Timber iQ August - September 2019 // Issue:45 | Page 23

PROJECTS
functional hurdles. Teaming up with contractor and
building systems and materials provider Kingspan,
Bloomberg devised a solution where individual boards
could be lifted and refitted at will.
“Each board has a magnetic strip running its length,
which sticks it to the metal access floor below,” says
Jones. “So, you can sucker one up, lever up the
surrounding boards then just drop them back into place.”
This approach also means zero creaking, while the sound
of footsteps is deadened by an additional acoustic layer
between board and access floor. It’s also straightforward
to replace any areas that suffer damage.
Above the ramp at the centre of the building is an expansive
rooflight, providing natural light deep into the heart of the
building.
The ramp under construction.
So convinced were Kingspan by the flooring solution, they’ve
now brought it to market, and it’s already been used in a
number of other projects.
Using red oak in these various applications was also a
logistical exercise. Over and above sourcing it - and it all had
to be FSC verified sustainable or equivalent - and shipping it
over the Atlantic, the Vortex panelling was laser perforated in
Switzerland, the multi-purpose room glulam walls made in
Germany and the flooring machined in Italy.
Triple-helix ramp and atrium rooflight, seen from the sixth-floor pantry.
www.timberiq.co.za
// AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019
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