M8 - Macau Post Office Staff Quarters Redevelopment Project | Artificial Inorganic Terrazzo

M8 Macau, designed by the Oval Partnership, was formerly the staff quarters of the Macau Post and Telecommunications Bureau. The redevelopment project draws inspiration from Macau’s rich historical and cultural heritage, blending Chinese and Portuguese elements with a mix of old and new design concepts. It integrates seamlessly with the surrounding urban areas, communities, neighborhoods, and historic buildings, connecting Senado Square with nearby ancient streets. This approach revitalizes the surrounding community and offers a new path for urban renewal.

The nine-story shopping mall features zones for duty-free shopping, branded apparel, coffee lounges, and themed restaurants. M8 is set to become a new cultural and commercial landmark in Macau's city center, serving as a cultural hub, tourist destination, boutique shopping center, and experiential vertical mall all in one. The mall is scheduled to begin trial operations in September 2024.

Within the M8 project, Dongxing Group artificial inorganic terrazzo is extensively used not only on the building facade but also throughout the interior decorations, including floors, walls, restrooms, a "Tree of Life" installation, staircases, and handrails, adding a unique artistic touch to the overall space. The building facade features a white base with sparkling aggregates in the terrazzo, paired with large translucent stone panels, giving the architecture a bright and elegant look during the day. At night, the white terrazzo claddings, highlighted by translucent stone, becomes a standout feature in this historic district. The staircases use terrazzo with a white base and black-gray aggregates, enhancing brightness while offering stain resistance.

Aalborg White cement is the exclusive supplier for all artificial inorganic terrazzo products in the M8 project, ensuring consistent quality and aesthetic appeal across the development. According to the Dongxing Group, the most challenging part of the project was crafting the delicate terrazzo handrails on the staircases. These handrails were made using Aalborg White cement produced at Cementir's Malaysia plant and were finished with a unique handcrafted polishing technique. This process resulted in handrails with enough strength, each piece measuring up to 1.2 meters in length, to be safely transported from the Quanzhou plant to Macau and assembled on-site while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing appearance.

The project won the 2023 PropertyGuru Asia Property Award for "Best Retail Project in Asia." It had previously been awarded the "Best Landmark Project in Hong Kong and Macau" and the "Best Retail Project in Hong Kong and Macau." The success of the M8 Macau project highlights the high quality and craftsmanship of Dongxing's inorganic terrazzo, along with its impressive performance in large commercial spaces. It also underscores the key role of Aalborg White cement in the artificial inorganic terrazzo applications.