SSE Hydro’s Flowfast Floor Supports Singing, Sports and Celebrations

The award winning SSE Hydro arena utilised several high performance resin flooring solutions from Flowcrete UK to create surfaces that would maintain an attractive finish despite being continuously walked and danced on top of by thousands of revellers. 

The 13,000 capacity venue has already become a popular leisure destination. This is in large part thanks to its innovative design, which has won a string of accolades, including Public and Commercial Development of the Year, City and Urban Regeneration prizes, the Architectural Excellence Award (Public building) and a Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) award.

Over 9,000m² of Flowcrete UK flooring solutions were installed throughout the venue when it was constructed. This includes 8,500m² of Flowfast Quartz in the arena’s main bowl area and a further 511m² of Mondéco Classic in the VIP lounge rooms.

The robust, easy to clean nature of these floors makes them ideal for a stadium setting, as they are able to withstand the movement of large bodies of people for an extended period of time, retaining a seamless and unblemished surface.

The floor in the main arena would also be at risk from a variety of other damaging factors that could easily crack an inadequate floor finish. The stage and large pieces of equipment will exert a lot of pressure into the floor coating and there are a multitude of heavy objects around the arena that could fall or be dropped, causing cracks in any surface unable to dissipate extreme physical impacts.

The durability of Flowfast Quartz means that it will be able to overcome these challenges while maintaining a decorative finish. Flowcrete UK’s Flowfast range includes the methyl methacrylate (MMA) catalyst, which speeds up the rate of cure to only a couple of hours.   

A rapid floor installation was a particular asset for The SSE Hydro project, as high-profile concerts and sporting events had already been booked, meaning that a quick construction turn around, without any delays, was essential.

The floor in the SSE Hydro’s VIP lounge rooms would have to face similar challenges and the environment’s luxurious aesthetics couldn’t be allowed to be diminished by a cracked, stained or failing finish.

To ensure that the floor conveyed the modern, stylish surroundings of the VIP rooms, a dark Mondéco Crystal floor was installed with a blend of mirrored and clear glass chippings incorporated into the surface to create a shimmering lustre underfoot.

The black finish, speckled with light reflective additives, adds an extra visual dimension to the environment, providing a backdrop that allows the bright green furnishings and blue lights to draw the eye while tying the various interior design elements of the VIP area together with one smooth surface of iridescent black.

Architects interested in creating decorative seamless resin terrazzo surfaces that can withstand the challenges of large-scale commercial environments can find out more about the practicalities of its specification, installation and maintenance by signing up to one of Flowcrete UK’s RIBA accredited CPD Seminars.