SITUATION
As an Australian first for the automotive powerhouse, Mercedes Benz opened a new flagship store in Newstead, Queensland. The five-story, 32,000 sqm Mercedes Benz Autohaus dealership includes a 539 sqm 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-story building required 15,000sqm 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 was 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 times.
