Artistic Architecture Meets Car Park Creativity at Riverside 66

Flowcrete Asia recently worked with Hang Lung Properties on the state-of-the-art, LEED certified Riverside 66 shopping centre in the heart of Tianjin’s Haihe Central Business District.

This project, undertaken by one of the country’s largest property companies, demonstrates China’s heritage in contrast with the modern world and how the two can be artfully combined in a unique feat of architectural juxtaposition.

Located at the prime intersection of two principal commercial streets in Tianjin, Riverside 66 offers more than 150,000 square meters of commercial space in the bosom of the renowned Haihe Central Business District.

It was crucial that a top-quality visitor experience was designed into the very fabric of the building. This ethos extended throughout the mall, from the shops of the 400 renowned international brands, to the dining areas, entertainment zones and even into car parking facility.

Hang Lung Properties was aware that the visitor’s first impression is usually formed, not in the shops, but in the car park when they initially arrive. Therefore this space needs to be visually appealing, clean and calm.

To create the desired car park environment 60,000 m2 of Flowcrete Asia’s Deckshield ID deck coating system was specified. The Deckshield range of environmentally sustainable car park coatings has been designed to enhance a site’s interior aesthetics, sharpen light reflectively and prevent water ingress affecting the car park structure.

The iconic retail landmark’s streamlined design features an impressive glass roof, which transmits streams of daylight into the captivating contemporary complex, which is fast becoming a centrepiece in the city's core commercial district.

Skilfully integrated into the ‘super shell’ structure are the fascinating 100-year-old ruins of the Zhejiang Xingye Bank, creating a perfect fusion of the old and the new and the charm of elegant European-style architecture with a state-of-the-art retail centre.

The clear colours and wide open spaces of seamless flooring in the car park reflect the spacious, sprawling feel of the mall itself. Hang Lung Properties utilised the Deckshield colour range and ability to incorporate signage into the finish to install floors in a cool grey with crisp white line markings and coloured bay numbers that match the facility’s colour-coded zones.

The bright, clearly visible signage performs both an aesthetic and functional purpose, as it also assists traffic and pedestrian movement within the car park.

Deckshield has a highly accredited fire rating and the slip resistant surface it creates also helps to reduce tyre squeal to make the car park simultaneously safer and quieter.

Its tough polyurethane formulation is also able to withstand the constant movement of vehicles, spillages of automotive fuel and oils, thermal shock as well as the wear from cleaning and general use that it will inevitably experience. This means that the Riverside 66 architects could rely on the car park maintaining an impressive and effective floor finish for an extended period of time.

With a window of only three months in which to install the high-class deck coating, numerous competitors chose to steer clear of the challenging project.  

However, with its years of experience in the car park decking business, Flowcrete Asia and its licensed contractors were confident of completing the job to a high standard and in a timely manner. The applicators worked in shifts, day and night for the three-month duration of the project to successfully complete the B2 and B3 levels of the car park

Even before its doors opened, Riverside 66 garnered an impressive array of internationally sought after awards. They include the "MIPIM Architectural Review Future Project Awards 2007 – Retail & Leisure Commended Certificate" presented by MIPIM and The Architectural Review; the "Precertification under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Core and Shell Development–Gold Level" presented by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2009; and the "2010 AIA New York Chapter's Design Awards–Merit Award (Unbuilt Work)" presented by the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter.

The client was delighted with the end result that Flowcrete and its licensed contractor delivered and also with the timely and professional manner in which the work was undertaken.