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Merging two former churches in the Bolton area, the development of Harwood Methodist Church has delivered something special for the Church and the wider community. The challenge for the team at Ellis Williams Architects was to design spaces with a practical function but also ensuring that there is a link to tradition.Thanks to its exceptional performance in heavy traffic environments, Tessera Alignment carpet tiles in the Climate colourway was installed in the main worship area – which can hold up to 250 people. As the space also enables the latest AV technology and sound system to support the growing use of band music during regular worship, it is ideal that the carpet tiles can reduce up to 23 dB impact sound.A café space links directly into the worship area with a well-appointed community kitchen serving this and a large community hall. A range of safety flooring from the STEP range provided the ideal solution for these areas, where the Classic Oak effect provided a sophisticated finish in the café and Safestep R11 – for high-risk slip protection – was used in the kitchen. In addition, Surestep Original in Elephant offered a fresh alternative and improved cleaner aesthetic for the bathrooms.Finally, in the multi-use community hall, lobby, circulation spaces and flexible conference rooms, the subtle yet striking marble effect of Marmoleum Real in Slate Grey delivers a beautiful neutral backdrop for a range of functions and events.

Tower 12 takes its name from both the number of floors it spans and the fact it was the twelfth building in Spinningfields, Manchester.Due to the area being dominated by commercial developments, often inhabited by financial industry tenants, the Spinningfields area has been dubbed the “Canary Wharf of the North”. Located in the heart of this bustling district, Tower 12’s design offers a unique, holistic, and modern work environment.This vibrant area, furnishing both residents and office workers with entertainment, bars, and restaurants, also features and celebrates the local heritage with the Peoples History Museum located just across the river. This is mirrored with Tower 12 whose façade emanates the industrial heritage of the area but whose function retains modern refinement.Flexible Business Interiors created the terrace spaces on Tower 12 using the pedestal paving system, which is comprised of our specifically designed paving pedestals and porcelain tiles.The overall project design is enhanced by the seamless transitioning from indoor to outdoor spaces: achieved using Ryno’s simply adjusted RP-FR non-combustible paving pedestals.The porcelain tiles, in the shade Argento from the Quadro range, punctuated the space with their elegant, contemporary finish. This paving choice created a stain-resistant, slip-proof, and non-combustible surface ready to face the test of time. 

The Ikea Hammersmith roof terrace project was an exciting one to be involved with as it is a perfect example of when to use a rail-based support system over pedestals.Ikea is a global brand known for its simple design solutions that can be used by everyone.The system – TerraSmart Rail IGNOThere was 6600m2 of the TerraSmart Rail system installed across the terrace to support concrete pavers and porcelain pavers. The lattice make-up of the paving system meant that the insulation layer placed upon the original roof was held down. This framework offered a robust and reliable substructure to the walking surface that will experience a lot of foot traffic.As it is part of our IGNO range, the system is fully non-combustible.The ChallengesThe roof had existing features in the structural slab, which meant that pedestals alone wouldn’t have been able to successfully support the surface, and therefore, a rail system was employed. The rail system allowed easy adjustment to the height creating level plains across the terrace. This system also became an advantage when forming the ramp featured in the design because the TerraSmart Rail can provide non-combustible multidirectional support to the pavers maximising stability and reliability, creating a robust and safe incline a the desired angle.Two different pavers were used as part of the project, a 50mm concrete tile and a 20mm porcelain tile. The transition between the two pavers took place at the same level. The seamless transition between the two finishes was achieved by ‘zoning’ the areas and changing the paving support heights.As it was part of a larger building, the terrace had to account for the expansion and contraction felt over time by differences in the residual temperature. The paving supports had to account for this so that any heat-induced changes would have minimal impact on the safety of the surface. An expansion profile was manufactured to slot between the tiles found over the expansion seam in the insulation to overcome this issue. The expansion profile rises above the gap between pavers and creates an L-shaped cover, hiding any expected movement.Why the project succeededThe success of this project was down to the collaborative effort between everyone involved in the project. The unique features of the project were worked on by the project, innovation and specification teams at Ryno and were complemented by the installation carried out by Greenside Landscapes.

A Very Victorian Problem The Royal College Building is Category B listed. Designed by David Barclay, the 190s, gargantuan 4-storey Italianate college is a monument to Victorian architecture. It houses the University of Strathclyde's Principal and Vice-Chancellor's residence, alongside various university departments and independent businesses. As you'd expect, the entrance lobby is a grand affair and welcomes thousands of students, staff and visitors through its arched bays and up its curved marble staircase. But, with a Glasgow city-centre location and architecture pre-dating modern draught lobbies or revolving doors, Estates Services were losing a battle with the inclement weather. They needed to take control and prevent water from being traced into the building, making the subsequent tiled floor and marble steps slippery. A Custom ApproachThe University's Building Surveyor contacted INTRAsystems while exploring potential products in their ongoing experiments. After a follow-up call subsequent site visit, it was clear they had a design opportunity to create a unique Entrance Mat for a unique building. With its listed building status, the Entrance Matting system needed to be true to its heritage as a technical college of engineering - practically perfect and sympathetic to the building's aesthetics. Customised Chessboard Tiled Entrance MattingWe advised increasing the Entrance Mat from 4m2 to 10m2, the full width of the Polished red ashlar portico entrance bay and all the way to the marble staircase. However, extending the small matwell wasn't possible because of listed building constraints, so we suggested filling in the existing recessed matwell and installing a surface-mounted system with ramped edges. Fine Details But Heavy DutyWe custom-made 380 x 380mm INTRAshape tiles, with a black anodised finish and combined them with INTRAlux Elite Black 608 and Grey 606 inserts, to match the existing chessboard, monochrome flooring tiles perfectly. INTRAlux Elite has a high-density pile of coarse and fine polyamide fibres made from 100% Econyl (recycled plastics). They boast high moisture absorption (up to 5.4L/m2) and scraping abilities. The heavy-duty inserts also deliver durability, comfort and excellent sound absorption. This combined with the modular INTRAshape system, meets the multi-directional traffic requirement. A Perfect MatchProcurement partner and preferred contractor, Kirkton Flooring, managed the project with our support for layout and drawings, then Master Matting completed the install. First impressions were positive, and it's a marked improvement on earlier mitigation attempts. "It looks fab thanks, just exactly what I imagined it to be like. Thanks for all your assistance and patience on this one, much appreciated." Building Surveyor, Estates Services, University of StrathclydeMastering Entrance Matting with Expertise and InnovationINTRAsystems' specialist knowledge and proprietary products mean we can tackle any challenge of Entrance Matting. Whether you need a sensitive retrofit in a listed building or a contemporary new build system, we can match your Entrance Matting conundrum to enhance safety, design and first impressions.

The Smeg UK headquarters in Abingdon is home to an impressive showroom, which displays more than 500 of the brand’s appliances for both trade and consumer visitors.When Smeg set about refurbishing the showroom, it wasn’t just in need of hardwearing and durable flooring to replace the existing curled loose lay tiles. The space also needed a beautiful design to complement the brand’s many product collections on display; enter Amtico with a contemporary alternative. The redesign saw the main areas of the showroom fitted with Spacia LVT in Sun Bleached Oak and Gallery Concrete.

Styccobond F49 Hybrid PS vinyl adhesive has helped to take the floors up a gear in the West Bromwich showroom of Evans Halshaw. Styccobond F49’s temperature-tolerant properties made it the perfect choice of adhesive. It was applied by flooring contractors for the installation of the LVTs. Stopgap P141, an acrylic primer for non-absorbent subfloors, was applied over the original ceramic tiles, to help promote the adhesion of the levelling compound to the subfloor. Once the primer had dried, Stopgap 1200 Pro levelling compound was then applied to the entire area, before the installation of new LVT flooring.

Acoustics are a particular issue in swimming pools due to the large areas of tiling, and because water itself is also highly reflective of sound. Hawkins\Brown architects needed a material that would provide high performance sound absorption whilst being compatible with the specialist environmental conditions of a pool. As this is within a school, speech intelligibility is of particular importance for learning – and the BASWA discretely provides this crucial function. BASWA was chosen for its high acoustic performance and system quality including the marble surface coating, which may be used in high humidity environments as standard.

Novotel London West is located in the centre of Hammersmith. The scope of works undertaken by Buzon UK included the supply and installation of the DPH support pedestal system. The DPH system offers uninterrupted adjustability and support loads in excess of 1000kg per pedestal - perfect for high traffic areas. On this project the pedestals support 800sqm of porcelain pavers providing absolute stability and a perfectly flat finish on an uneven roof base area. The Buzon ALUrail system was also installed in certain sections of the project where the positioning of small tile cuts and ramped areas were required.

Howe Green’s 7500 Series Medium Duty Aluminium Floor Access Covers were supplied for the Nationalmuseum of Art in Stockholm, which is currently undergoing an extensive restoration programme. The premier tourist attraction required an access solution that was visually appealing, secure and of superior quality. The 7500 Series Floor Access Covers were fitted as duct runs in the museum. The majority of covers were infilled with limestone floor tiles while the remaining units have a visible concrete finish. The covers offer safe and easy access to cabling and other services located beneath the flooring.

The existing waterproofing had failed due to a previous poor installation, the result of which saturated the insulation below the exterior roofing. New high performance solutions were specified that included a range of IKO roofing waterproofing systems to protect both the flat and pitched roofing areas of the building. IKOslate, a robust and durable tile was specified for the pitched roof due to vandalism and the fragility of the current system, whereas a tapered scheme was required for the flat roofing - IKO Ultra Prevent alongside a cold applied liquid solution (IKO Polimar) for the more intricate details.

Howe Green Ltd supplied a number of HSE75 Series Hinged Aluminium Floor Access Covers for a new £1.5 billion hospital facility in Stockholm. The requirement was for a solution that would enable regular access to the underground power stations and escape routes located underneath the hospital. The gas assisted hinged HSE75 floor hatches provide easy and safe access ensuring that maintenance can be carried out with the minimum of disruption. The floor hatches have been installed in various areas of the hospital and infilled with both concrete and tiled flooring to provide a seamless, flush floor finish.

BP's progressive new workplace features a creative combination of carpet four Milliken design collections to creative impact and visually zone the building. Beyond zoning, the stunning colour specification, effective use of colours transitions, mix of square and plank tile formats and installation as rug insets, make this a truly inspiration office environment. The floor coverings WellBAC® Comfort carpet backing also delivers additonal underfoot comfort and excellent acoustic and wear performance. Thanks to Milliken's M/PACT programme they are also fully carbon neutral.

With the help of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, founder of money.co.uk, Chris Morling has been successful in his mission of creating the ultimate workspace for his Cirencester-based independent comparison website’s headquarters. The grade two listed Victorian castle features a statement herringbone floor design made up of Da Vinci planks in three contrasting oak colourways - American Oak, Fresco Light Oak and Natural Oak - and matching bespoke 36” x 3” white block colour plank and tile combination in the dedicated kitchen and break-out area.

2 Semple Street offers six floors of Grade A office space. With an impressive and sustainable specification, the building boasts EPC 'A' and BREEAM 'Very Good' ratings. Offering design flexibility, the popular SAS330 was specified for the main office floorplates. For the reception area, SAS600 feature rafts had an oblong perforation that oversailed the tile edges. With this prime city centre office offering prospective tenants an exceptional specification throughout, SAS International has once again provided high performance ceiling systems that make the grade for cutting edge commercial office buildings.

Up to 4000m2 of Rockfon ceiling tiles from four ranges, plus grid, trim and accessories, are installed throughout the €233m County Longford resort which features 470 lodges, 30 apartments, a ‘Subtropical Swimming Paradise’, sports hall, bowling, restaurants, bars, shops and a wellness spa – all overlooking a 3.5 hectare lake set in the heart of the forest. Holder Mathias Associate Director David Gallimore, “Rockfon was specified for use in several spaces throughout the resort as they have the breadth of ceiling systems required to meet the particular needs of each.

Schlüter-Systems provided a variety of trims and movement joints to ensure a damage-free finish for the tiled walls and floors of high-end residential project, Landmark Place. The 280,193sq ft Barratt Homes development has an enviable position on the north bank of the River Thames, near the iconic Tower Bridge, and boasts 165 one-bed suites, one, two and three bed apartments and penthouses across 10 storeys. It replaces Sugar Quay, a 1970s office building built for Tate and Lyle, which was purchased by CPC Group back in 2012.

Wallbarn worked with a specialist tile installer, working on a new-build in Carmarthenshire. Initially 600mm deep concrete screed was used for a base, but the weight bent the lintels. The concrete had to be broken out and the whole deck repaired. The installation was challenging with falls over 250mm across the deck. ‘Balance’ self-levelling adjustable pedestals provided the answer. Using bespoke pedestal planning software, MegaPro, the Wallbarn service team was able to work out the exact quantity and height of pedestals required for the scheme, colour-coded on the drawing, guiding installers on where to place each pedestal.

Albion Stone were able to supply the desired quality of finished product within the contract programme. The New Independent Whitbed specified for the main flooring provided the aesthetic qualities and character required for large areas of floor in a luxury development of this kind.New Independent Whitbed was selected for 1860m² of flooring, 454 linear metres of stair treads and 1,300 linear metres of skirtings. Two fireplaces were also produced using New Independent Whitbed as well as the bath surrounds and bath steps. Independent Grove Whitbed was selected for internal wall tiling and Bowers Roach for feature panels on the external facades.

F. Ball products have been used in a resilient flooring installation capable of withstanding high temperatures as part of the refurbishment of Cardiff Castle visitor centre. Firstly, old carpet and ceramic tiles had to be uplifted. Contractors then mechanically prepared the subfloor. Next, Stopgap P131 general-purpose primer was applied to the subfloor, enabling promotion of the application characteristics and stop the unacceptably rapid drying of subsequently applied levelling compounds, in addition to preventing pinholing. Stopgap 1200 Pro levelling compound was then applied over the entire subfloor to create a perfectly smooth base for the receipt of new floorcoverings.

Restoration was carried out on office building The Garment Factory combining the original building’s key features with contemporary finishes. Because this is a big office building with many tenants, foot traffic was likely to be a common occurrence in the main entrance. To support interior floor surfaces, CS provided the stylish and efficient Pedimat Ultra entrance matting, along with Platinum Exterior Grade Carpet Inserts and Pedimat Ultra Rails (Black Anodised). Pedimat® Ultra has an 11mm slim depth profile and can be fitted in customary matwells as well as alongside floor tiles and carpets to create a flush floor finish.

Standing either side of the Stirling Prize-winning Media Centre by Future Systems, the new stands were designed to replace the Compton and Edrich Stands at the historic London stadium.In total the new stands will have a capacity of 11,500 spectators – 2,500 more than the existing stands – increasing the ground’s overall capacity to 30,500.EH Smith were contacted to provide a fluted ceramic tile to clad the rear of the stands and worked closely with Alsecco to provide a fully insulated walling system which went on to win the “Architectural Design” award at the 2021 INCA (Insulated Render & Cladding Association) Awards.

Occupying a prime position on the corner of Drummond Gate and Vauxhall Bridge Road, One Drummond Gate is a landmark office building totalling over 100,000 sq ft. Developed in 1983, the imposing building by Chapman Taylor was lauded for its harmonious integration with the classical architecture of the famous English architect, Thomas Cubitt. The newly refurbished reception area is key to attracting and retaining tenants and is a key sales feature for the building owner. Following consultation, INTRAshape XS rectangle tiles and black INTRAlux Select fibre inserts were chosen to echo the reception’s statement wall cladding.

Occupying a prime position on the corner of Drummond Gate and Vauxhall Bridge Road, One Drummond Gate is a landmark office building totalling over 100,000 sq ft. Developed in 1983, the imposing building by Chapman Taylor was lauded for its harmonious integration with the classical architecture of the famous English architect, Thomas Cubitt. The newly refurbished reception area is key to attracting and retaining tenants and is a key sales feature for the building owner. Following consultation, INTRAshape XS rectangle tiles and black INTRAlux Select fibre inserts were chosen to echo the reception’s statement wall cladding.

Beechview Drive is a development by MD Constructions Ltd consisting of 8 brand new, luxury detached family houses set in a secure gated development. Each comprising 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, stunning kitchen diners and integral double garages. Licata Building Systems supplied full silicone render systems and clay brick slips systems for the facades of the houses. The combination of the two finishes created a modern style to the development. Full Licata waterproofing systems were used in the bathrooms of the properties and were also finished of with high quality premium Italian porcelain tiles supplied by Licata.

Skanstes City is a brand new, multi-modal campus that provides retail areas and office spaces to many small and large businesses. The Skanstes City believes that the office today is not a coercive tool to control employees, but a convenient, practical and pleasant place to go to work in simpler and more efficient conditions than at home. The Skanstes campus has many public spaces with great design and dedicated recreational areas.Forbo’s Sarlon acoustic vinyl, Tessera Cloudscape carpet tiles and Flotex flocked floors provide a professional and modern look to the various office spaces and contribute to a pleasant working environment.

Metrotile has often stated that their Lightweight Steel Roofing systems can go head to head with ‘traditional’ materials aesthetically, and Gorse Hill School is a fine example of this statement in action.Gorse Hill is unique as it required a partial refurbishment. Some, but not all of the blocks roofs where in urgent need of repair. For these roofs, Metrotile’s classic ‘Roman’ profile was specificied as its contoured design matched the concrete Roman tiles that remained on some of the buildings.The finished product, is a fine example of old meeting new with brilliant results. Another important factor involved with the specification of Metrotile was the need for a secure roofing solution.

Two Milliken carbon neutral modular carpet designs provide the perfect neutral floorscape for Leeds law firm Womble Bond Dickinson new agile, collaborative work environment. Northward Bound's Ice and Snow designs provide deep, saturated colour and organic patterning flow seamlessly through this open, contemporary office, while Isotherm, from the Arctic Survey collection, highlight the collaboration zones. The Milliken carpet tiles’ WellBAC® Comfort backing helps enhance employees’ well-being by reducing much of the distracting noise of people moving around the space.

The multi-million pound UK headquarters of TPP (The Phoenix Partnership) in Leeds was purpose-built by contractors ISG and designed by Bowman Riley Architects. The frontal elevation of traditional Yorkshire stone with pitched tiled roofing contrasts to a rear façade featuring a contemporary appearance with extensive curtain walling. neaco supplied bespoke balconies and external balustrade to both sections, combining traditional-style railed infills with a contemporary twist in the form of tapered flat-bar stanchions with laser-cut holes. This combination has achieved design consistency across the building whilst harmonising with the contrasting aesthetics of the front and rear.

Rathbone Square is a new London square, lying just north of Oxford Street. Arched walkways lead from the central garden to adjoining streets. The design features curved “shadow gap” channels between ceramic tiles, deep panels at the foot of the walkways and soffit panels. To ensure colour compatibility between extruded, folded, curved and welded aluminium, anodising cannot be used. Anomatch™ achieves a similar appearance as anodising, enhancing the metal with a soft sheen. It provides excellent colour stability and consistency between batches and comes with long-term guarantees for colour stability and corrosion resistance.

​​This project at Manchester Airport has now been completed by Monarch Resin Floors. The previous floor was a twenty year old tile and resin cementitious screed which was decaying and water damaged. Due to the level of decay and disrepair, the floor was dug out by a third party and re-concreted ready for the resin. Monarch installed 9mm thick FasTop TG69  polyurethane screed in 3 different colours to help the fire engines to see the tyre lines when they were reversing. White line marking was also installed.The total area was about 600m2 and included six bays and six fire tenders.

Built in the centre of Berchtestgaden, the Edelweiss Hotel offers guests the excellence of a building completely dedicated to relaxation.Opened in 2011, the resort combines elegant rooms with sought-after fi nishes. An exclusive location designed to highlight top quality design elements, whose preciousness is further enhanced by fl oor and wall tiles chosen from Atlas Concorde range. The Plan Outdoor Black mosaic for the walls and the combination of Gold and Ivory hues of the Trust collection in 3 different sizes for all fl oors, give colour and elegance to the spa, the hall and other leisure areas of the hotel.

The rigour and texture of the technical Trust porcelain stoneware characterise the look of the important business park HK-Østjylland in Brabrand (Denmark).The structure houses a number of offices where improved business operations are supported by cutting-edge architectural choices. Trust, in the 45x90 cm format and Titanium colour, perfectly meets the structure’s high quality and functionality requirements: Atlas Concorde’s modern ceramic technologies guarantee high performances also in a commercial context. In addition, the original diagonal layout of the tiles highlights the rich details and the intense chromatic variegations of Trust, contributing to achieve an elegant and contemporary décor.

The Hale Country Club has a rural setting but only four miles from the hustle and bustle of Manchester airport. When the Hut Group purchased the club they looked to enhance the appearance throughout the facility. Phase two was the health suite and vitality pool. Sauna360 designed four new thermal rooms in the area and replaced the existing grp tiled vitality pool with a beautiful stainless steel design. The internal space was opened up with large glass frontage to all but the steam room. Two feature showers with cool mists and tropical rain were added together with an ice station.

The existing Bushey Grove health suite was a stark, clinical looking area with gloomy sauna and steam plus a difficult to maintain whirlpool spa with all the plant two floors below. TyloHelo's design concept was to open up the space with glass frontage and dividing walls between thermal rooms and create more comfortable relaxation areas. The design was contemporary with large format tiles in warm, natural colours. The thermal suite comprised a Finnish Salt sauna, Salt inhalation steam room, Herbal sauna, Bucket shower, Feature shower, Ice feature and three heated benches.

The Tarkett Floorcraft Design team was commissioned to create the customized dance floor, using artwork supplied by Allen International. At four meters in diameter, the intricate and highly-detailed design uses contrasting shades of the Luxury Vinyl Tile iD Inspiration 70 flooring in light oak and dark walnut. Instead of being printed, each piece of the design was individually cut using a precision sonic blade that oscillates at 20,000 cycles per second. The pieces were then assembled onto a solid vinyl core like a jigsaw puzzle, before having a thick layer of transparent PVC added onto the top.

The existing health suite at Furzefield Leisure Centre was a dated, clinical design with enclosed sauna, steam and a delapidated whirlpool spa. TyloHelo created a design to open up the space with glass frontages, heated relax benches with contemporary style large format tiles in warm, natural shades. The new health suite has a spacious, stylish feel befitting a luxury hotel, increased bather capacity, lower running costs and easier maintenance. The project comprised a Vitality sauna, Salt sauna, Salt steam, ice feature, shower and heated bench. Completed on program and to the budget.