Cities around the world are booming with new landscapes and urban requirements as economies continue to grow. Designers, architects, and engineers alike are faced with the challenge of not only developing the space they are contracted for, but also upgrading the community surrounding the space. In Australia, given the wide spaces and extensive development, upgrading doesn’t necessarily mean redevelopment or restructuring. Sometimes, it could be as simple as improving the flooring, the main pathways around the space. One fantastic material to upgrade urban space with is terrazzo marble.
Terrazzo marble is a good material that could match a lot of the surrounding elements of any urban landscape. The colors of Terrazzo can match existing buildings and infrastructure in the city. A brick red hue can match buildings made of old style bricks, while a black tint for Terrazzo could match steel materials such as bridges and lamp posts. Terrazzo flooring that matches these hues easily upgrade the surroundings and feel of the block. Flooring integrates any space into its bigger surrounding, connecting small spaces and expanding areas thematically.
Speaking of bricks as an integral and defining element of design in the urban landscape, the Shuyang Art Gallery in Jiangsu, China is an example which boasts of this element covering a large part of the building’s façade. Designed by Lead Architect Danshen Dong, the main entrance and courtyard of the museum used a textured and cambered surface with bricks, creating a distinct brick red structure within the complex of buildings. The flooring inside the museum combined polished wood and bricks.
Another example of a building that used bricks for architecture is the White Pagoda Temple in Beijing China. This bricks version is mainly a deep blue hue, instead of the usual bright red color. Given this different hue of bricks, flooring will also have to match the colors. This is where the flexibility of terrazzo comes in as an advantage. Being able to match colors of existing elements in an architectural design allows developers to incorporate the infrastructure with its surrounding.
Terrazzo Australia’s Pavers is the ideal solution for external paving to match signature buildings in the metro. We have a range of external terrazzo pavers which are hermetically pressed to produce durable tiles that not only match the design requirements but also withstand elements. Upgrading the urban landscape need not be an overhaul. Sometimes, it takes the simplest flooring modification to harmonize all elements that make a great city.