Designing and Installing a Seamless Flooring Solution for High-Traffic Airports

The Challenge: Installing One of the World’s Largest Airport Terrazzo Flooring Systems

The challenge of installing one of the largest expanses of flooring in a single project—and one of the most complex—faced the hub where east meets west at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar. The airport is described as ‘the gateway to Qatar’ and the hub for its world-class airline Qatar Airways with the capacity to serve 8,700 passengers per hour and 30 million every year. Specifiers wanted a flooring high in aesthetic and environmental credentials to meet all requirements at this important airport zone while meeting all relevant environmental and health and safety regulations. 

The Solution: Large-Scale Epoxy Terrazzo Flooring System Engineered for Airport Environments

The system chosen was epoxy terrazzo flooring supplied by Sherwin-Williams—140,000 sq metres of pigmented epoxy resin—involving the shipping of pre-mixed marble aggregates from Italy to complete the design for the main floor areas consisting of three colours, primarily dark grey with pure black or white epoxy terrazzo.

The epoxy terrazzo was poured in situ as the 16,000 workers from various countries navigated their way around the 5,500-acre site and ground and polished the flooring to a high finish, bringing with it major environmental benefits. Thin set epoxy conforms to the EU’s solvents and Volatile Organic Compounds Emissions Directive.

The installation process itself also meant there was very little waste—the terrazzo prepared for installation was measured accurately to allow as much or as little to be used in application.

The epoxy terrazzo is high in aesthetic and environmental features and meets the demands of architects and specifiers for longer-lasting products with ever-greater green credentials.

Terrazzo flooring is a composite—a mix of resin with aggregates which give the product such variety in its design. With simple re-polishing or re-sealing using water-based products, a typical terrazzo flooring can last up to 40 years. However, vinyl floor sheets would require replacing typically every 12 years or less.

The Results: Seamless Airport Flooring with Long-Term Durability, Beauty and Environmental Benefits

The seamless epoxy terrazzo system delivered a durable, visually striking flooring solution capable of withstanding the extreme foot traffic of a major international hub. The thin-set resin terrazzo contributed major environmental advantages, including minimal material waste, VOC-compliant formulation and a long service life that significantly reduces future replacement cycles.

The installation met the airport’s strict aesthetic expectations, using multiple marble aggregate blends shipped from Italy to create a high-end finish across 140,000 square metres of terminal space. Despite the complexity of the project and the large number of workers on site, the system was installed successfully and polished to a uniform, high-quality appearance. The result is a long-lasting, sustainable and visually cohesive flooring system that enhances the passenger experience throughout one of the world’s busiest airports.

The Sherwin-Williams Difference 

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