"altro"

Innovative technology firm chooses Altro for its new HQChallengeTriton Systems Inc. are a global product venturing and investment company, developing innovative ideas from concept stages to commercial fruition. In order to accommodate their rapid growth and expand production capabilities, Triton needed to relocate its facilities and headquarters to a newly renovated space. The remodelled site includes a host of upgraded amenities, such as new laboratories and development centres, to enable a full spectrum of in-house operations ranging from chemistry and biology to machining, testing and virtual reality.ApproachLocal design firm Fishbrook Design Studio, collaborated with Triton to create the ideal interior for their new site. In the laboratory areas, the studio specified Altro Walkway 20 safety flooring to promote employee safety and achieve the desired aesthetic.Solution“We were looking for attractive flooring solutions that offered safe environments, cleanliness, low maintenance and durability,” explained Kristin Naumann, Director of Design, Fishbrook Design Studio. “For my renovation projects, Altro products offer a great looking, durable way to upgrade hightraffic areas such as common areas and workspaces.”

A lightning-fast flooring solutionIssueYuuki, a commercial flooring installer in Japan, wanted to try the adhesive-free floor concept for themselves before recommending it to their customers. With the opening of a new office and store, and needing the opening to be completed quickly, installation of an adhesive-free floor posed a good option. Yuuki also wanted to demonstrate adhesive-free floors to customers, helping them to understand the concept and the benefits.ApproachPresident Oshima of Yuuki Flooring said: “When I first heard about adhesive-free floors I was surprised. This is a new concept in Japan to have flooring without adhesives. However, I was very curious to see how it would install, and what the outcome would be. The installation was very fast, and I thought this floor is an amazing solution for me and my customers. This floor is easy to install even in busy areas and has great potential. It’s been more than six months since the installation, and we have not experienced any problems with the floor.”SolutionYuuki flooring wanted to open their new flooring store as soon as possible, and without compromising on design. Yuuki decided to use Altro Wood adhesive-free due to the speed of installation, minimal downtime and the wide range of wood designs."The installation was very fast, and I thought this floor was an amazing solution for me and my customers. This floor is easy to install even in busy areas."  President Oshima Yuuki Office"It’s been more than six months since the installation, and we have not experienced any problems with the floor." President Oshima Yuuki Office

Altro wall solutions support fight against COVID-19ChallengeNew Jersey’s Holy Name Medical Centre was at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, coping with an alarmingly high rate of new COVID case admissions. It became clear that for Holy Name Medical Centre to continue providing its patients with crucial life-saving care, their existing Intensive Care Unit (ICU) space would need to undergo an essential update.Approach“Our ICU was built in the 1960s and was in need of an upgrade,” stated Melissa Candela, Holy Name Medical Centre’s Manager of Design and Construction. “Our experience at the epicentre of New Jersey’s outbreak triggered an action plan to transition the outdated space to a unit with the highest technology, safety, and design standards, in addition to strong functionality.” The design of the unit needed to prioritise interiors that could endure frequent cleaning and disinfecting routines while helping to create a design-oriented space with a patient focus.SolutionHoly Name Medical Centre selected Altro Whiterock White and the decorative Altro Whiterock wall designs throughout the ICU to create a high design, hygienic space for patient treatment. Altro Whiterock is a hygienic walls system, providing smooth impact-resistant surfaces and leaving dirt and bacteria nowhere to hide. This is especially practical in the case of Holy Name Medical Centre’s ICU, where thorough cleaning is vital in promoting the safety of patients and staff alike. Altro Whiterock wall designs can be used alongside Altro Whiterock White to create a less clinical feel in patient areas.Altro Whiterock wall designs give elegance to interior walls while providing the durability you expect from an Altro Whiterock wall sheet.

Altro is at the birth of a new designIssueTwenty-five years since its last refurbishment, the maternity Delivery Suite at the Royal Cornwall Hospital was in need of a revamp. The new facility has been created to ensure mothers, babies and families have a home-fromhome experience, but in a clinical and psychologically safe environment. The maternity Delivery Suite comprises of nine delivery rooms and also includes a high dependency unit. With these very high traffic areas, robust, yet good looking interior design products were a must.ApproachThe team wanted to bring an essence of Cornwall into the space to evoke the calming influence of the sea and the natural world, but needed a solution with proven clinical credentials in safety, hygiene and maintenance.“Every staff member in the maternity department was asked to submit their ideas for the new space, their vision, both practically and visually,” said Zoe Nelson, Acute Maternity Matron at the hospital. “Our Estates Department Manager, Duncan Clift, recommended Altro, because he has used them before in the hospital with great success and trusts their products.”SolutionThe Royal Cornwall Hospital chose Altro Wood and Altro Pisces safety floors in colours to represent sand. For the walls, they selected Altro Whiterock Satins in ocean hues to mirror the sea, and Altro Fortis Titanium wall protection in Pearl and Battleship to replicate rocks. Altro Whiterock Digiclad (Custom) was used to portray wall art of Cornish ocean scenes. The result is a beautiful environment that promotes a relaxing birthing experience for mother and baby.

Dynamic interior spaces created for flagship care homeIssue Quantum Care were launching their flagship care home, Mantles Court, and wanted an interior design that created a warm, welcoming and comfortable space. Quantum Care asked WHAT IF? Designs to create the interior spaces with a non-clinical feel, making the state of the art, 78-bed care facility feel like a home-from-home for residents. Approach WHAT IF? Designs looked at the flow of resident living spaces and the needs for each area. Communal spaces including lounges, dining and kitchen areas required floors that were easy to clean, looked fantastic and provided safety from slips. For the ensuite bathrooms, a softer, neutral coloured floor with slip resistance for both staff and residents was needed, while bedrooms called for a more homely, domestic feel, with comfort under foot as a priority. Solution Altro Wood was chosen for the dining room, bedrooms and the hair salon for its natural, homely, good looks. Altro Aquarius and Altro Pisces, with their wide colour palette and lifetime sustained slip resistance, were selected for the ensuite bathrooms, providing safety for shoe and barefoot users. And in the communal areas, Altro Ensemble was chosen for its flexibility and design choices as well as its noise reduction and comfort underfoot.

Canadian hospital chooses Altro for new MRI suiteIssueThe Centre Hospitalier Hôtel-Dieu D’Amos short-term hospital in Quebec, is part of the Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS) of Abitibi-Temiscamingue. The hospital is a designated regional trauma centre and its main regional vocations are orthopaedics and vascular, plastic and maxilo-facial surgery.Since 2001, the region had an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) service via a mobile unit that moved from centre to centre, that reached the end of its useful life a few years ago. In 2021, the hospital became the home to the region’s first fixed MRI scanner.ApproachMaterials in the room must not interfere with the powerful electromagnets, while also being aesthetically pleasing, as the procedures performed could be quite stressful for many patients.As the region’s only fixed MRI, capable of performing 6,000 exams per year, this project required protective wall cladding with superior and long-lasting durability. Materials had to be non-porous, hygienic and easy-to-clean. Due to frequent wheelchair and stretcher traffic, a high impact-resistant surface was also a very important criterion.SolutionMLS Architects selected Altro Whiterock wall designs. The hospital was familiar with Altro Whiterock, having used it in other areas of the hospital. They especially liked that Altro Whiterock wall designs combine the durability, hygiene and resilience of Altro Whiterock wall cladding, with natural looking patterns. These helped enormously with the warm and comforting ambiance that they desired. The Altro walls system easily replaces the typical laminated particle board typically used in applications such as this, all while offering a more durable surface finish and a longer lasting product guarantee. Altro Whiterock Satins in Mint was used in the bathroom and changing area.

Calm and non-clinical environment for busy ICUChallengeHospital environments are created to heal; yet supporting both physical and mental health needs in clinical environments can be challenging. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Harrogate District Hospital required a refurbishment to its walls and wanted a non-clinical design, but with hygienic properties. Approach The unit had different areas with different functions – it needed to have hygienic, clean, wipe down walls which were also robust and could withstand bumps and scuffs. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the refurbishment needed to be completed quickly with minimum downtime to ICU. The team also wanted the unit to have a non-clinical feel. Solution Altro Whiterock White, Altro Whiterock Chameleon, and Altro Whiterock Digiclad (Custom) were selected for the walls in the ICU. The hospital’s paediatric unit had Altro hygienic wall sheets installed previously and knew they were robust and trusted products. The ICU staff and project design team took time to select artwork of cherry blossom branches that would be cheerful yet calming for patients, as well as inspiring and uplifting for hardworking staff. The images were printed to create the Altro Whiterock Digiclad (Custom) wall sheets.

The Milton Keynes Hospital Paediatric Emergency Department was undergoing a refurbishment. The overall aim was to create a child-friendly environment that would appeal to children of all ages.AD Architects designed the new unit and chose Altro Orchestra to create two colourful, reception play areas. The variety of different shades and textures gave scope for an enchanted woodland forest theme to be created using Altro Orchestra throughout. Altro Suprema safety flooring was also fitted in the new unit’s observation areas, treatment bays and examination rooms. The new unit was built by Parias Commercial Interiors, and the Altro flooring fitted by Total Flooring. Altro Orchestra flooring helped to transform the Paediatric Emergency Department to a wonderfully bright, colourful area that children love to play in. Altro Orchestra offers comfort underfoot making life easier on the feet for staff and visitors, and with a palette of 40 colours and designs — varying from calming neutrals reflecting tones of nature to vibrant shades — it creates the right atmosphere every time. The Altro Suprema flooring provides a great, practical flooring which is ultrasafe, but also very stylish and it really adds to the environment. The hospital staff are thrilled with the result.

An integrated package of Altro floors, walls and ceilings have been installed in a brand new flagship Spinal Injury Centre in Dorset, run by disability charity Livability, creating a homely, design-led unit with a high level of aesthetic appeal. Livability Holton Lee has recently undergone a total refurbishment, carried out by main contractor Stepnell Ltd, transforming the existing care home into a well-being discovery centre and purpose-built Spinal Injury Centre.

Calm and non-clinical environment for busy Intensive Care UnitChallengeHospital environments are created to heal; yet supporting both physical and mental health needs in clinical environments can be challenging. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Harrogate District Hospital required a refurbishment to its walls and wanted a non-clinical design, but with hygienic properties.ApproachThe unit had different areas with different functions – it needed to have hygienic, clean, wipe down walls which were also robust and could withstand bumps and scuffs. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the refurbishment needed to be completed quickly with minimum downtime to ICU. The team also wanted the unit to have a non-clinical feel.SolutionAltro Whiterock White, Altro Whiterock Chameleon, and Altro Whiterock Digiclad (Custom) were selected for the walls in the ICU. The hospital’s paediatric unit had Altro hygienic wall sheets installed previously and knew they were robust and trusted products. The ICU staff and project design team took time to select artwork of cherry blossom branches that would be cheerful yet calming for patients, as well as inspiring and uplifting for hardworking staff. The images were printed to create the Altro Whiterock Digiclad (Custom) wall sheets.

IssueWavendon Community Hub has been created and designed to provide local residents with a place to meet and take part in physical and social activities. In keeping with surrounding properties, Wavendon Community Hub is constructed in red/buff brick, with pitched tiled roofs. The building comprises two separate halves: a community side with a vaulted hall space and a separate, large multi-purpose area with changing facilities. The floors needed to perform for different needs and uses, providing robust durability, safety from slips, but still provide welcoming good looks.ApproachThe project was designed by W E Architecture Ltd and the build was completed by Borras Construction Ltd, with flooring installed throughout by HC Coverings Ltd, using Mapei floor preparation products.SolutionResilient flooring was specified throughout the centre and installed over underfloor heating. Designs specified throughout the 500 square metre area included Altro Wood in the communal areas, Altro Aquarius in the toilets, showers and changing rooms and Altro Walkway 20 in corridors and back-of-house areas.

IssueThe Woodland Village is a purpose-built facility within Sherwood Forest Center Parcs. The concept has been developed over several years across all Center Parcs villages providing a guest attraction dripping in the magic of Christmas from start to finish, offering more than just a “meet and greet” with Santa. The lights, music, animations, and the occasional elf, guide visitors on a journey through the Woodland Village and on to Santa’s Woodland Workshop.As a multi-functional facility, set in a forest, Santa’s Woodland Workshop needed a floor that could withstand all the “muck and mud” of the wilderness, trudged in by the rangers and their little helpers. The floor design would also need to be suitable when the village operates as a Christmas retail outlet providing welcoming aesthetics and having the durability to cope with heavy foot traffic.ApproachAltro floors have a proven history within Center Parcs having been successfully installed at Center Parcs villages across the UK and Ireland. Floors that matched the internal Woodland Village ‘earthy’ design, the corporate branding of the Rangers’ Hut and Christmas shop, providing safety from slips together with easy cleaning were required.SolutionWith PTV >36 slip resistance, Altro EasyClean Technology and a 10-year guarantee Altro Illustra was specified for the Rangers Hut, providing a naturally safe, clean, simple yet effective design. Able to cope with medium to heavy traffic with sustained slip resistance, Altro Wood was specified for Santa’s Woodland Workshop bringing a forest feel to the busy guest attraction.Of course, only families visiting Santa are allowed to see inside the Woodland Workshop and view the festive floors, “You see, Santa really does exist” said lead designer, Darren Binney of Jackson Design Associates Ltd.

Bringing natural, simple and light aesthetics to busy campusIssueThe Aarhus University campus is easily recognisable with its long yellow brick buildings rising between trees, mature plants, lakes and paths in a park close to the city centre. The architecture of The Skou Building, which was named after Nobel Prize winner Jens-Christian Skou and is home to the Institute of Biomedicine, needed to be retained, while modernised.ApproachArchitect company CUBO Arkitekter designed the space, which was opened in 2018 and won the City Architects Award in 2019, with a focus on reinterpreting the campus architecture. The building is designed as two staggered lengths that meet in a central atrium. Glass slits have been inserted vertically throughout the building, affording wonderful views of the external spaces and the local cathedral.Inside there has been an emphasis on reducing the number of different materials used, to create a simple, bright and natural look throughout. At the same time, some of the organic, natural shapes in the green spaces outside are drawn into the building, promoting the biophilic design.SolutionThe first two levels of The Skou Building now feature white walls, oak interiors and large glass sections, continuing the biophilic feel. To provide safety throughout the 9000 m2 of corridors and laboratories on the top six floors, Altro Walkway 20 in Cloud has been used, reducing the risk of slipping to one in a million. In addition, 750 m2 of Altro Walkway 20 SD static dissipative flooring in Fog has been used in laboratories which had specific safety requirements. To complete the biophilic design, works of art have been used throughout the building to bring the outside in.

With use of the company’s primers, floor smoothing compounds and adhesives, a floorcovering installation at the new Christ Church School in Frome proved to be a master class from F. Ball and Co. Ltd. The subfloors were prepared by applying Stopgap P131 primer, followed by Stopgap Green Bag fast setting smoothing underlayment. Heckmondwike Hippo carpeting was then installed in the entrance area using Styccobond F3 Flooring Adhesive. Flotex carpet was laid in classrooms, secured by Styccobond F44 Acrylic Flooring Adhesive, which was also used to install Altro Walkway vinyl floorcovering in community areas and toilets...

Styccobond F49 Hybrid PS vinyl adhesive has been used to install a luxury vinyl tile floor finish at the Pavilion Bar on Norfolk’s Cromer Pier ahead of BBC television programme ‘Antiques Roadshow’ shooting an episode from the pier. Contractors took up worn carpet tiles and securely screwed down plywood sheets over the boardwalk subfloor, prior to installing Altro Wood Safety LVT’s. Styccobond F49 was applied prior to the installation of LVTs. Unlike other water-based adhesives, Styccobond F49 is resistant to water, making it the ideal choice for an installation such as this situated directly above the sea.

F. Ball products including Styccobond F48 PLUS fibre-reinforced high temperature grade vinyl adhesive, have helped transform a disused agricultural building into a new state-of-the-art distillery and visitor centre at Treggudick Manor, Cornwall.Flooring contractors installed a variety of floorcoverings, including vinyl sheet and tiles, wood and carpet tiles, throughout the 620m2 space at the English Spirit Distillery.The installation began by mechanically grinding the building’s recently installed power floated concrete screed to create a ‘key’ for subsequently applied subfloor preparation products. Stopgap F77 waterproof surface membrane was then applied to create a barrier to prevent excess subfloor moisture attacking adhesives and floorcoverings, potentially leading to floor failure.Following this, contractors primed the surface using Stopgap P141 primer, and once dry Stopgap 300 HD levelling compound was applied in the kitchen that serves the café. Elsewhere, Stopgap 1200 Pro high performance levelling compound was used to create a perfectly smooth base for floorcoverings.Styccobond F48 PLUS was chosen to install Altro Ensemble wood-effect Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVTs) in the restaurant and shop, each comprising an area of approximately 100m2.In the kitchen, Altro Stronghold ‘Dolphin’ grey vinyl safety flooring was adhered with Styccobond F73 PLUS one-part, moisture-curing heavy-duty adhesive and in the offices, Styccobond F41 carpet tile tackifier created a permanently tacky film to hold Heckmondwike flint grey carpet tiles firmly in place when subject to normal foot traffic but enable them to be lifted and replaced should they become worn or damaged.

Bostik has supplied a host of subfloor preparation and flooring adhesive products for use on the refurbishment of the Arts & Design Building at the University of Suffolk. The products, combined with Bostik’s expert advice, enabled a faultless installation of the new floor coverings in the building.Ipswich-based Top Floors was appointed by main contractor RG Carter to strip out the two-storey centre’s rubber stud tiles, which were installed when it was built in the early 1990s, and replace them with 700m² Altro Walkway vinyl and 500m2 of Burmatex Tivoli carpet tiles as well as new nosings for the staircases.To ensure that the subfloors were prepared correctly, and that the new floor coverings were bonded as effectively and efficiently as possible, Top Floors approached Bostik for its specialist guidance and market-leading products.

Accessible toileting facilities are crucial in public spaces to meet the diverse needs of individuals. Changing Places toilets, such as the modular Care Capsule™, provide a portable and adaptable solution for those with disabilities, ensuring they can enjoy their outings comfortably. A recent project with the Sussex Wildlife Trust exemplifies the effectiveness of Care Capsule™ in upgrading existing facilities. Despite space constraints in the visitors and education centres, a modular unit was swiftly installed adjacent to the main building, offering accessibility without the need for extensive construction within pre-existing structures.The project, initiated in January 2023, aimed for completion by the end of March 2023. The tight timeline was met through efficient processes, including a prompt site survey, proposal acceptance, and swift groundworks. Overcoming challenges like relocating a power cable, the team successfully hoisted the Care Capsule™ into place. The exterior was clad in local chestnut timber to harmonize with the surroundings, while interior features like Altro non-slip vinyl flooring, White Rock welded wall finishes, and height-adjustable units ensured both functionality and aesthetic coherence.