in the station being transformed into a first-class, modern, sophisticated and functional facility.
PANDOMO® TerrazzoMicro and a polished concrete floor finish were specified for this project as the noticeably finer aggregate produced a homogeneous and elegant finish for this landmark building. The flooring system engineered by ARDEX Australia resulted in the ratios all working together, ensuring that the right amount of marble chip was displayed in the finish, something which often doesn’t happen with conventional polished concrete finishes. Whilst the TerrazzoMicro finish is considerably thinner, the strength of the floor was not sacrificed, so it was also used in high traffic areas. A white aggregate was used with a white binder in order to give the floor a nice, simple and sleek look that also assisted in accentuating the dark and face brick walls.
Rick Hendriks, Director of Honestone said ‘The finish was impeccable, extremely aesthetic and functional. Our team worked tirelessly to perfect the project and we could not be happier with the results.’
One Eleven St Georges Terrace, Perth
One Eleven St Georges Terrace is a medium sized office building that has been prominant on the Perth skyline for some time.
Located within the CBD, One Eleven St Georges Terrace waterproofing had reached its use-by-date many years ago.
Attempts had been made to maintain the existing two layer torch on system including over coating with acrylic membranes but ultimately a new waterproofing system was the only long term solution. When Mick and Simon Douglas from Waterproof Products WA were asked to look at a replacement system for this roof they immediately thought of ARDEX TPO.
As with any replacement of an existing waterproofing system one of the biggest problems is the removal of the old membrane especially from high rise buildings with limited access.
With TPO this is no longer a problem as the TPO sheets can be simply installed over the existing membrane with a minimum of preparation.
On this particular project the old waterproofing membrane was covered with 600 x 600 concrete pavers which in most cases, would need to be removed and stored while the work was carried out.
Working around plinths, vents, drains and other fittings proved to be no problem using TPO as the material can be formed and moulded to complete a watertight seal and any exposed edges were finished using ARDEX pressure seal.
TPO is one of the fastest growing low maintenance forms of roof waterproofing in the world and will prove an effective long term and low maintenance waterproofing system for One Eleven St Georges Terrace for many years to come.
