Constructors of a USD 560 million Saudi Arabian stadium were advised to use Flowcrete Middle East (ME) solutions to ensure the floors were safe from the desert sun.
The prestigious King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, part of the King Abdullah Sports City, is being constructed 60 kilometres north of Jeddah and is due to be completed this month. The stadium will be a world class, 60,000 seat facility that combines graceful architecture, high-end design and cutting-edge functionality.
The architectural firm in charge recommended using Flowcrete because of our impressive track record for providing durable floors that can cope with the heavy pedestrian traffic experienced on match days. Wembley, the O2 Arena and the Telstra Stadium are just a few of the globally renowned venues that have previously turned to us for flooring solutions.
This is a very ambitious project and the finished complex promises to become an iconic sports venue. However the developers knew the stadium floor would need to reliably cope with large numbers of people traversing the site as well as punishing levels of heat and UV. And when you’re putting on a show on the world stage it’s important that the floor beneath your feet is both decorative and strong.
We are proud to say that our involvement came courtesy of our reputation for delivering solutions for similar world-leading stadiums that met these criteria and provided great looking floors to stand the test of time.
The state oil company Saudi Aramco commissioned the elite sport development and Flowcrete ME met its requirement that the construction materials should be locally manufactured, as the flooring solutions are made at its manufacturing facility in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Large scale Middle Eastern constructions like this have to consider not only the appearance and practicality of the finished building but also how it will cope with high levels of UV exposure.
Flowcrete’s Deckshield has already proven its ability to provide a hard-wearing, seamless and long-lasting finish in hot climates, as it has been installed in both the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi and the Nad Al Sheeba Racecourse, Dubai.
48,000m² of Deckshield ED was installed in concourse areas, air handling units and plant rooms. This solution was an added asset for the developer as it also met their requirement for a system with crack bridging properties. Flowcrete’s Isocrete 1500, a cementitious self levelling screed and a scratch coat made of Flowprime and Silica quartz was also utilised during the project.
The developers faced an extremely tight schedule which meant that Flowcrete ME had to provide a prompt and effective service to avoid delays to the project.
After commencing the application process it was discovered that there were substantial problems with the substrate. The concrete sub-floor layer had very poor surface porosity, severe undulations and multiple cracks which had to be dealt with before the floor could be laid.
The client utilised Flowcrete ME’s repair materials to bring the substrate up to the necessary standard. A low viscosity epoxy resin scratch coat was applied to penetrate and seal the loose and friable surface prior to laying down the self levelling screed Isocrete 1500, which provided the client a complete ‘through the floor’ guarantee of the repair system and the Deckshield ED.
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