Rientjes Consultants was engaged to handle the project, which also required completion on a fast-track basis in order to minimise disruption to mall tenants and users. Rientjes evaluated a number of decking systems including mastic asphalt, traditional membrane systems and a polyurethane resin system known as Deckshield ED from Flowcrete.

The evaluation included visits to a number of sites where Deckshield ED had been installed.

Deckshield is a seamless, waterproof decking system with superior elastomeric crack-bridging properties of up to 2.5mm.

"It was selected for the Dress Smart project on the basis of its proven track record – over three million square metres installed worldwide and no failures plus superior chemical and abrasion resistance, and durability," says Barry McGee of Cemix, Flowcrete’s New Zealand distributor. "In addition, we were able to offer a comprehensive 10 year warranty directly from Flowcrete, offering the client much greater peace of mind."

The speed and ease of installation of Deckshield also contributed to the final decision.

"With mastic asphalt, it takes about six days to install 300 square metres, whereas with Deckshield, an area of between 1000 and 1500 square metres can be installed in the same timeframe."

Prior to installation of the Deckshield ED, a damp-proof membrane system known as Hydraseal DPM was applied to combat potential problems from the high moisture content in the concrete substrate. The Deckshield ED was then applied over the 2500 square
metre area.

A further requirement was to use different colours for the drive aisles, parking stalls and speciality parking. "All of this is possible with Deckshield, which comes in a range of colourways, enabling clear demarcation of the car-park areas and resulting in increased functionality and improved traffic management."