NEW CRUISE TERMINAL
PORT OF LEIXÕES, PORTUGAL
SIKA AT WORK
REFURBISHMENT: All-9000
WATERPROOFING: Rasolastik
NEW CRUISE TERMINAL
PORT OF LEIXÕES, PORTUGAL
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The new terminal of the Port of Leixões , inaugurated on July
23, 2015 and opened to the public on September 26, 2015, is
located in the Matosinhos municipality close to the city of
Porto in the northern region of Portugal.
This terminal was built specifically for cruise ships. Ideated
with the purpose of re-launching, boosting the local tourism
and developing the urban character of the location, the
new terminal building sits upon a 340 meter long quay and
includes a pedestrian access path for the general public and
passengers. Leixões is the second most important national
port as far as the container trac is concerned, and it’s
going to play an important task within the new European
commercial strategy as well. We have to consider its major
role in view of the ratification of the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade
and Investment Partnership).
Three important connections depart from the main building,
which is around 1500 sqm: the new pier for cruise ships,
the new nautical recreational port for vessels and the new
road system to access the city. The main building hosts:
the passenger station building, a plaza, a gallery-museum
with laboratories to promote science linked to the Science
and Technology Park of the Sea of the University of Porto,
an aquarium, an underground garage, meeting rooms,
a restaurant and a large covered amphitheater with a
captivating view of the ocean.
The urban Plan extends over a public area of around 5
hectares, characterized by approximately 19.000 sqm
of construction. The port and the extension of its pier,
completed in 2011, are part of it.
The new building is located at the end of the new pier. The
shape of the new building has been conceived to be like
a helical spiral moving from the sea level in a continuous
alternation of glazed and opaque surfaces, in order to
create a structure with 4 levels. The winding shapes of the
new building attract the visitors through a kind of centripetal
force that drives them towards the great central hall, which
is penetrated by filtered light, as a voyage to the open sea.
The total cost of the project (studies began in 2003) is around
26 million euros (initial budget of 28.3 million euros – project
funded by the EU, with the aim of boosting the local economy
based on maritime trac and tourism).
More than 4,000 tons of steel were used to build the terminal,
20,000 cbm of concrete, 6,700 sqm of glass and 900,000
tiles in six dierent shapes. The new terminal was built
between 2012 and 2014, and the tiles were fixed from March
to November 2014. This project received the AZAward, the
International Award of Architecture and Design in 2016
in Toronto. On March 2016 it has been published the book
“Terminal de Cruzeiros de Leixões”, printed worldwide, edited
by the architect of the project: Luís Pedro Silva.
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
The Project Manager, that prescribed the project of the main
building of New Cruise Terminal Port of Leixões, wanted
to install ceramic tiles of dierent thickness and shape on
concrete walls, both internally and externally, and flat tiles
for the ceiling. Tiles needed to be fixed without sealant with a
gap of 2-3mm.
The whole design needed to be conceived for its location in an
area exposed to chloride attack from seawater, temperature
variations and thermal expansion.
A solution permitting the installation of 900.000 ceramic tiles
in six dierent shapes needed to be identified.
The fixers faced considerable diculties for the type of
substrate and the uneasy access on vertical surfaces.
Therefore, installers only succeeded in carrying out 5 sqm per
day per person.
The combination of these aspects also implied a series of
cost-control issues to stay on the above mentioned budget, as
regards construction and maintenance over time.
SIKA SOLUTION
Following the analysis of the substrate conditions (concrete
curing, pull-o tests, compressive strength), a Method
Statement was defined, including, first of all, the water
blasting or the sandblasting of the substrate, in order to
eliminate all dust and any traces of form-release agents, the
mechanical removal of all protuberances and imperfections
due to formwork in order to have a perfectly smooth surface,
suitable to grant the complete adhesion of the tiles to the
substrate (which was supposed to be perfectly dry).
For external and internal wall tiling, mainly hexagonal tiles of
15 cm diameter were used, with varying thickness and shape.
They were laid with no grout, minimizing the use of the
adhesive, which was also used as a leveling, also to maximize
the three-dimensional and light-dark eects. The adhesion
of the adhesive ALL-9000 to the cast-in-place concrete and
tiles was excellent, also due to the fact that the glue has no
vertical slippage (it’s a two-component polyurethane-based
adhesive, class R2T according to EN 12004).
As far as the adhesion of the tiles to the wall was concerned,
the procedure was as follows:
Very slight leveling with ALL-9000 by applying it with
a minimal thickness in order to prevent blistering or
imperfections on the surface of the adhesive;
Installation of the tiles (after waiting at least 24 h) by
spreading the adhesive at first with a notched trowel (4–5
mm), then with a smooth trowel in order to ensure a
continuous, even layer of adhesive (around 2 mm thickness)
on the surface;
Application of the adhesive also on the edges of the back of
the tiles by using a small spatula.
Then installation (with due pressure) of the tiles on the
substrate previously leveled;
The tiles were not fixed close to each other; a minimum gap
between them (2/3 approx.) was ensured through the use
of spacers;
Any excess adhesive on the sides or surface of the tiles
was removed with a cloth soaked in ethyl alcohol when the
adhesive was still fresh.
As regards the bonding procedure of the ceiling, Sika
recommended the same installation procedure described
previously, without following point 3. In this case, the still
fresh adhesive was able to bear the weight of the tiles since
they were installed on a flat surface, unlike those installed
on the walls. Rasolastik, two-component cement-based
waterproofing product (Class CM02 of EN 14891:2012 standard
for waterproofing beneath tiles), was used in the pedestrian
access ramps leading from the building to the sea, therefore in
the areas having the greatest exposure to chlorides.
PRODUCTS USED AND SUPPLIED
UNDER TECHNOKOLLA BRAND:
ALL-9000 (105.000 kg)
Rasolastik (14.000 kg)
NEW CRUISE TERMINAL
PORT OF LEIXÕES, PORTUGAL
Surface covered: approx. 17.500 sqm
Year of work execution: 2014
ORGANIZATION
Sika Italia S.p.A.
RESPONSIBLE SIKA
Export Manager Technokolla: Ms Roberta De Iuliis
ARCHITECT & PROJECT MANAGER
Luís Pedro Silva
CLIENT
APDL
BUILDER
OPWAY ENGENHARIA FERREIRA CONSTRUÇÃO
DISTRIBUTOR
Nortimper L.da
SIKA ITALIA S.P.A.
Via Luigi Einaudi 6
20068 Peschiera Borromeo (Mi)
Italy
Contacts
Tel.
Fax
www.sika.it - info@sika.it
Our most current General Sales Conditions shall apply. Please consult the most
current local Product Data Sheet prior to any use.
