River Mall Shopping Centre, Kyiv (Ukraine)
In the largest shopping center in the capital, Mapei supplied products suitable for areas with high pedestrian traffic.
River Mall is one of the largest shopping and entertainment hubs in Kyiv and is located on the left-hand bank of the Dnipro, the river that flows through the Ukrainian capital. It extends over an area of 140,000 m2 and includes more than 160 shops and boutiques, 55 of which belong to famous brands such as H&M, Zara, Zara Home, Oysho, Pull & Bear, Bershka and Stradivarius, as well as other famous fashion retailers such as Hugo Boss, Guess, Anabel Arto, and Tezenis. There are also 16 sportswear outlets featuring leading brands such as All Star, Adidas, Nike, Puma and Under Armour. The complex also has a large supermarket which sells food and homeware, and a dedicated food court with fast-food joints and restaurants. On the entertainments side, there is the Planet Cinema complex, featuring 10 screens and its own restaurant, and a children’s play area. The shopping centre has a multi-storey carpark with 5 floors above ground level and 2 below ground level, for a total of 1550 parking spaces. A terrace overlooking the river completes the attractions of River Mall.
HIGH PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS FOR “HEAVILY TRAFFICKED” SURFACES
Construction of the complex was carried out between 2018 and 2019 and various Mapei products and systems were employed, particularly to install large format porcelain tiles (1200x600x9 mm) and stone slabs in various areas around the site, including those which would be most subject to high volumes of pedestrian traffic.
The first step was to prepare the concrete substrates by treating their surface with PRIMER G synthetic resin-based primer in water dispersion with very low emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC).
Ceramic tiles and stone slabs were bonded in the corridors, the food court and on the terrace with ADESILEX P9 FIBER PLUS, a fibre-reinforced, cementitious adhesive, which is distributed on the Ukrainian market by Mapei Ukraine.
The product chosen to grout the tile joints was KERACOLOR FF, a high-performance, polymer-modified cementitious mortar with water-repellent DropEffect® technology for joints up to 6 mm wide.
Instead of using water, the mortar was mixed with FUGOLASTIC, a liquid polymer admixture used to improve adhesion and mechanical strength and to reduce porosity and absorption.
This system (KERACOLOR FF+FUGOLASTIC) is classified CG2 according to European standard EN 13888.
The expansion joints in the internal surfaces were sealed with MAPESIL AC, a mould-resistant, pure, acetic silicone sealant available in 34 different colours, as well as a transparent version.
The product chosen to seal the expansion and distribution joints on floors most exposed to intense traffic, such as those on the terrace, was MAPEFLEX PU 45 FT, a paintable, rapid, polyurethane adhesive and sealant, which is suitable for sealing joints subject to movements up to 20% of the average width of the joint.
To ensure MAPEFLEX PU 45 FT only bonded to the sides of the joints and not to the bottom, MAPEFOAM closed-cell expanded polyethylene cord was placed at the bottom of the joints.
