Cover-Articolo-2020
From the panoramic terrace to a showroom: a portfolio of works using innovative installation materials.

PANORAMIC TERRACE AT EMPIRE STATE BUILDING - NEW YORK - USA

The Empire State Building, the fourth-tallest building in the city, is one of the most iconic on the New York skyline and attracts 4 million visitors every year. At its summit, the panoramic terrace on the 102nd floor provides a breath-taking view of the metropolis. And it was precisely this area that recently underwent renovation work, which included installation of new stone floorings using a system distributed on the US market by Mapei Corp. MODIFIED MORTAR BED was chosen for the preparation of the substrates, ULTRAFLEX LFT adhesive was used to bond the large-size stone slabs, ULTRACOLOR PLUS FA was used to grout the joints, making the floor’s intricate compass design especially pronounced, and, finally, the expansion joints were sealed with MAPESIL T.

 



AGORA HUB - BUDAPEST - HUNGARY

Situated in one of the most dynamic neighbourhoods in Budapest, AGORA is a complex that provides office space for various companies in two distinct buildings. The aim behind its design is to guarantee healthy, safe and pleasant surroundings for those who use and work in them. In the areas that have already been completed (work on the complex is scheduled to be end in 2023), refined finishes include large-size, thin ceramic tiles that required an installation system that would guarantee mechanical strength, resistance and durability. The substrates in various areas (kitchens, corridors and bathrooms) were treated with PRIMER G, levelled off with NOVOPLAN MAXI and waterproofed with MAPELASTIC, MONOLASTIC and MAPEBAND, before installing large-size ceramic tiles with ULTRALITE S2 and smaller tiles with KERAFLEX S1. The joints were then grouted with KERACOLOR FF FLEX and the expansion joints were sealed with MAPESIL AC.

 



DREAM ISLAND - MOSCOW - RUSSIA

Dream Island, the largest theme park in the whole of Europe located just south of Moscow, opened its doors to the public in February, 2020 in the presence of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. The park extends over an area of 100 hectares and includes 35 attractions for children and adults, a large shopping centre, 18 restaurants, an enormous park, a multiplex cinema and a concert hall.

To install porcelain tiles in areas subjected to high volumes of pedestrian traffic, highly resistant installation materials were used such as KERABOND T-R cementitious adhesive, which is distributed on the local market by AO Mapei, and ULTRACOLOR PLUS grout for joints.

In the areas in constant contact with water, such as the fountains and bathrooms, the substrates were waterproofed with MAPELASTIC and MAPEBAND.

The façades of some of the buildings, including those at the park entrance, were insulated with MAPETHERM AR2 and MAPENET 150. For some of the park’s attractions, structural anchors were formed using MAPEFILL and MAPEFILL 10 grouts to ensure the complete safety and stability of the installations.

 

 

 

 

SPARKASSE ASCHAFFENBURG - GERMANY

The Aschaffenburg branch of the German bank, Sparkasse, is located in a building dating back to the 1970’s, which was renovated recently to make it safer and more comfortable for its clients and employees. At ground floor level, which is dedicated to financial services for the bank’s clients, an area of 1,100 m2 was made more spacious and luminous by installing new flooring made from 30 mm thick stone slabs. The first step was to treat the substrates with PRIMER MF and to apply MAPELASTIC in certain areas to guarantee a good level of waterproofing. Once the ceramic tiles had been installed with ELASTORAPID, joints were grouted with ULTRACOLOR PLUS. The stone steps for the spiral staircase, meanwhile, were bonded in place with ULTRABOND ECO PU 2K polyurethane adhesive.

 

 


JAGUAR-LAND ROVER SHOWROOM - CALGARY - CANADA

The management of this dealership and showroom wanted to employ a system to install large-size porcelain tiles that would guarantee a strong, resistant surface and also reflect the luxury image and reputation of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. And they found it with a solution proposed by Mapei Inc., consisting of materials distributed on the Canadian market by the subsidiary, such as PRIMER L acrylic primer, NOVOPLAN 2 PLUS levelling mortar to guarantee a perfectly flat substrate, MAPELASTIC CI membrane to waterproof the surfaces and ULTRAFLEX LFT adhesive, particularly suitable for bonding large-size floor and wall ceramic tiles and stone slabs. ULTRACOLOR PLUS FA was then used to grout the joints while the expansion joints were sealed with MAPESIL T.

 

 

 

FOURWAYS MEGA MALL - JOHANNESBURG - SOUTH AFRICA

Mapei South Africa contributed to the massive extension and renovation of this big mall which also included the installation of ceramic tiles over 40,000 m². The heavy volume of foot traffic required resistant, reliable products that would ensure a successful and durable installation. Screeds were prepared by using TOPCEM PRONTO, ready-to-use, normal-setting, controlled-shrinkage mortar. The substrates were levelled using ULTRAPLAN ECO, ultra-fast hardening, self-levelling smoothing compound. The porcelain tiles were installed with KERAFLEX S1 EXPRESS, an adhesive manufactured and distributed in South Africa by Mapei South Africa, before grouting the joints with KERAPOXY CQ, a mould-resistant epoxy grout.

 

 

 

BB TOWER - KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA

This building is a 32-storey office tower with a total area of 25,800 m², hosting the headquarters of YTL, an extensive infrastructure developer operating in 10 countries. It is located in one of the most high-end commercial and hospitality hubs of Kuala Lumpur. Its design had it qualify for a GBI Gold Rating certification for energy saving.

Mapei products were used for installing ceramic tiles on all the internal walls and floors, as well as on the lift lobby walls. KERABOND PLUS adhesive was used for bonding large-size ceramic tiles on internal floors. KERABOND T, mixed with ISOLASTIC, was chosen to install tiles on the lift walls, while KERAFLEX MAXI S1 was used to bond large-size tiles on internal walls.

 

 

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