Palacongressi Rimini

wineo PURLINE organic flooring for the multi-purpose space of 5,000 sqm which, due to the complex needs, required a delicate selection of the product and a careful approach to the realization phases.

The Palacongressi and the needs to be respected
At the beginning of 2019, the Italian Exhibition Group Spa (IEG) tackled the delicate chapter of the renovation of the flooring of the Palacongressi di Rimini, one of the main conference facilities in Europe, which it has managed directly since its construction in 2011. The Palacongressi, for multi-purpose use, is the largest similar building in Italy and was designed by the GMP studio in Hamburg (Germany); it is immersed in a vast area of about 40,000 square meters downtown Rimini. The project has been developed on clear values, such as low environmental impact, eco-compatibility and innovation, which are expressed using natural materials such as wood, stone and glass or natural light.
The IEG is equipped with a protocol that defines the company's policy aimed at protecting the environment and health, coherently orienting the choices regarding the equipment of the congress centre.
The multi-purpose room of about 5,000 square meters is the heart of the structure: In this one-piece hall, but divisible on a modular basis through mobile walls, various kinds of events take place, from meetings to exhibitions to concerts, with a very high frequency index, allowed by the modularity as well. The use is therefore continuous and requires, during the preparation and dismantling phases, the use of forklifts up to 140 quintals fully loaded and vans.
The specific requirements of the environment were essentially by six levels:

• high wear resistance (vehicles with steering wheels, heavy point loads, high traffic, chairs)
• low thickness for overlapping on existing floor
• total absence of joints
• easy cleaning and maintenance with low costs
• eco-compatibility, consistent with the IEG’s green policy described above
• aesthetic compliance

A not negligible aspect was also the presence of many inspectable manholes, to be preserved in their functionality. Given the stresses to which the flooring would have been subjected, the installation could only be fully bonded; this issue also presented a severe complexity to combine the aspects related to the large surface area, the installation and reaction times and the maintenance of performance over time.

The product selection process
Centro Moquette Rimini Srl, wineo partner on Rimini and historical reality with a solid competence in the sector, has taken care of all the project phases, from the promotion of the proposal at the IEG to the installation.
The product evaluation process, particularly long and complex according to the needs described, has shown that, among the many types of products of various companies, the only product able to meet all needs was wineo PURLINE organic flooring.
In this phase, wineo's technicians, in support of the partner Centro Moquette Rimini Srl, intervened as consultants in order to assess the actual state of the flooring and any critical issues that could affect the use of the product; the inspection was also aimed at highlighting the necessary preparation interventions and to hypothesize customized solutions.
Secondly, the process included a practical verification phase with the actual installation of a 30 sqm portion on which carrying out various tests: resistance to different stains (drinks, markers, dirt), mechanical resistance, tear resistance, cleaning tests etc., in which the PURLINE organic flooring has confirmed its promises.
It should be noted that IEG, to maintain its independence of decision, has purchased the material to carry out the test with great fairness.
The final choice fell on the PURLINE organic flooring wineo 1500 in tiles of 500 x 1000 mm, thickness 2.5mm, with a cement effect decor called Just Concrete. The basis of PURLINE is provided by ecuran, a high-performance composite material that is manufactured primarily from plant-based oils such as canola or castor oil and naturally occurring mineral components such as chalk, without the addition of chlorine, without plasticizers and solvents.

wineo's PURLINE organic flooring, the only answer to all requirements
The PURLINE organic flooring in this context has been able to express all its real value in terms of eco-compatibility through the portfolio of certifications unique in the sector, with as many as 6 international environmental certifications, including the strict Cradle to Cradle, Greenguard and Declare (which requires manufacturer voluntary self-disclosure of all the components of the product, to verify its eco-compatibility).
But PURLINE also makes a valuable contribution to several globally renowned building certifications such as LEED (which certify the absence of harmful emissions to the environment and health, the origin from renewable sources and the recyclability of the product), BREEAM, DGNB and WELL.
PURLINE performances are also the protagonists in this context and, among the main ones, we count the exceptional wear resistance, high resilience, very high dimensional stability, resistance to UV rays, humidity, stains, solvents, easy cleaning, absence of extraordinary maintenance thru lifetime, very low thermal resistance. It is produced entirely at the wineo plant in Detmold, Germany, starting from the basic raw materials, with constancy in the production process and total respect of the parameters promised by the company. The plant itself is consistent with wineo's green philosophy, with production of energy from photovoltaics and biomasses, it is a 100 % climate neutral production.
Interpreted in different formats and with many decors, PURLINE offers to interior designers the chance to find the design suitable for the aesthetics of any environment, from residential to hotel, from catering to commercial, from school to air or rail hub; moreover, it is possible to customize the product on request to offer the maximum creative expression. It is also suitable for naval and railway use as it has the necessary certifications.

Installation phases and today’s conditions
For the installation at Palacongressi, the preparation of the existing subfloor was fundamental to obtain the right conditions; the wineo’s partner Centro Moquette Rimini Srl, with the products and support of Mapei Spa, took care of this phase with extreme care. The installation of the PURLINE organic flooring wineo 1500 tiles began at the end of July 2019 and employed the workers for a couple of weeks; given the complexity of the construction, determined also by the required adhesive for the specific situation, Adesilex G20 by Mapei Spa, a wineo technician provided assistance during the first two days of installation in case of unforeseeable phenomena occurring. Because of the great attention paid to detail during the preparatory and installation phases, the final result was excellent, as directly highlighted by several managers of the Italian Exhibition Group Spa.
Almost a year passed since the flooring renovation at Palacongressi, many events have been held in these spaces with as many setups and thousands of people walked on the wineo PURLINE organic flooring, which looks like new and without signs of deterioration. No surprise, in fact wineo guarantees its exceptional floor for 30 years in residential areas, the standard reference parameter.

Windmöller GmbH, a "Pioneer Thinking" company
These goals are the result of more than seventy years of experience that Windmöller GmbH, a family-owned company now in its third generation, based in Augustdorf in East Westphalia, has been pursuing for decades. In the world of flooring, Windmöller GmbH has always played an important role in technological innovation, offering the market technical solutions to improve performance or extend products’ life, rather than solutions to increase well-being through noise reduction, or to optimize environmental energy efficiency through the lowest possible thermal resistance of the flooring.

The innovative tension has always been driven by a serious conviction of respect for health and the environment, from which derives the constant research in BIOCHEMISTRY rather than petrochemistry, offering the market products with a well-defined identity. As a member of DGNB, the German committee for sustainable building, Windmöller GmbH is committed to promoting environmental protection, personal health and socio-cultural content; the desire for environmental protection is also expressed in everyday life, in fact the company's car fleet in the last years has been enriched with various electric vehicles. In 2015 the company was awarded the "Top 100 innovators 2015" at the German Medium-Sized Business Summit in Essen as one of the 15 most innovative SMEs in Germany, whose corporate vision is summarized in its slogan "Pioneer Thinking".
The PURLINE organic flooring has also received several international awards for creative design, among which we can mention the main ones: the German Design Award 2015, the ICONIC Award 2019 and the reddot design Award 2019.

In conclusion, wineo offers the most environmental friendly resilient flooring on the market today, with very high performance and suitable for any context of interior use, even customizable. Could you ask for better?