New Zealand’s much loved beer brand, Speight’s was founded by James Speight, Charles Greenslade and William Dawson and first brewed at the current Speight’s Brewery site in Rattray Street, Dunedin at the foot of the City Rise on the 4th of April, 1876. The current brewery, when it opened in 1887, was the largest in New Zealand.

In 2017, Ignite Architects were engaged by the current owners of Speight’s, Lion to revamp the public areas of the brewery in line with new branding and a string of popular Speight’s Ale Houses around the country.

Working with the character, energy and warmth desired by the client and the company’s ‘Southern man’ brand persona, Ignite combined Speight’s signature timber features and tartan fabric to create relaxed and masculine spaces including a menswear shop, tasting room and brewery tour facility.

For the 180 square metres of flooring, Ignite specified ARDEX PCT polished concrete in light grey. Applicator John Cooper Flooring screeded the floors prior to placement, using ARDEX RA56 to fill cracks in the substrate where fill was required. Other areas were self-levelled and left as wear surfaces.

At the time, substrate temperatures were very low due to snow storms and heating was run for days until the substrate temperature was high enough to apply the product.

The completed floor is not only practical, durable and low-maintenance but adds an industrial polish in keeping with the building’s rich history.