Encore Melaka Theatre
Entertainment, a great atmosphere and special effects are the key ingredients of the Malaysian theatre “Encore Melaka”, the biggest theatre ever to be built in Asia. The MAPELASTIC range was used to waterproof the various areas around the construction, including the original tank on stage, which accommodates striking columns of water flowing down from the ceiling.
MAPELASTIC, MAPELASTIC FOUNDATION, PLANISEAL 288 and PLASTIMUL PU were chosen for the waterproofing of the substrates while MAPETOP SP was used for treating concrete road surfaces,
Overlooking the Straits of Malacca and situated along the promenade of the city of the same name, the Encore Melaka Theatre has a form which is both contemporary and avant-garde. The building is just a part of a more comprehensive development programme known as Impression City Melaka which, in the coming years, will see the construction of hotels, residences, shopping and business centres, schools and wellness facilities.
A CUTTING-EDGE THEATRE
The entire complex extends over an area of more than 60,000 m2 and, with a capacity of more than 20,000, it is the largest theatre ever built in Asia.
In his design, the architect Wang Ge from the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design was aiming to promote the multi-ethnicity and cultural wealth which has been a feature of Malacca for many centuries by creating a structure that, on the surface, may appear to be quite simple, with facades covered entirely with white porcelain tiles, but one that is sophisticated in terms of construction technology.
The uniformity of the covering material is broken by inserting LED panels that illuminate the structure at night. The internal spaces, as well as the foyer where spectators are welcomed, are characterised by the colours blue and white, a symbol of purity and eternity.
The theatre is full of cutting-edge technology, included a complex hydraulics system to raise and lower platforms built into the stage, a high-tech audio system, 3D mapping projection equipment and a spectacular platform that is able to rotate 360 degrees. The platform – the first of its kind in south-east Asia – allows the entire auditorium to rotate automatically during a show, thereby giving a different perspective of the stage.
The theatre puts on performances of Impression & Encore Series, an avant-garde production that recounts the history of the city over the centuries, with stories of the first travellers, indigenous settlements and inter-cultural encounters through the medium of song and dance.
WATERPROOFING DIFFERENT AREAS WITH DIFFERENT PRODUCTS
The contractor that built the theatre needed to waterproof a large part of the internal areas of the structure (flat surfaces, lift shafts, bearing walls, pump room, storage tanks, balconies, corridors, bathrooms and kitchens) and certain areas of the stage. In fact, during the Impression & Encore shows, water is always present on the stage, either falling from above or collected in a storage tank on the stage itself.
The waterproofing products proposed by Mapei Technical Services met the requirements of the client, designer and contractor. Waterproofing of the bearing walls and lift shafts (a total of 600 m2) was carried out with MAPELASTIC FOUNDATION, a two-component cementitious mortar specifically developed for concrete retaining walls applied in two coats with a roller to form a layer at least 2 mm thick.
To waterproof the rainwater collection tank, the pump room, the storage tank for the spray-mist and the storage tank located on the stage (total surface area 620 m2), Mapei Technical Services recommended using MAPELASTIC two-component cementitious mortar.
For the floor surfaces on the stage and the corridors inside the theatre (8,820 m2), the product applied was PLASTIMUL PU waterproofing membrane, which is distributed on the Malaysian market by Mapei Malaysia.
In the bathrooms, showers, kitchens and areas housing the air-conditioning system, the surfaces were treated with PLANISEAL 288 two-component cementitious mortar which can be used for waterproofing underground structures, storage tanks and concrete structures in general.
The concrete road surfaces in the carpark and in the loading bays (12,000 m2) were treated with MAPETOP SP (natural color), which is distributed in Malaysia by Mapei Malaysia. This surface hardener is used to make both internal and external concrete surfaces more abrasion-resistant when they are subjected, as in this case, to a high level of traffic.
