LEISURE & HOSPITALITY
performance characteristics. The highly stylised design of the centre was hailed as the most complex construction in China since the Bird’s Nest Stadium.
To meet the high standards of the development a floor was required in its lobby and music hall that would impress visitors while reliably withstanding the substantial levels of foot traffic that it would be faced with.
The design flexibility of seamless resin terrazzo allows architects to create large expanses of bespoke flooring that matches the colour, style and ambience of the location. The solvent free, epoxy resin terrazzo floor system that was chosen, Mondéco Earth, incorporates granite and flint aggregates and is ideal for environments where appearance, longevity and reliability are of paramount importance.
This material’s design potential stems from the wide variety of available colours combined with a paint-by- numbers application technique that allows for the creation of unique patterns, logos and images. Brass or aluminium trims are laid out on the floor to designate the outlines of the colours and the resin is poured into each block. The floor area and all the blocks together are then diamond ground to reveal the vibrant colours, aggregates and shapes underneath, creating a seamless expanse of terrazzo flooring.
glass, depending on the effect that the designer wants to achieve.
This aesthetic potential was utilised in the Nanjing Youth Olympic Centre’s lobby area to create a smooth almond coloured surface with an eye-catching arrangement of rich brown squares dynamically dispersed across the floor.
The floor finish matched the colour and pattern of the surrounding walls and roof, artistically connecting the interiors and reinforcing the building’s fluid design style. This diamond motif in juxtaposition to flowing interwoven lines was carried out throughout the building and is starkly evident on the exterior of the building’s main hub, which is covered in gigantic diamond shapes, while the two towers are outlined with a pattern of fluidly curving, weaving white bands.
“DECORATIVE
AGGREGATES CAN BE ADDED INTO AN EPOXY TERRAZZO
SYSTEM TO CREATE AN ELEGANT, SPARKLING SHIMMER”
The artistic potential of the Mondèco range is exemplified in the centre’s 505-seat music hall, where the lines on the floor flow seamlessly onto the walls and on up to the ceiling. A light and lively space, the music hall has a youthful and energetic vibe. This is another example of where the colours and pattern of the floor finish had to work with the overarching aesthetic while being easy-to-clean to ensure that time and use wouldn’t affect the room’s appearance.
A total of 1,700m2
Decorative aggregates can be added into an epoxy terrazzo system to create an elegant, sparkling shimmer across the floor finish. These additives can include mother of pearl, marble chippings, crystal glass, flint, granite and recycled
www.tomorrowsfm.com of the terrazzo
flooring system was laid in the lobby area and another 1,900m2
was applied
within the building’s music hall. Before specifying the Mondéco system, Zaha Hadid researched similar projects that used the same material and a 40m2 mock-up was installed to ensure that it was definitely the right option for the environment.
High profile constructions can rarely afford to overrun - as this would risk delaying the start of profitable activity or ruining the plans for a grand opening. This highlights the importance of choosing reliable materials that won’t unnecessarily complicate the construction schedule. The applicators, approved by the flooring supplier for their ability to install the Mondéco system, worked night and day to ensure that the task was completed on time. As with many large-scale developments, the construction site threw up a variety of challenges that the applicators had to meet, such as avoiding cross- construction from other companies on the site affecting the floor finish.
Seamless resin terrazzo flooring provides architects with the ability to be as creative as they like when designing the floor area, safe in the knowledge that it will retain its visual impact for an extended period of time despite large numbers of visitors and difficult operating conditions. The Nanjing Youth Olympic Centre’s designers embraced this design potential and functionality to create a unique floor finish that blended with the building’s striking architecture and interiors.
www.flowcrete.co.uk TOMORROW’S FM | 43
The Nanjing Youth Olympic Centre needed to be completed within a strict time scale to ensure that it was ready for the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games. The building was to play a prominent role in the event, as the backdrop to the sports and celebrations that would be taking place during the Games.
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