Townsville Inner Port Harbour Expansion sees Transitions Polished Concrete Floors as the right fit

Transitions Polished Concrete floors at the Townsville Inner Port Harbour ExpansionProject Background

The Port of Townsville is the third largest seaport in Queensland and is North Queensland’s premier multi cargo port. The Townsville Port Inner Harbour Expansion (TPIX) project included the reconstruction and extention of Berth 10 to accommodate military, cruise and commercial shipping, and the construction of a new multi-purpose passenger terminal. The new passenger terminal has been designed to be a highly memorable, multi-use development, defining the interface between the port operations and the public realm. Functionally, the building is designed as a flexible space to accommodate cruise liner passengers, military personnel, conferences, exhibitions and special events. The design of this project draws inspiration from robust industrial architecture, as well as the resilient structure of the palm frond. The upgrade to the Port of Townsville will enhance capacity and enable the Port to accommodate Panamax sized ships, a 3,000tonne/hour ship loader and associated materials handling infrastructure.

Transitions Polished Concrete floors at Townsville Inner Port Harbour ExpansionSpecification

  • Transitions Mechanically Polished Concrete
  • Partial Grind/Exposure of Aggregate
  • Low gloss
  • R9 slip rating

Scope

  • 1,535m2 Transitions Mechanically Polished Concrete
  • 12 Working days to complete works

Objective

Through the design of this project, the client wanted to achieve an industrial aesthetic. The flooring solution was to compliment wrought iron and exposed timber features. Furthermore, the client wanted to achieve a seamless finish throughout the building, including bathrooms, and out onto the external finish. It is important also to note that the design of the Townsville Port terminal building allowed for a great amount of natural light into the building. This would also have to be taken into account with the chosen flooring product.

Requirement

The client had very set requirements for the flooring product to be installed in Berth 10 at Townsville Port. First and foremost the product had to have an inherent ability to withstand high amounts of foot traffic at intermittent periods. This meant that the floor would need to be hard wearing and have a high level of abrasion resistance. Further on from this, the chosen flooring product would have to fit in with maintenance schedules. These are sporadic and in line with boat arrivals and departures. Therefore the floor would need to be a low maintenance floor with a long life cycle to cope with the irregular maintenance received.

Chosen Product

The flooring product chosen at the Townsville Port Inner Harbour Expansion was Transitions Mechanically Polished Concrete. This product was chosen due to its ability to fulfil all of the clients’ objectives and requirements. Furthermore, the polished concrete floor utilised the structural slab therefore reducing resources required and time to install when in comparison with competing flooring products.

Transitions Polished Concrete, with a partial exposure of aggregate and low gloss level, created the industrial aesthetic the client wanted to achieve. It also complimented the other natural finishes utilised in the design of the building without becoming the standout upon arrival. The aggregate utilised in the concrete mix was a locally sourced aggregate, adding to the cultural and local significance of the building. Functionally, Transitions Mechanically Polished Concrete floors are extremely durable and have long life cycles with minimal maintenance required. Therefore it is expected that the polished concrete floor at the Port of Townsville will stand the test of time and welcome many visitors to Townsville in the years to come.

Overall Outcome

The client was thrilled with the Transitions Polished Concrete floor that was delivered to them. The flooring product met the brief and thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Transitions team, was installed in a shorter period than what was projected.