International Airport, Canberra

ARCHITECT: Guida Moseley Brown Architects
CONTRACTOR: PDA Marble and Granite

Canberra’s Airport is located on the eastern edge of North Canberra and is the eighth busiest airport in Australia. The new terminal features duty free shopping, free Wi-Fi and a café bar.

Luxurious furnishings and striking sculptures compliment stone floors and floor to ceiling windows that provide natural light and a clear view to the runways. The vision for the airport was to provide a stimulating point of difference for passengers resulting in a variety of sculptures being commissioned by renowned artists.

The system used for this project comprised of ARDEX DS 60 Decoupling Mat which is ideal for large areas where crack isolation is imperative. The unique floating system isolated base movement while only being 0.4mm thick.
ARDEX A 38 screed was laid because of the high compressive strength required for the high traffic area. Finally ARDEX X 18, a Fibre Reinforced Flexible Non Slump Wall and Floor Tile Adhesive was used to adhere the Terrazzo Tiles. ARDEX X 18 contains specially developed fibres that add strength to the tiled area.

CHALLENGES:
ARDEX A 38 screed was incorporated into the system because it provided high compressive strength and could manage the high levels of traffic that were expected in the terminal. It also provided rapid drying properties which allowed tiling to commence earlier, which greatly assisted in meeting deadlines for the new terminal to open and receive flights.