Flooring contractor KBAC Flooring will handle a 1 400 m2 external raised paving installation project in Centurion for M&T Development, set to start in April 2020.

The project is believed to be the first of its kind in Africa using a unique locally manufactured product. KBAC Flooring will provide its external raised access paving solution for the project, designed to harness rainwater, which can then be repurposed as grey water for watering and cleaning purposes.

KBAC Flooring access floors division head Guy Park explains that the project entails placing 40 mm concrete pavers over the raised structure, with a gap between each paver to allow for rainwater to seep into the subfloor. The water can then be collected in tanks or reservoirs and repurposed throughout the building.

The project is multi-pronged, as it will offer a green approach to water conservation as well as using recycled content for the system itself.

The project will use InstaCradle cradles and base packers, both made from rubber crumb. The rubber crumb for this project will consist of quality recycled truck tyres which are ground up and then moulded into environment-friendly cradles. Park believes that, for this project, the recycling of over 220 truck tyres will be required. Suitable recycled car tyres are also used for the InstaCradle system.

Park says the rubber crumb cradles are loosely laid and do not require fixing to the subfloor to protect the waterproofing. The height adjustable cradles negate the need for levelling concrete screeds which would require extended drying times before the floor installation could be completed. The use of cradles also substantially decreases the weight of the flooring.

“The InstaCradle system – now manufactured locally in South Africa for UK-based flooring manufacturer Instafloor– was selected not only because of its ‘green’ qualities but the system is also unaffected by water, and carries a 60-year guarantee,” states Park.

Other Projects

KBAC has been promoting its raised flooring solutions over the past year, with these solutions having been used in various projects.

“We have completed flooring systems ranging between 300 m2 and 2 000 m2 in buildings across South Africa and, most recently, within the Sandton Construction hub,” says Park.

A raised floor system is an elevated floor area upon another floor, typically a concrete slab in a building. Using raised flooring allows for easy access to building services, such as power cables, data, telecoms, environmental control and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning ducting, fire detection and suppression, as well as security services.

The building services would otherwise have been run along walls or ceilings and would have been unsightly and unsafe. Removable access floor panels make it fast and easy to reach these underfloor systems for maintenance purposes.

An access floor solution can be placed in virtually any application such as server rooms, data and call centres, conference rooms and offices, as well as lobbies and reception areas.

Park points out that, over the past year, KBAC Flooring has been offering a full turnkey solution for builders’, architects’ and designers’ flooring requirements.

He highlights that the decision to offer a full turnkey solution will help to clarify the communication gap between builders and flooring suppliers. “It is vital for us to ensure that any potential complications between various raised flooring solutions and floor coverings are addressed and resolved early on in the project to ensure that a high-quality final product is delivered,” Park explains.

He adds that KBAC uses predominantly local suppliers and ensures the highest quality by selecting only International Standard Organisation-accredited flooring solutions.

“We work hand in hand with local manufacturers and suppliers to offer the best price and standards where possible,” Park concludes.