New City Market Loblaws Store -The Post

Project Strategy

City Market at the Post: A Flooring Installation That Defines Excellence

City Market at the Post in Vancouver represents a unique intersection of a massive heritage preservation and contemporary design. For flooring installers, this project stood out as a masterclass in precision, adaptability, and problem-solving. Working within the historic structure of The Post—a once a central Canada Post building and hub for communication in the city—brought its own set of challenges, requiring expertise that went far beyond standard installation practices.

City Market was initiated as a request from Loblaws Companies to maximize the use of their land acquisitions in urban districts. The "ask" was clear-cut, yet the solution was complex. It required redeveloping urban sites to accommodate new food stores while allowing for complex, site specific considerations. Combining the needs of urban customers, City Market is appearing in in city-centres across Canada.

Design Vision: Merging Old and New
The architects and designers envisioned flooring that would seamlessly blend the character of the building’s industrial past with the demands of a modern, high-traffic marketplace. The flooring layout features a mix of natural textures and innovative materials, carefully curated to evoke warmth and sophistication while withstanding the daily wear and tear of a bustling commercial environment.

Custom inlays and intricate patterns were incorporated to define spaces within the market, adding visual interest while guiding foot traffic. This attention to detail required not just creative collaboration with the design team but also precise execution by the installation crew.

Challenges on a Historic Jobsite
The heritage nature of The Post presented significant challenges:

Uneven Substrates:
Decades of use left the floors with major variations in height and condition, necessitating meticulous leveling and preparation to ensure a flawless finish. Imagine an iceberg. 95% of this install was the work underneath, the part you don't see. Immense preparation for self-levelling. In some areas the floor could not be made perfectly level so it had to remain as flat as possible in order to adhere to structural engineering directives.
Restricted Access:
Working in a heritage structure meant adhering to strict preservation guidelines while coordinating with other trades in a tightly scheduled timeline. Amazon held 15 floors, so coordinating floor drop shipping the same time that Amazon was doing its floor level installs with elevators, doors and equipment when everyone onsite needed the same entrances and exits, required flawless scheduling and timing.
Durability Demands:
As a public market, the flooring needed to meet high standards for slip resistance, durability, and ease of maintenance without compromising the design intent.
Innovative Installation Solutions:
Meeting these challenges required cutting-edge techniques and collaborative problem-solving. The team utilized advanced self-leveling compounds and moisture barriers to stabilize the subfloors, ensuring long-term integrity. Custom cutting and fitting techniques were employed to achieve the designers’ vision for seamless transitions and intricate patterns.

Sustainability at the Forefront
Sustainability played a critical role in the material selection and installation process. Recycled and eco-friendly materials were used wherever possible, aligning with the project’s broader commitment to green building practices. From low-VOC adhesives to energy-efficient tools, every aspect of the installation process was designed to minimize the environmental footprint.

Collaboration and Excellence
This project exemplifies the best of cross-disciplinary collaboration. Architects, designers, and installers worked hand in hand to overcome site-specific challenges while maintaining the integrity of the design vision. The result is a flooring installation that not only enhances the functionality and aesthetic of City Market but also contributes to the revitalization of an iconic Vancouver, B.C. landmark.

Why It Stands Out
City Market at the Post is more than a showcase of exceptional flooring—it’s a testament to the artistry and skill of the trade. From transforming a challenging heritage site to executing intricate designs with precision, this project highlights the value of expert craftsmanship in creating spaces that are both beautiful and enduring.

This is not just a flooring project; it’s a statement of what’s possible when tradition meets innovation, and it’s a standout example of how the installer’s expertise brings a designer’s vision to life.

Installers notes: Very very large area, new construction, required lots of self levelling to create a level floor. Laying out of tiles needed to be very straight for walkways. Needed to keep in line for floor that was quite wavy.
Start and stop, in multiple areas and tie-in, did not make this large surface easy. We did not want to use tile fills which impacted time and crucial decisions needed to be made on the fly.

Floor prep took a lot of work.
The VC tile needed to be built up to the ceramic tile and other floors that took an immense amount time ...

Interesting new concept store: Inside a very old historical now commercial tower space

Unique Installation Challenge Strategy

Challenges on a Historic Jobsite of this grandeur. The heritage nature of The Post presented significant challenges as noted above:

Uneven Substrates:
Decades of use left the floors with major variations in height and condition, necessitating meticulous leveling and preparation to ensure a flawless finish. Imagine an iceberg. 95% of this install was the work underneath, the part you don't see. Immense preparation for self-levelling. In some areas the floor could not be made perfectly level so it had to remain as flat as possible in order to adhere to structural engineering directives.
Restricted Access:
Working in a heritage structure meant adhering to strict preservation guidelines while coordinating with other trades in a tightly scheduled timeline. Amazon held 15 floors, so coordinating floor drop shipping the same time that Amazon was doing its floor level installs with elevators, doors and equipment when everyone onsite needed the same entrances and exits, required flawless scheduling and timing.
Durability Demands:
As a public market, the flooring needed to meet high standards for slip resistance, durability, and ease of maintenance without compromising the design intent.
Innovative Installation Solutions:
Meeting these challenges required cutting-edge techniques and collaborative problem-solving. The team utilized advanced self-leveling compounds and moisture barriers to stabilize the subfloors, ensuring long-term integrity. Custom cutting and fitting techniques were employed to achieve the designers’ vision for seamless transitions and intricate patterns.

Installers notes: Very very large area, new construction, required lots of self levelling to create a level floor. Laying out of tiles needed to be very straight for walkways. Needed to keep in line for floor that was quite wavy.
Start and stop, in multiple areas and tie-in, did not make this large surface easy. We did not want to use tile fills which impacted time and crucial decisions needed to be made on the fly.

Floor prep took many hours of work.
The VC tile needed to be built up to the ceramic tile and other floors that took an immense amount time ...