The Hilton’s Rainbow Tower stands tall over the Waikiki beach and Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon in the Waikiki neighbourhood in Honolulu. Whether you spotted it in the opening credits to “Hawaii Five-O” or in photographs, you have likely seen the hotel's impressive dual rainbow murals. In 1968, the Rainbow Tower opened with what is considered “the world’s largest ceramic tile mosaic.” With 16,000 tiles the murals stand 87 metres tall, 8 metres wide and can be seen on either end of the tower. After more than 45 years, the integrity of the installation was failing, and the murals’ loose and weather-beaten tiles posed a serious safety concern - the entire installation needed to be replaced.
The project faced two major challenges:
Scale and Orientation - Not only was the total size of the project daunting, but the tile installation required a flat vertical surface. The nearly-91 metre vertical span of the murals made a completely flat surface difficult to achieve under the best of circumstances.
The Elements - while Hawaii enjoys famously pleasant weather, the towers are constantly buffeted by wind and temperatures that could reach 60°C on the surface of the murals. Furthermore, the seaside-facing mural had to deal with saltwater spray.
Scale and Orientation - Not only was the total size of the project daunting, but the tile installation required a flat vertical surface. The nearly-91 metre vertical span of the murals made a completely flat surface difficult to achieve under the best of circumstances.
The Elements - while Hawaii enjoys famously pleasant weather, the towers are constantly buffeted by wind and temperatures that could reach 60°C on the surface of the murals. Furthermore, the seaside-facing mural had to deal with saltwater spray.
The Solution: LATICRETE! Click here to read the full Project Spotlight, how Hilton Worldwide and their engineering consultant Professional Consultants International, Inc. (PROCON) worked with the LATICRETE Technical Services team to select the right mix of products (3701 Fortified Mortar Bed, HYDRO BAN®, 254 Platinum, PERMACOLOR® Grout, and LATASIL™) to complete a project of such incredible proportions.
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