"flooring reinforcements toppings"

750m2 Junckers solid hardwood flooring has been installed throughout the redeveloped The Higgins Bedford. The £5.8M project, funded in part by Bedford Borough Council and the Heritage Lottery fund, joined together three previously separate buildings into a new, fully renovated facility, which apart from the existing art gallery and museum includes space for temporary exhibitions, space for learning and activities, a café and a shop. Junckers wide board Oak Harmony floor serves as a unifying element to the interior and acts as an elegant backdrop to the collections and exhibits. Solid oak is easy to maintain and very hard-wearing, even in a high traffic area open to the public. Installed by Junckers’ Approved Contractor PICA Flooring, the floor at The Higgins is guaranteed for 25 years. 

High quality Anicius facing bricks from manufacturer, Vandersanden, are a key ingredient in the success of the new home of the City, University of London’s Law School designed by award-winning global practice, WilkinsonEyre.This impressive WilkinsonEyre scheme has retained two of the site’s existing buildings and integrated these with two distinct new-build blocks that form a corner at Sebastian Street and Goswell Road in London EC1 to create a new 7,240m2 City Law School Building.The new facility provides high quality academic space to support the University’s strategic plans, while, at the same time, creating a sense of community and place on a site that has previously been under-utilised.The scheme is conceived as a series of united blocks and includes two retained 1920s light industrial buildings arranged around a central atrium space. At the corner of Sebastian Street and Goswell Road, a striking seven storey glazed tower employs an innovative ventilated double-skin with patterned interlayers to control temperature and glare. The four blocks each retain their distinct, individual character yet function as one coherent building.As well as bringing all law students together under one roof, the new building will boast several innovative features, including a mock court room; and dynamic social spaces that encourage creativity and interactive learning, alongside the law school library, which is given an added sense of presence by the continuation of the brick detailing, internally.The building will also house a legal clinic, where students will be able to put their learning into practice by advising real people on real legal issues. The attractive features extend to the outside with a relaxing outdoor space.The form of the building negotiates between the scale of the Georgian residential streets and the larger more varied grain of Goswell Road, a key arterial road into the City of London.The choice of brick to help manage this blended transition between the new development and existing buildings was, therefore, significant with the Anicius brick from Vandersanden, successfully meeting WilkinsonEyre’s design ambitions.Its attractive colour hues and texture met the requirement of the architect’s CGI visualisation that had been approved by the planners and the Conservation Officer, the building being on the edge of the Northampton Square conservation area, and the brick was specified on review of a large sample panel supplied by Vandersanden.Anicius is a hand-formed, multi-coloured brick from Vandersanden with a sanded-coated and creased structure. The base colour is a warm brown which is muted by subtle tones of white, grey and ochre, achieved through the use of specific sand types in the brick’s surface covering.A total of 210,000 bricks have been used by contractors BAM to create the external walls of the new City Law School Building and meet the desired characterful aesthetic.The choice of the Vandersanden Anicius brick for this project was the result of much research into finding a brick with the desired aesthetics, which would also meet the technical requirements, including the detailing around the chamfered reveals of the library windows. In the end, this brick was a unanimous choice amongst those involved in the decision-making process.To find out more about the bricks used in this project or to see the wide range of high-quality bricks available from Vandersanden, click on the 'View more' link 

An old Edinburgh Woollen Mill store in Buxton was recently transformed into a bike shop to cater fro the needs of the avid cyclists in the local area. Peak ascent Cycles also specialises in bike servicing and repairs which in turn, results in dirt and moisture from threads of wheels being rolled into the shop on a daily basis. Recognising the necessity to stop dirt in its tracks and protect the shop's shiny interior floor coverings, Patrick Healy, the owner of Peak Ascent cycles had our Coral Duo entrance flooring system installed at the front door. In a green Bellagio colourway- which is new for 2021- the vibrant green shade matches the bike shop's brand colours perfectly and reflects its ethos of nature and the great outdoors. Indeed Coral Duo is proven to stop up to 95% of dirt and moisture from entering a building and can reduce cleaning time by up to 65%.

Based in the heart of Glasgow, the Bank of Scotland's flagship branch required a makeover that would add personality to the brand, while reflecting the bank's proud Scottish roots. Specified by M Worldwide, an array of Forbo Flooring Systems solutions were installed throughout the building to help create a warm and welcoming space and provide the bank with its own identity.While the Bank of Scotland has a strong history, having been established since 1695, it became part of the Lloyds Banking Group in 2009, as Helen Shelley, Creative Director at M Worldwide explains: “This refurbishment project gave us the ideal opportunity to establish the brand’s character and to create a rich visual story of its Scottish heritage.Forbo’s Tessera In-Touch carpet tile planks in a variety of colourways, including a bespoke shade, and Allura Wood Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) were chosen to create an integrated flooring scheme that would seamlessly connect the various areas of the space.

Combining contemporary aesthetics with exceptional performance, an array of solutions from Forbo Flooring Systems' portfolio have been installed throughout the state-of-the-art Cancer Centre at Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH). Designed by Ryder Architecture, the facility brings patient experience to the fore, where the integrated flooring scheme seamlessly guides users through the building. The prestigious project took home the winner's accolade in the 2020/21 annual Fly Forbo competition. An extension of the main hospital, the Cancer Centre at MKUH brings together all of the cancer services under one roof, which were previously provided from three separate locations on the hospital site. Split over two floors the £15 million dedicated to the facility offers a 24-bed inpatient ward, outpatient consultation rooms, procedure and specialist treatment rooms, a chemotherapy suite, alongside a wellbeing support service.

Dandi Wembley: A new kind of livingWe've been working with architecture and development specialists Dandi Living for 12 years. They wanted a cost effective way of retrofitting a 14-storey office block to accommodate 360 apartments with a hard wearing flooring solution.We've been involved on the York House project from the beginning. Existing floors have been assessed and levelled, and our Impervia White Washed Oak has now been installed.The project, known officially as Dandi Wembley, is located in the heart of North West London. It's designed to offer fully furnished studio and one bed apartments surrounded by elevated communal spaces for socialising, relaxing, working and revitalising. Their aim is to deliver a new kind of city co-living.The benefits of RetrofittingAs part of our commitment to providing the sustainable, safe and healthy choice for waterproof, fireproof, and formaldehyde free flooring, we adopt and promote retrofitting as part of the RetroFirst campaign.Originally developed as a response to the escalating climate crisis, RetroFirst is a campaign led by Architects’ Journal. The campaign’s objectives are simple: to prioritise retrofitting existing buildings over demolishing and rebuilding them.On the York House project, the cost saving of using Impervia®, because of the acoustic back layer and residential warranty of 30 years, was more than 35% of previous estimates.Impervia® is perfect because of its acoustic backing and a rigid core. It will be cleaner than the tiles which will have been professionally cleaned before fitting the Impervia® Flooring.Because there is no movement in the rigid core it means Impervia® can be installed right up to the skirting without the need for any trims. The look will be perfect as if it was the original floor.Floors for residential spaces like homes and hotels require a high level of resistance against mould, dents, water and fire. This is where Impervia® holds its own, boasting a range of features such as water & fire resistance and dent & mould proof.Why White Washed Oak flooring is perfect for residential projectsOur White Washed Oak flooring is finished with a heavy-duty commercial grade wear layer that is waterproof, stain and scratch-resistant. Using patented 5G-i push-fit locking system and built-in acoustic IXPE backing layer which reduces impact sound by 21dB; installation is quick and easy.It can be used with underfloor heating. With no PCPs or Formaldehyde, this rigid stone composite flooring has a textured surface just like real wood with the added advantage of being sustainable and healthy flooring.The white washed Impervia Oak floor creates a warm spacious feel for the apartments, so with a 30-year warranty, it's perfect for residential developments like this.If any boards do get badly damaged, they can be easily replaced as Impervia Flooring has its own acoustic backing and uses the latest push fit click system. No adhesives are needed and water spills will not damage the floor as it is waterproof and fireproof.It's available sizes include:1524 x 180 x 6.5mm (5mm plank + 1.5mm IXEP backing) 10 pieces per carton = 2.76 m21524 x 228 x6.5mm (5mm plank + 1.5mm IXEP backing) 6 pieces per carton = 2.086 m2‍1824 x 228 x6.5mm (5mm plank + 1.5mm IXEP backing) 6 pieces per carton = 2.5 m2If you'd like to discuss sustainable, luxury flooring for your next residential project, get in touch with us today!

To ensure that a fabulous training surface would be available at the ground, Kent County Cricket Club turned to Architects PDP London who in turn specified Taraflex® vinyl sports flooring from international flooring specialist Gerflor.

After extensive colour research, Tinto Architecture specified Forbo Flooring Systems' acoustic floor covering, Sarlon, in an array of striking colours, in order to create an interior that had a profoundly positive effect on both patients and staff at The Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital. The array of calming and mood-boosting colours from the sarlon collection is also combined with the benefits of 15dB impact sound reduction and easy maintenance. What's more the project went on to be recognised for a commended award in the 2016/2017 Fly Forbo competition.

Spitbank Fort was originally built in 1878 and was part of a group of forts designed to defend the mouth of the Solent. This project created challenging circumstances for wood flooring because the structure is metal and is over 130 years old. Surrounded by sea creating high, fluctuating humidity and the structure was round so most of the boards had to be re-manufactured to fit. There were height restrictions because there were numerous arches creating low points and all the services had to be laid on the existing substrate thus raising the finished floor level to accommodate them

Taraflex® Sport M Evolution and GTI Max - Fast Track Vinyl Flooring installed at John Smith's Stadium.

The vast swathe of Gerflor products installed at GenesisCare in Windsor includes over 120sq m of Taralay Impression for the chemotherapy rooms, 1200sq m of Taralay Impression Control safety flooring for a host of public areas where slip resistance is a must, together with 200sq m of Mipolam Accord EL7 being installed in the MRI areas.

The Sports Hall and Activity Studio were installed with the DYNAMIK Flexi-Beam Plus and Flexi-Beam Elite sprung floor systems. They chose a Tarkett Sports Linoleum which is a solid synthetic playing surface ideal for multi-use areas as used in busy schools. The Activity Studio was installed with Flexi-Beam Elite in European Oak.

Specifying and installing 650m2 of Gerflor’s world class Taraflex® Performance vinyl sports flooring in ‘Light Cherry’ would turn out to be a pivotal decision for Axminster Leisure Centre in East Devon. The refurbishment project to replace the existing flooring in their main sports hall would yield spectacular results for both the operators of the facility and the end users. The indoor sports surface solution that was specified would need to be of the utmost quality and readily available, considering how short the timescales were for the project and would need to be competitively priced for the funds available for this iconic renovation.

Over 800m2 of Gradus Latour2 carpet tiles have been installed in the prestigious offices at Argyle House, Edinburgh, Scotland. The overall management for the transformation of Argyle House would be the responsibility of Edinburgh-based real estate consultants Hollis. When specifying new flooring for the refurbishment programme, Hollis chose 825m2 of Latour2 carpet tiles. Designed from a floor plan service supplied by Gradus based on the client’s inspiration, the project would include Gradus Latour2 in Howden and Alston colours. Maggie Smith, Business Development Manager at Gerflor commented, “The design scheme needed to be of a neutral palette which would appeal to potentially any new tenant in the building, so we proposed a modern and contemporary grey theme and alongside this added a vibrant splash of colour around the perimeter. The final finish is impressive, and the client is delighted.” Gradus Carpets is a brand of the Gerflor Group, manufacturing premium quality carpet tiles and planks, broadloom, and impervious backed carpets.

The John Smith's Stadium installed Taraflex® Sport M Evolution and GTI Max - Fast Track Vinyl Flooring into their sports facility.

Requiring a minimalist look for multiple stores across the globe, ADIDAS specified ARDEX K 80 Industrial Topping/Wearing Surface to provide the look and performance needed for such demanding environments.

The installer, Kent-based Arcadia Flooring installed three of Gerflor’s world- renowned sports flooring products as part of a community effort to rebuild the Dale Youth Boxing Club in Grenfell, London; Taraflex® Comfort, Taraflex® Performance and Taraflex® Surface.

The natural aesthetics, durable performance and extensive colour palette of Forbo Flooring Systems' Allura Wood luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) collection have all played a significant role in creating a contemporary, stand- out environment for Evoo, a new 'barzeria' in Barnsley, Yorkshire. 'Evoo- The Barzzeria' is a pizzeria and bar, which combines authentic Italian cuisine with Britian's popular cocktail cultur, forming the worlds first 'barzzeria'. Set in a once prominent building that was left derelict for years, Julie Poulter Interior Design (JPID) was tasked by restaurant owner, Jaz Boparai, to design 'the best looking bar' in Barnsley. Subsequently, the project was awarded 'commended' in the Fly Forbo competition 2018/2019.

School kitchen flooring refurbishment Millfield School kitchen flooring has recently been subject to a significant makeover. The existing vinyl finishes were showing significant signs of wear and needed to be replaced with a new flooring that offered better slip resistance and durability without the need for frequent repairs.The services of specialist industrial flooring installers, Inca Flooring & Structural Ltd, were called upon to offer advice and guidance in selecting the most suited school kitchen flooring solution.Millfield School required a flooring solution that could withstand the test of time in a constantly busy kitchen environment. In order to fulfil the client’s requirements to the highest standards, the contractors recommended using Degafloor’s fast curing, slip-resistant Full Broadcast System with associated coving.Degafloor Full Broadcast is specifically designed to deliver outstanding hygiene, performance and safety even in tough environments such as commercial kitchens, canteens and food technology areas.The school kitchen flooring was installed across two kitchen areas. Due to the ultra-fast curing nature of Degafloor MMA and flexibility of the contractor, the entire project was completed over the Xmas break.

When Les Ormes which is Jersey's premier self-catering holiday and sports centre wanted to refurbish an old tennis building by transforming it into four new netball courts they turned to international flooring specialist Gerflor to supply 2000m2 of their world class Taraflex® sports flooring.

In 2018 South Ayrshire Council appointed main contractor Portakabin to build a proposed new state-of-the-art Early Years Centre in Ayr, Scotland. The £2.2 million Cherry Tree Early Years Centre development now provides the largest modular modern learning environment in Scotland. Ensuring that children and staff would have a safe and comfortable environment was at the forefront of the specification process and needed to include the best quality flooring possible. The final choice of products was awarded to international flooring specialist Gerflor, who supplied 300m2 of their Taralay Impression Comfort and award-winning Taralay Impression Control products.

When Somerset House Studios based artist and researcher Phoebe Davies needed a design-orientated flooring that would also help highlight the sport aspects of her first solo show ‘Points of Rupture’ she turned to leading, International sport and vinyl flooring specialist, Gerflor. ‘Points of Rupture’ uses video, sound and installation to explore themes of tactility, training and recovery of athletes engaged in contact sports. The concept arose from Davies’ own on-going recovery from a basketball injury in parallel with her research work into contact-based sport with a group of teenage, female wrestlers in Norway.

Taraflex® Sport M Evolution helped to create a clean look for the Kinghorn Community Centre. They benefitted from the comfort and safety provided by this sports flooring.

Ensuring that their members can enjoy every aspect of the clubs facilities including the exercise meant the type of flooring specified was always going to be key. Taraflex Sport M Evolution would be the chosen product and the gym would need a total of some 324 sq m of this remarkable sports flooring.

Providing great foundations for their aspiring sports stars, Mark Rutherford School chose a new DYNAMIK sports floor. With an emphasis on encouraging sport, Robina Garner, School Business Manager, expressed delight at the end result: “The new Sports Hall floor will support the practical sporting excellence that we deliver at the school. We look forward to reaping the rewards of our students using this exciting new provision.” Not only will the students benefit, but the positive impact of the new Sports Hall floor reaches far into the roots of the community, enabling healthy competition, team work and social opportunities.

The prestigious law firm Mills & Reeve has refurbished its Norwich brand to create a smart office environment that incorporates a homely feel, using three shades of Allura Wood LVT from Forbo Flooring Systems. Mills & Reeve's new office was designed by architects Feilden + Mawson and has subsequently won the Highly commended prize in Fly Forbo 2017/2018.

"The most modern and largest municipal archive in Europe", Cologne proclaims, is now in their city. The future of the city archive had been uncertain for decades: first due to a lack of space, then came the collapse in 2009. The repository with its fragile treasures lay in ruins. No one expected this kind of new beginning. Through the office Waechter+Waechter Architekten, a new building was erected on a different site. With its opening, the rescued archives, the staff and the users are making a comeback - and a successful one at that. For the architects mastered the merging of two opposites. The transparency and openness of a civic archive is now in harmony with an indestructible security wing for the archives. Bronze and glass enclose the façade, of which there are actually two, because the building consists of an outer and an inner cuboid. The core houses the treasures, while the shell houses the offices, laboratories and workshops, the lecture hall and the foyer, whose interior glass façade provides a view of two atriums and the bronze body of the magazine.The staff offices and the lifts are covered with grey linoleum flooring, because Waechter+Waechter value the flooring as a sustainable and ecological product that meets high hygienic as well as aesthetic requirements and is hard-wearing at the same time. On the outside as well as on the inside, the beautifully ageing material of bronze is used again and again, as great importance is attached to the fact that the materials used haptically tie in with the task of preserving significant testimonies of time. Waechter+Waechter speak of their idea of connecting the areas through the repetition of the materials. This attention to detail is also reflected in the use of linoleum. The stair treads and the custom-made tables made of Douglas fir wood, the benches and the shelves have received an inlay of furniture linoleum "in a pastel moss green" (Bauwelt issue 20.21). Protected, the archival material is placed on gentle material for viewing, the colour tone has a soft effect, which gently dictates the handling of the treasures.

When South Bromsgrove High School in Worcestershire underwent a refurbishment and expansion programme back in 2007, they turned to international flooring specialists Gerflor to supply over 200m2 of their world class Taraflex® Performance vinyl sports flooring for their main sports hall. It’s a huge testament to the quality of Gerflor’s high manufacturing standards that after fourteen years the Taraflex® sports flooring is still delivering optimum levels of safety and performance and continues to provide users with outstanding amounts of comfort.Wayne Andrews, Sports Specialist North for Gerflor commented, “the Taraflex Performance at South Bromsgrove High School is really standing up to the test of time due to its durability, ease of maintenance and use of a multi-sports capability.”Taraflex® technology delivers long-lasting high-performance of the products for the lifetime of the floors…a massive boon when long-term planning and budgeting are perceived as being two key considerations for specifiers.

When a Manchester-based interior design company needed to source high quality flooring for their client’s office premises, they turned to international flooring specialist Gerflor for a fit for purpose solution. For this major refurbishment, Gerflor would supply over 1100m2 of Gradus Lunar Carpets, specifying ‘Rook’ and ‘Moretus’ as the colour choices.

The historic Aberdeen Music Hall has been restored and redeveloped by Architects BDP. The Category A listed concert hall has been completely refurbished and now includes a performance studio, creative learning space and a café/bar. Nearly 1,500m2 of Junckers solid Nordic Beech Classic flooring has been fitted as part of the transformation, including in the impressive 1,300 seat auditorium, which now has step-free access to all levels. Nordic Beech with its white pigmented finish offers a light and bright backdrop to the interior and makes the most of the architects’ new architectural lighting by reflecting an abundance of light. By specifying the same floor for much of the building, the various spaces are seamlessly connected by a unifying element. At 140mm wide, Junckers’ signature wide board, long-length floor boards really come into their own in the open spaces and circulation routes, offering a clean and elegant look. Solid beech is amongst the most hard-wearing timbers used for flooring and Junckers’ pre-finished floors are well-known for their durability. The flooring contractor was West End Flooring. 

Design-led flooring solutions for the customer-facing areas was decided upon, with Gerflor’s Taralay Impression Control fitting the brief by combining the specification qualities of performance and slip resistance along with aesthetics. Installed within the reception, corridors and cafeteria areas, it also unified and enhanced the décor of these hard working, communal spaces. A simple to maintain surface was also an important characteristic for the multi-function fitness studio flooring enabling it to be quickly cleaned. Meeting this brief was Gerflor’s Taraflex® Comfort in wood-effect design ‘Oak’: “Being a multi-use space, we needed a hardwearing surface but not a clinical feel or look.

The Gasholders’ architecture is anything but ordinary – 149 distinctive canalside apartments and penthouses, built within a refurbished triplet of Grade II listed, cast iron gas-holder guide frames at the heart of King’s Cross, London. Alfresco Floors supplied and installed 20mm Astor porcelain pavers across the 149 private balconies, all with views across the capital and within the radial walkway area of the project.

A BREEAM Excellent development with a Wired Score Platinum Certification, the Ewart has exemplary sustainable and technology features throughout, including Kingspan PSA grade raised access floors.Working with our certified installation specialists in Northern Ireland, Drew Wylie Building Services, we supplied circa 25,000 sq m of Kingspan RMG600 & FDEB_H systems, both tested in accordance with the PSA specification.

The Les Ormes holiday resort in the St Brelade area of Jersey in the Channel Islands has converted its soccer dome into an activity centre called ‘Jump Jersey’. It’s an extremely impressive project which saw international flooring specialist Gerflor supply 1250m2 of their innovative GTI Max interlocking technical tile solution which was used throughout the activity centre as well as the café and reception areas.

A temple in Chorley has recently had Nuway Tuftiguard Classic in 17mm closed construction installed by the Northern team at Master Matting. As Nuway is ideal for entrance areas of all shapes and sizes, it was perfect for the design of the architecturally striking building. With three points of access, each with their own set of revolving doors, the rigid entrance flooring system will help to stop the outside from travelling in.Due to the busy nature of the temple, removing soil from soles of shoes and wheel treads was essential in providing accidental slips and protecting interior floor surfaces. Nuway Tuftiguard classic is also reversible, which effectively doubles the lifespan of the entrance flooring.

20,000 sq ft of brand new ‘BREEAM® Excellent’ Class A office space in Union Street, London, offers the character and qualities of Bankside’s industrial past, whilst offering a beautiful environment for modern office life. Open plan interiors featuring exposed concrete soffit and walls, full height ‘factory style’ windows, Maple timber Bathgate raised floor panels, and ‘acoustic’ decorative timber.