Client: Westfield Stratford City
Type of works: supplied RonaDeck Resin Bound Surfacing.

Westfield Stratford City retail and leisure development situated in Stratford in East London is not only the largest urban shopping centre in Europe but is also the most environmentally friendly shopping complex in Britain. Built at a cost of £1.8billion, it contains 1.9 million square feet of retail and leisure space. Westfield Stratford City is located adjacent to the Olympic Park and will form the prestigious gateway to the Olympic Games in 2012.

There are 250 shops and over 70 places to eat and drink in the complex which includes a 17- screen, all-digital Vue cinema; 14 lane, All Star Lanes bowling and the UK’s largest casino. A pedestrianised street runs through the development, linking John Lewis at one end with Marks & Spencer at the other.

Specialist contractors Cemplas were employed to lay the surfacing element of the hard landscaping package, a key feature in the complex that covers over 3000m2. The surfacing system used was RonaDeck Resin Bound Surfacing, a permeable paving system consisting of blended aggregates bound in a UV resistant elastic resin. RonaDeck Resin Bound Surfacing provides an attractive porous pavement for pedestrians and light vehicle traffic. The inbuilt porosity prevents surface ponding of rainwater and allows water to drain naturally, feeding plants, natural watercourses or manmade drainage systems. The system is SUDs* compliant, in keeping with the environmental aims of Westfield. The elasticity of the resin means that there is a ‘give’ to the surface, this makes it more comfortable to walk on and provides resilience to localised pressure which could cause damage to surfacings with more brittle binders.

Golden Harvest aggregate was selected for the walkway from Ronacrete’s range of natural aggregates, each formulated for strength and appearance. The ultra violet stability of the resin ensures that as the surfacing ages, the appearance of the aggregates will not be spoilt by the discolouration that is characteristic of cheaper resin systems.

Cemplas applied the RonaDeck Resin Bound Surfacing system to an asphalt substrate which was laid to form a firm base. The RonaDeck Resin Bound Surfacing system is supplied as a two component polyurethane resin together with a blend of kiln-dried aggregates for on-site mixing in a forced action mixer. Cemplas first mixed the two component resin with a drill and paddle before adding the mixed resin to Golden Harvest aggregate in the high capacity forced action mixer. As soon as the aggregate was fully coated with resin, the mixed material was discharged from the mixer and trowel applied at a thickness of 18mm onto the prepared asphalt surface.

The finished system was ready for foot traffic within four hours of being laid.