2 minute read
A sustainable raised flooring system
A sustainable
RAISED FLOORING SYSTEM
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(Right): KBAC installers placing the concrete pavers on top of the InstaCradle rubber cradles made from recycled truck tyres for the balcony installation in Centurion.
(Above and far right): The innovative raised flooring project nears completion on the ground floor of the new M&T property and the completed InstaCradle raised paving area on the third-floor balcony of the new building in Centurion.
Sustainability is the key feature of a new outdoor raised flooring installation in Centurion which is laid on recycled truck tyres and will harvest vast volumes of rainwater.
KBAC Flooring’s Raised Flooring division supplied and installed the sustainable InstaCradle raised paving system at a new property development for M&T Development. The innovative application of InstaCradle rubber understructure and raised paving around the public spaces on the ground floor of the building, as well as on its third-floor balcony, allows the substrate to direct water flow away from the building and be potentially re-used as grey water elsewhere.
Guy Park, who heads the Raised Floor division of KBAC Flooring, says M&T Development approached KBAC for a solution that could deal with water run-off from the exterior extensions which could have posed major problems because of the site of the new building in Byls Bridge Office Park.
Better way
“A raised paving solution was opted for so that the sub-floor could be adequately waterproofed and designed in such a way that water is directed to collection drainage points beneath the floor void through slab undulations. By adjusting the InstaCradle system, KBAC’s installers ensured that although the sub-level deviated in a manner to control the water flow, the final paved areas on top were perfectly level,” explains Park.
The height of the raised paving system’s
concrete paved slab varies from 90-245mm under the concrete pavers. The flooring on ground level outside the building covers 1 406m², while the system on the higher balcony – used as a client entertainment area – is 163m² in extent.
The InstaCradle system, which for this project was specified to promote sustainable objectives, is itself exceptionally environmentally friendly. The innovative form of “green” raised flooring is supported by rubber crumb cradles made from recycled truck and car tyres. The InstaCradle rubber cradles for this project totalled approximately 9,6 tons of recycled truck tyres: this is about 194 radial truck tyres which have been repurposed, instead of landing up in a landfill. Concrete pavers 600mm x 600mm x 45mm thick were then loosely placed on a combination of InstaCradle rubber cradles and aluminium battens.
“Even the InstaCradle system’s rubber cradles are fully recyclable to provide a genuine ‘cradle-to-cradle’ product. The cradles have a 60-year guarantee and are loose-laid without the need for fixing to sub-floors,” adds Park.
