2020 February
Maple Ridge Community Mosaic: Installation
In December 2019, after months of careful planning and preparation, everything was ready for the final installation of the Maple Ridge Community Mosaic. The installation of the three mosaic walls took seven days.
Professional tile installer, Pedram ‘Tony’ Okhovat laying the first section of the Maple Ridge Community Mosaic on the shower wall adjacent to the main swimming pool at MRLC
Laser levels and spacers are used to make sure that the entire artwork is straight and evenly spaced
Sections of the shower wall mosaic are unboxed and prepared for installation
Tony applying fresh thinset to the waiting area wall ready to set mosaic sections
Rebecca calculating final measurements and custom cuts
Tony cutting tiles on the wet saw
Rebecca inspecting the waiting area wall
David and Tony hand-setting the edge details
Rebecca and Tony finishing the reception area mosaic
David removing the clear face tape from set tiles
Maple Ridge Community Mosaic: Artwork Assembly
When all the custom tiles had been extruded, baked, glazed, re-fired and ready, we began assembling the Maple Ridge Community Mosaics.
The twelve custom colours for the Maple Ridge Community Mosaic
The mosaics are prepared in small sections that are numbered and correspond to coordinates on a large map. Each of the ~14,500 custom made tiles are laid by hand, carefully following the design and using special templates to make sure that the tiles are evenly spaced. After each section has been laid, it gets checked, covered with a layer of clear face tape, coded, mounted to a protective card and boxed ready for transport to Maple Ridge.
Checking the details to ensure a perfect fit
Quality Control
Test layout
Applying face tape and section code
Marking boxes for shipment
Loading 1500lbs of artwork into the cargo van
Maple Ridge Community Mosaic: Made to Measure
The Maple Ridge Community Mosaic is installed in three locations inside the newly renovated Maple Ridge Leisure Centre; the main reception area, the waiting area outside the change rooms and also at the shower wall on the main pool deck. Careful measurements are needed throughout the entire design and installation process to make sure that all three mosaics fit as precisely as possible onto the renovated walls.
Inspecting the reception area wall during the MRLC renovations. Summer 2019
Inspecting the waiting area wall during the MRLC renovations. Summer 2019
Inspecting the pool shower area wall during the MRLC renovations. Summer 2019
MRLC Maple Ridge Community Mosaic: Made to measure
Maple Ridge Community Mosaic: Tile Manufacturing
We worked closely with Interstyle Ceramic + Glass to develop unique ceramic glazes to match the twelve Maple Ridge Community Mosaic colours as closely as possible. The twelve colours used for this project were selected from the palette of landscape colours we received over Fall 2018 from public photo submissions.
Triangle tile colour matching samples
Mixing 12 bespoke colour glazes and firing the ~14,500 tiles needed is a complicated task and Interstyle are industry experts.
Colour kitchen
Interstyle is a family owned and operated tile manufacturer located in Burnaby, BC. They have been in operation since 1977 and are among the only tile manufactures remaining in Canada.
Interstyle Ceramic + Glass. Burnaby, BC.
The Maple Ridge Community Mosaic will use equilateral tiles specially made for this project from Earthenglass, a tile produced from powdered recycled glass and locally sourced clays.
Blank tile bisque
Rebecca inspecting the tile bisque
Sheets of ‘Maple Ridge Dark Green’ triangle tiles