Digital edition 2021 | Non-residential

Experience Center Mercedes Benz

BelgiumBelgiumCompany Name: Mila BVBA

Project description

The main entrance of Experience Centre Mercedes Benz is a round central hall from where it is possible to go to all the different departments within the building. The round staircase to the first floor has the smallest radius. It ends at the first floor where it connects with a parapet that goes completely around with a bigger radius. In the center of the hall is an escalator connected to the parapet which is also finished with drywall solutions.

Contractor

Mila BVBA

Mila started with plasterworks in 2000. With the focus on quality, the company experienced a fast growth and became a fixed value in the region. The core values are craftsmanship and professionalism. Linking these values to the use of high-quality materials and a good communication, this ensures the customer’s complete satisfaction. In 2017, Mila decided to expand with dry finishing. The combination of wet and dry finishing was quickly appreciated by the customer and indispensable for the company today. Their activities are carried out in the residential and non-residential sector (such as swimming pools, schools, offices, etc…). The strength of Mila is the know-how of the people working in their team, with continuously thinking together with the client and architect to find a good and high-quality solution for every challenge.

Benefits
Environmentally friendly
Gyproc® plasters and plasterboard solutions are part of the Gyproc®’s durability strategy which implies minimal environmental impact
Fire protection
The handrails were connected with PlaGyp® profiles underneath the stairs to make sure a 15 mm plasterboard with fire resistance could be installed

Key Achievements

  • Different brainstorm sessions about how to make the perfect circles, calculation and cutting the plywood reinforcements and plasterboards for the handrails
  • Good communication on the jobsite between all parties (architect / drywall installer / technicians) ensured immediate action could be taken in case of problems, without losing time and money
  • Teamwork with good partners who have the best solutions
  • Strict time schedule

Key Challenges

The most difficult part was to create several perfect circles with different rays around one middle point
The circle of the parapet in plasterboard is connected to a second, bigger, circle which is further seamless connected with the ceiling in plasterwork and wood wool cement boards
Plywood reinforcements were introduced in to the parapet for extra support and stability
Difficulty of calculation of the radius for the handrails (6 different rays were cut to obtain the perfect circles)
Large windows ensure that there’s a lot of direct light so the finishing of all the walls and ceilings had to be perfect (plaster as well as plasterboard)

Stakeholders

Building owner:
Ghistelinck NV
Architect:
Goedefroo + Goedefroo architecten
Main contractor:
Stadsbader NV
Photographer:
Stefan Peene
Saint-Gobain Team:
SGCP BE – Gyproc: Wim Goossens (Regional Manager)