The Christchurch Town Hall is currently in the final stages of a structural upgrade and restoration following extensive damage to the building in the 2011 earthquake. As part of the rebuild, Gilt Edge Industries Ltd and Dominion Carpets specified a unique flooring solution for the Limes Room — one of the town hall’s popular conference and function rooms.

For the upgrade of the 560m² Limes Room floor, architects opted to reuse the original parquet flooring, but first the current flooring substrate had to be repaired. With engineers concerned that use of a conventional concrete overlay would create excessive loading on the structure, they decided to use a lightweight screed as the solution.

Gilt Edge Industries Ltd and Dominion Carpets created a bespoke flooring specification for the project, which was chosen as it incorporated a lightweight screed, minimised weight and provided strength, all while enabling flooring installers to relay the original parquet flooring directly on top of the levelling compound.

The specification comprised a layer of each of Uzin 460 Epoxy moisture barrier and Uzin 280 Primer, followed by the application of the Uzin SC914 Turbolight lightweight screed and a 10mm capping layer of Uzin 170 Level-star self-levelling compound. A perfect solution for substrate correction, the complete lightweight system has integrated load-bearing capabilities, which effectively added strength to the lightweight screed below. Relaid directly on top of the Uzin 170 Level-star compound, the original parquet completes the flooring build-up and adds a final touch of elegance to the room.

Craig Kennelly, South Island Sales Manager of Gilt Edge Industries Ltd and Andrew Tomlinson are extremely pleased with the specification and installation. “It was a real specialised job and Conprep who applied the screed did an absolutely amazing job,” he says. “Everyone is happy with the finished project.”

With the Limes Room now ready to once again provide a sophisticated venue for functions and conferences, the Christchurch Town Hall is one step closer to officially reopening in early 2019.