LEISURE & HOSPITALITY
FLOORING FUNCTION AND FORM: THE NANJING YOUTH OLYMPIC CENTRE
Flowcrete’s Daniel Ash shares their recent case study from a Chinese sports and leisure facility, explaining why their terrazzo flooring is the ideal solution to meet the needs of this iconic building.
The interior design scheme within leisure and hospitality venues needs to consistently present a welcoming, interesting and clean environment to visitors from the moment they step through the door.
However, large bodies of people, constant use and the unavoidable strains of running a complex commercial facility can have a variety of detrimental effects on the interiors – tarnishing previously pristine surfaces and furnishings with stains, scratches and scuffs and causing cracks, discolouration and defects.
The floor finish is particularly at risk, as heavy footfall, physical impacts and regular cleaning will all take a toll over time – not to mention the abrasions from wheeled suitcases, spillages of alcohol, dropped food, scraping chairs and other deteriorating factors that will take place on a daily basis.
Despite all these issues the floor needs to maintain a fresh and eye-
42 | TOMORROW’S FM
catching finish. Cracks and damage to the floor will spoil the interior design scheme and inevitably turn customers and clients away from the venue, harming the location’s reputation and profits.
To avoid floor failure a robust material is required that can withstand the challenges the site’s future use will throw at it. However, choosing a floor finish that prioritises durability can be at odds with the architect’s aesthetic desires. For example the sought- after appearance might require a textured or soft surface, which could fail or be more difficult to clean than a hard, seamless alternative, creating problems for the venue further down the line.
Cleanliness is an important consideration throughout a leisure or hospitality venue, particularly in hygiene sensitive spaces, such as restaurants and catering areas, where hard-to-clean cracks in the floor can lead to problematic bacteria build-up.
All of these concerns are amplified when the project in question is a prestigious location tied to a high- profile occasion, such as a global sporting event, political meeting or international exhibition, as in these circumstances the site’s image must be maintained whilst the eyes of the world are on it.
This is a situation that often faces architecture firms such as Zaha Hadid or Foster & Partners, who work on construction projects of national prestige and from whom the nation expects to achieve international acclaim and attention.
When Zaha Hadid planned the Youth Olympic Centre in Nanjing, the designers opted for a seamless resin terrazzo floor finish to solve these competing demands of aesthetics, cleanliness and durability.
This building was a stunning architectural feat of organic lines and golden hues that married a futuristic, eye-catching aesthetic with high-end
twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70