Protection and renovation of an old concrete floor

In the restauration process of the old engineering works buildings of Finnish rail company VR in the Vallila area of Helsinki, the outcome of main design and architectural design is an example of how to appreciate an old, protected concrete floor while integrating it into an ambitious repair and modification project. The buildings dating back to 1899-1910 are protected in the town plan.

The majority of concrete floors are original floors that have served for more than a hundred years in an industrial environment. The past of the floors is shown as a patchwork of rails, machine beds and repairs executed over the years. It was hoped that this unique history could be maintained also in the new life of the buildings, as part of the story told by the indoor areas of the buildings. As a rule, the floors were kept unchanged.

The deepest holes were filled by in-situ casting. The floor surface was cleaned with steel sand blasting and then treated with a translucent, matte finish epoxy. The epoxy coat is invisible, but protects the old concrete and makes it easy to clean. New topping concrete was used in places where a level surface as good as new was required.

A concrete floor is easy to patch and clean even in high-end public areas.

Read the entire article in Finnish and see the images >>