Adbri Masonry provided its Made To Order service for the supply of pavers during the renovation of the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane.

Adbri Masonry’s Made To Order (MTO) service aims to provide architects and commercial builders the opportunity to create their own unique and personalised paver colours and textures, enabling specifiers to put a stamp of individuality on paved projects.

The Royal National Agricultural (RNA), the Industry Association of Queensland and the Urban Land Development Authority (ULDA) approved a $2.9 billion plan in 2010 to renovate the RNA Showgrounds in an effort to preserve existing historic buildings and transform the grounds into a lifestyle hub for the Brisbane community. 

The renovation project would create a series of new public spaces such as a fresh food market, a network of lanes, streets and bikeways, and a mix of new commercial, retail and residential buildings. 

Architects Lat 27, developers Lend Lease and paving contractor Smartstone Group were commissioned to undertake the development of the new project. Key challenges included the need to accommodate large amounts of pedestrian traffic as well as to withstand heavy machinery traffic; strict non-slip requirements in all areas; need for pavers and building products to complement existing heritage listed architecture; and the varying dimensions and depth in the areas that required paving.

Over 5000m² of Adbri Masonry’s Honed Brickpave 80 in Ivory, Sandstock, Red Ekka Blend and Honed BiPave 80 in Natural were used to transform the site. Additionally, a honed natural grey Bi-Pave featuring a dummy joint was used extensively throughout the build. 

Adbri Masonry provided the base designs, which were developed to withstand large crane and semi-trailer traffic, as well as accommodate pedestrian traffic. Adbri worked with Lat 27 and the RNA Showgrounds utilising Adbri’s Made To Order service to create a new Showgrounds-specific colour to complement the existing brickwork on surrounding heritage-listed buildings. The unique Showgrounds colour incorporated River Gravel aggregate and a blended colour mix, honed to create a smooth natural finish to highlight the pavers’ natural inner stones. 

Slip tests were conducted in Adbri’s NATA accredited testing facility to ensure Adbri Masonry products met the required non-slip ratings.