MAPEI wins Project of the Year at TTMAC 2023 Hardsurface Awards

Laval, Quebec -- MAPEI Canada entries were winners in three categories at the Terrazzo Tile & Marble Association of Canada (TTMAC)'s 2023 Hardsurface Awards, including the top prize: Project of the Year. That distinction went to the Fantasyland Hotel lobby floor renovation within the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta – a project which also won in the Manufactured Tile and Slabs category.

The other MAPEI project winner was the Union Station Moat Renovation, a 35,000 square-foot internal and external pedestrian concourse in downtown Toronto, Ontario, in the Technical Product Application category.

Founded in 1944, TTMAC annually hands out awards recognizing excellence in major construction projects across Canada. A group of architects and interior designers that are coordinated by the committee chairperson forms the judging panel, whose decisions are based upon criteria such as the quality of workmanship, level of difficulty, special features contained in the projects, etc. As in previous years, MAPEI’s contributions made a significant impact with TTMAC representatives.

Winner: Fantasyland Hotel Lobby Floor Renovation

With the Fantasyland Hotel approaching its 40th anniversary in 2023, proprietors Triple Five Group embarked on a plan to update the original terrazzo floor with a fresh, new look using precision-cut, laminated, large-format marble composite tile. After a few years in the design and planning stages, the 5,850-squarefoot (543-m²) area was surveyed and design drawings were put into a CAD file so that all the curved design elements could be waterjet-cut and numbered as to their install locations to mirror the completed ceiling design. MAPEI was consulted for recommendations regarding surface preparation and installation products.

Work began at the site in January 2022, with MAPEI Business Development Manager Brent Johnsen serving as MAPEI’s coordinator on the project. Given its excellent compatibility with both uncoupling membranes and lippage control systems, Keraflex Super was used for setting the tiles. The mortar is formulated with Easy Glide Technology for ease of application and with a consistency that allows adjustability. That adjustability factor was crucial for this job, as nearly every tile was cut to a unique shape and size and had a specifically planned placement that was mapped out at the design stage.

Thanks goes to installers PROTILE Ltd. and MAPEI distributor Prosol Inc.

For more details, check out our page.

Winner: Union Station Moat Renovation

The moat slopes downward from street level to the underground subway entrance aside the landmark train station on Front Street West. It “was a dark, dingy underground concourse” before renovations got underway in 2020, as described by MAPEI sales representative Jason Zeppieri, who along with colleague Lee Cuthbert, served as MAPEI coordinator for the project.

The new floor is made up mostly of flamed-granite stone tile imported from the province of Quebec and measuring 4 x 4 feet (1.22 x 1.22 m) and 3" (7.5 cm) thick. Working one 650-lb. (295-kg) slab at a time, the crews set them using MAPEI Ultralite S2 highly deformable, lightweight, gauged-tile mortar with polymer. Formulated with Easy Glide Technology, it made surprisingly quick work of installing the massive stone slabs. Each slab needed a forklift with hydraulic suction for placement, while the BMC masonry crew positioned it by hand to meet the strict flatness required to avoid lippage.

Thanks goes to installers BMC Masonry, MAPEI distributor Form & Build Supply and the City of Toronto.

For more details, check out our page. 

MAPEI also wishes to thank the TTMAC for the recognition and for all that it does to support the industry, and wishes to express its pleasure of being a part of 2023’s awards.