A Mapei tiling system has been used to complete an installation at University of Nottingham’s revered Central Building on the Castle Meadow Campus. The installation, completed by Telling Finishings for main contractor, G F Tomlinson, spanned over 1500 m2, with Mapei anti-fracture membrane, adhesives and Profilpas profiles featuring in the specification.

At only 30 years old, Central Building was Grade II listed by Historic England in 2023, making it one of the youngest buildings to receive this designation. In April 1993, it achieved maximum points in a BREEAM environmental assessment, the first building ever to do so, demonstrating its long-standing environmental performance credentials. During its retrofit, Bond Bryan Architects carefully respected and retained the building’s distinctive character. The original structure has been preserved, complemented by a new sustainable timber frame supporting a striking glass roof and first-floor terrace with a winter garden. Additional enhancements include a new welcome reception area, Deli Central and a community research hub, all thoughtfully integrated into the revitalised scheme.

Through a considered specification process, Bond Bryan identified and specified suitable Mapei systems across various substrates to help achieve the required technical performance, durability and finish standards across the project. Mapei products included Mapeguard UM 35 – a waterproofing/decoupling anti-fracture membrane – which was applied to the ground floor raised access flooring and first floor 160 mm thick timber frame to ensure a robust solution.

Porcelain tiles from Pavigres’ Milestone range (600x600mm) were then installed with fast-setting cementitious adhesive, Keraquick S1 Zero – a very low VOC EMICODE: EC1 Plus-certified formulation and part of Mapei’s Zero Line, with CO2 fully offset in the entire life cycle. Mapei Profilpas Projoint DIL NIN – a stainless steel expansion joint with an interchangeable elastic vinyl resin insert – was also installed to delineate tile bays, provide an attractive finish and offer optimal protection.

For more information, please contact: info@mapei.co.uk or visit www.mapei.co.uk