When major earthquakes hit Christchurch in September 2010 and February 2011, the loss of human lives and the extensive destruction of property changed the city forever. As a result of this disaster, the central business district of the city required some 1,500 buildings to be demolished, followed by a major rebuild of the central city.
Part of that rebuild would be the commercial/retail development known as The Crossing. In July 2017, almost five years after the first conversation about the idea, The Crossing’s Fresh Choice City Market opened to fanfare.
Breaking free of the Fresh Choice brand traditional VCT tiled floor, a special black oxide concrete mix was used. This mix, along with Polished Concrete Ltd’s Megafloor High Street Premium 3,000 grit finish, resulted in an aesthetically pleasing, durable floor.
Intensive consultation with the building contractor, Southbase Construction, and the client was undertaken during the design process to finalize details such as mix design, slab design, grinding methodologies, the staging of the work, and proper procedures to protect the slab during construction.
The contractor made sure transitions from wall to floor and concrete to timber would be seamless. The in-depth consultations proved useful to all as the team was able to identify methods and materials that would save money and ensure the client would be getting just what they asked for.
Aesthetics aside, polished concrete floors are environmentally friendly, as they act as a heat source in winter, effectively reducing the need for artificial heating, as well as helping create airflow through the building.
