Palm City Residence - Boismag édition "Spécial 10 ans" de Octobre 2010

Présenté sur le salon de Bobât, le système de plot Buzon traverse la Méditerranée et s’installe sur les terrasses de la côte libyenne. Projet d’investisseurs maltais, le nouveau complexe résidentiel Palm City situé à quelques kilomètres de Tripoli, comprend 413 habitations (appartements, penthouses, bungalows
et villas), ainsi que de nombreux équipements de services et de loisirs (restaurants, boutiques, centre médicales, supermarchés, piscines, …).

 

Au sein du complexe, 8 villas de haut standing ont bénéficiés d’un sol de terrasse en padouk, intégrant les plots Buzon. Originaire d’Afrique, ce bois exotique de couleur rouge est réputé pour sa grande stabilité et sa durabilité. Au total, il recouvre 517 m² de sols d’extérieur : terrasses, pont de passerelles et sols bois autour des piscines. Pour concevoir des sols flottants, résistant au soleil et aux tempêtes de sable en provenance du désert libyen, Buzon Pedestal International a collaboré avec l’entreprise de construction maltaise, Andrew Vassallo général trading, chargée de poser l’ensemble des plots de la résidence. Pour cette réalisation, le sol, particulièrement irrégulier, exigeait l’emploi d’un concept constructif spécifique. Une fixation sans clou, ni vis adaptée aux plots Buzon.

Réglables individuellement en hauteur, les plots Buzon répondaient parfaitement aux exigences du terrain, comme le confirme Andrew Vassallo, entrepreneur maltais en charge du chantier : «  Nous avons choisis d’utiliser les plots réglables en polypropylène signés Buzon. Ces plots sont réglables individuellement en hauteur et s’adaptent facilement aux terrains irréguliers. Pour les ponts des passerelles, au-dessus de la piscine, des plots Buzon ont également été utilisés. Ils garantissent une pose aisée et un sol de terrasse parfaitement régulier. En matière de stabilité, le système de Buzon garantit la sécurité nécessaire : ces plots résistent à des contraintes de plus de 1000 kg par plot ce qui est important pour la durabilité du revêtement de sol ». Pour fixer les planches à la sous-structure, la maitrise d’œuvre à opter pour un système de clips invisibles compatibles avec les plots Buzon. Fabriqués en matériau composite, les clips ont été montés sur lambourde. Les planches de terrasse ont ensuite été fixées à la structure. Ce système permet de ne laisser aucune trace de vis ou de clous une fois la pose effectuée. Côté finition, les planches de padouk non-traitées, n’ont reçues aucune couche d’huile supplémentaire. Concernant le nettoyage, il est recommandé de brosser régulièrement le sol, à l’aide d’un savon d’entretien spécial extérieur et d’utiliser, de temps en temps, une huile d’entretien.

* Le système de plot Buzon est constitué d’un socle sur lequel sont successivement vissés un manchon de raccord, une tête de support et un correcteur de pente. Sur celui-ci est ensuite appliqué le kit support lambourde dans lequel seront emboîtés les lambourdes inférieur de l’ossature de la terrasse. Chaque plot peut être réglé en hauteur individuellement, afin d’obtenir un sol parfaitement régulier et stable.

 

Palm City Residence - Floor Forum International 42

Palm City Residence is an exclusive modernisation project instigated by Maltese investors on the Libyan coast. The work was also completed largely by Maltese construction companies. Palm City is situated on the pristine Mediterranean coast line of Janzour, 15km from the Libyan capital Tripoli. Palm City is a luxurious and comfortable residential area which targets international expatriates who are in Libya on business. All together this large real estate project numbers 413 residential units ranging from flats, penthouses, maisonettes, and bungalows to villas with terrace floors and swimming pools. In addition to residential accommodation, Palm City also offers a central market (‘piazza’) with restaurants, pubs, a supermarket, boutiques, a medical centre, and a beauty and health centre. For those wanting some relaxation, the facilities also include swimming pools, tennis courts, football pitches, a club house, and a beach club. It goes without saying that the dwellings are luxuriously designed with a top quality finish. Our particular interest is in the 517 square metres of wooden flooring which has been fitted, either as terrace, wooden bridge deck, or swimming pool floor covering. All together eight villas have been fitted with this Softline® system in padauk.

Andrew Vassallo

The Maltese company Andrew Vassallo General Trading is a specialist in the production of metal and aluminium constructions (steps, doors, arches, street furniture, and fences and railings) and imports and exports building materials. In addition, the company also specialises in floating outdoor floors. In the latter case they work together with Buzon Pedestal International, the biggest European manufacturer of adjustable floor bases in polypropylene and active in 38 countries. Due to its expertise in outdoor floors, Andrew Vassallo was asked to fit all the terraces and bridge decks in Palm City Residence. Andrew Vassallo comments: “In view of the location this was something of an unusual project for us. Tripoli really does have a desert climate. That means it can get very hot, there is a very low humidity level, and the locals also encounter sandstorms on a regular basis. All this meant that we had to take a number of special measures. For example, we pleaded with the clients to maintain a good distance, from 7 to 12cm, between the base and the terrace deck. After all, if there’s a sandstorm nearby, the top surface gets covered in sand. Leaving a gap between the covering floor and the base makes cleaning a lot easier. Moreover, the space in between is also useful for the passage of water pipes from the lawn sprinkler system.”

A level and strong terrace floor

The necessary space and the uneven ground on which the terrace had to be built meant that a specific construction design was required. Andrew Vassallo says: “We chose to use the polypropylene adjustable floor bases from Buzon DPH^®. These floor bases can be adjusted individually in height and can easily be adjusted to suit uneven ground. We also used the Buzon base system for the bridge decks above the swimming pools. That ensured easy fitting and a perfectly flat terrace surface. As regards stability, the Buzon system also provides the necessary safety. After all, the floor bases can withstand loads of more than 1000kg per base. That’s important for the floor’s long-term durability.”

How was the terrace structure in Palm City Residence constructed? Andrew Vassallo explains: “The Buzon DPH^® base system is built on a pedestal onto which they screw an adjustment ring, a linking socket, and a head with gradient correction. On top of that come the lips into which the lower base beams of the terrace structure are clipped. The fact that each floor base can be adjusted individually means it is possible to build a perfectly level and stable terrace deck.

Screwless terrace floorboards

“For fixing the floorboards onto the lower structure we chose the Softline® system from Vetedy. The Vetedy Softline® clips, which are made from a hard and extremely strong composite material, were mounted on the support beams. Then the terrace floorboards were fixed to the support structure. The advantage here is that there’s no need to use screws and that when the final fitting is completed there’s not even a single screw or screw hole in sight. We completed the fitting very quickly thanks to the extremely flexible system. Moreover, it is perfectly compatible with the Buzon DPH^®. floor bases,” says Andrew Vassallo.

Padauk

The desert climate also played a major part in the choice of wood sort. The aridity of the Libyan climate was a point for attention, whilst the fact that the terrace wood lay in the immediate vicinity of the swimming pool water meant that extra caution was required. And so, Andrew Vassallo set about choosing the wood sort cautiously. Tests were carried out on various wood sorts, including an examination of how swimming pool water would affect the wood in combination with a merciless sun and extremely low air humidity. Eventually, the choice fell to padauk wood. Padauk, which originates from Central and West Africa, is well known as a highly durable and exceptionally stable wood sort and these were the qualities which were absolutely essential for this project. Padauk has a fresh coral red to purple-brown heartwood which naturally comes into durability class 1. The padauk planks were 20mm thick and 100mm wide and varied in fixed lengths of 80, 120, 160, 200, and 240cm.

Finally, let’s say a few brief words about the finish. They chose to fit the untreated wooden floorboards without any treatment. Padauk is perfectly suitable for doing this. To maintain the terrace and keep it clean, it is sufficient to apply a wood anti-ageing product once a year.