"forbo"

For The Refinery, a new build student accommodation complex in Leeds, Jasper Sanders + Partners looked to create a fresh and contemporary interior design scheme that underpinned the site’s historic significance. With a variety of activity zones, Forbo Flooring Systems’ Tessera Cloudscape carpet tiles and Sarlon acoustic sheet vinyl were specified, helping to create a fully integrated and striking space that meets the demands of modern student living. The Refinery was a winning project in the Fly Forbo 2020/21 competition.Built on a former industrial site near Leeds City Centre, The Refinery is a 397-room student accommodation complex providing high quality apartments, shared living spaces and a whole host of amenities. Developed by Gregory Property Group and operated by Fresh Student Living, the interior of The Refinery was designed by Jasper Sanders + Partners (JS+P), who worked alongside AHR Architects and GMI Construction to deliver this market leading student accommodation project for specialist investor Curlew Capital.

The recent fit out of Savills' new Welsh headquarters saw commercial interior design and supply specialists, Imium, enlisted to create modern-day, cohesive working environment, while still adhering to the brand's traditional values. Forbo Flooring Systems' striking Allura Flex Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) and Tessera Seagrass carpet tiles have played an integral role in the smart new interior. Rhiannon Phillips, Interior Designer at Imium, explained: "The floor comprises of both employee and customer facing areas, therefore it was important that the space was conducive for clients without affecting business as usual . We were notified by the Savills marketing department of the brand guidelines that we needed to adhere to, in terms of finishes, to make sure that the Savills story was portrayed. We took inspiration from the company's heritage and ethos and incorporated different themes within the office based on the various sectors that the firm operates in. For the customer facing area, we used a lot of silk, walnut and a splash of the colour red to reflect the residential sector."

The North Block expansion (Cork Cancer Centre) at Bon Secours Hospital Cork incorporates a 12,500m2 7 storey development, including Radiotherapy, Oncology, Ward Accommodation, Critical Care and Operating theatre facilities.Forbo products were used almost exclusively throughout as the client recognised its durability over the years in the existing facility.Forbo was able to provide a wide range of flooring solutions from entrance ways and high quality, sustainable floor coverings, to hygienic and slip resistant surfaces.The Marmoleum range met the environmental, technical and maintenance requirements of the development with wide range of available colours assisting in the interior design development and way-finding design.

An array of Forbo Flooring Systems products has been installed within the University of St Andrews’ newest student accommodation building, to help deliver a contemporary and high-end aesthetic that would enhance the students’ experience.

Minimising disruption for patients, staff and visitors was a priority for the University Hospital of North Tees team, responsible for the refurbishment of a vast area of new flooring in the hospital’s main public corridors. As such, Forbo Flooring Systems supplied its adhesive-free Modul’up Compact sheet vinyl – a resilient flooring solution that was easy to install and could be walked on immediately after installation. Built in the 1960s, the hospital in Stockton has seen much maintenance over the years and visually, had become dated. Therefore, the aim of the refurbishment was to bring the hospital interior into this century to create a more pleasant and comfortable environment for everyone. As well as speed of installation, the hospital team’s specification priorities were cleanliness and hygiene, especially as these main corridor routes lead on to clinical areas. But also, the spaces experience high footfall and are tested to the limit with heavy medical equipment and trolleys being moved around; the flooring had to perform well in terms of durability. “We were looking for something different and when our Forbo Area Manager, Jon Rogers, put forward the Modul’up solution, we identified a few advantages that appealed immediately,” explains the Project Manager for the University Hospital of North Tees, Michael Jones. “Firstly, speed of installation. It’s a vast area of flooring to cover. In fact, we’ve not done an area this size before, all at once. As you can imagine, we were apprehensive with it being such a dynamic environment. It’s hard to co-ordinate one installation let alone having to snag or worse re-lay. We liked the fact that Modul’up is tried and tested to meet all the current standards, but is also much easier to install and is easy to clean. “Secondly, from a subfloor maintenance angle we saw great benefits. The building was constructed in the 1960s, so in certain areas from time to time there are repairs to be done to the subfloor beneath. “With Modul’up you can cut the weld, roll back, fix the floor and re-lay with no patching required. If you have subfloor issues with normal vinyl floor you would have to lift it with the adhesive. This often causes damage to the vinyl and if patching is required then potentially you don’t get a match.” Phase One of the project involved the installation of 1,573m2 of Forbo’s Modul’up Compact in Natural Oak in the general circulation areas and corridors. Creating a fresh, contemporary and airy feel, the wood-effect flooring has been selected to complement the corridor walls, which feature a split wall colour scheme with the lower half painted in a strong, modern graphite grey and the top half in a lighter, almost white, grey.  Also commenting on the specification, Drew McColgan, managing director of Rimick Flooring, the installer, said: “We have worked with the hospital for 15 plus years. The building is old and we often have issues with the subfloor; installing a loose lay product makes it easier for us to access the subfloors for repair without having to patch the vinyl back. It was also quicker for us to install in an environment where time is of the essence. The client is delighted with the appearance of the vinyl too.” The hospital team, Rimick Flooring and Forbo worked together to ensure a smooth install as Drew explains: “Forbo came to visit the site a number of times to meet with us and the client. They attended meetings with screed representatives too and provided expert support throughout with samples aplenty; including a decent sized part roll so the fitting team could familiarise themselves with the product. Jon Rogers, and the customer support team (particularly Jason Livingstone) were there to help us every step of the way.” Drew talks through the installation process and hints at the longer-term benefits: “During the night shifts, the team lifted the existing linoleum, screeded the existing surfaces using a non-ammonium smoothing compound and fit (with set-in skirting detail) from there. Modul’up helped us to save approximately an hour a night, “Going forward, there’s no need to patch areas should there be a problem with the subfloor, and it negates the need to use an adhesive, which is good as it’s odour free and means the floor can be used immediately.”  Providing primary protection at the main entrances, Forbo’s Nuway and Coral entrance flooring systems have been installed too – helping to prevent dirt and moisture from being traipsed indoors. Forbo’s new Coral interior was also installed to complete the hospital entrance flooring system. Looking ahead, Michael Jones, University Hospital of North Tees Project Manager concludes: “So far, we’re impressed with Modul’up. There are other buildings on site which now may also be considered to be refreshed with this loose lay product.”

After nearly 30 years without refurbishment, the Paediatrics department at Ormskirk District General Hospital required a new lease of life to be injected into the building. With hospitals in operation around the clock by patients, visitors and staff, it was vital that the new flooring solution offered a combination of optimal performance benefits, whilst being quick and easy to install to minimise both disruption and downtime. Looking for a time and cost saving solution, Southport and Ormskirk NHS Hospital Trust chose Forbo Flooring Systems’ Modul’up adhesive free sheet vinyl for the refurbishment. Easy and quick to install during out of hours, the ‘fast fit’ floor covering delivers outstanding dimensional stability and indentation resistance.

Calming colours and patterns have helped to create a special environment for mothers and babies at Glan Clwyd Hospital. Forbo Flooring Systems’ Sphera Element vinyl collection was specified throughout the Mother and Baby Unit, due to its bright and fresh appearance, high-performance and durability. Easy to work with, the Sphera sheets were laid throughout the unit and hand cut to shape to create a beautiful butterfly designs.

Forbo Flooring Systems' Flotex flocked floor coverings played a vital role in bringing the outside in during the design of an extra-care housing scheme, for Southampton City Council. The result is a design that ensures that the residents have a bright, healthy and hygienic environment to live in.

Our Allura Flex luxury vinyl tiles have been used to great effect in the new offices of Becherovka in the Centrum Stomovka shopping mall in Prauge. Becherovka is part of the Pernod Ricard group, one of the largest producers of spirits and wine in the world. CAPEXUS was given the task of creating an office with a more distinctive and prestigious appearance, one that would be comfortable, feature interesting materials and, last but not least, be practical. The unifying element of the new offices is a more industrial concept. Not to be overlooked is the open ceiling with its visible concrete beams and ducts. The exposed materials in combination with the wooden furnishings and Forbo’s Allura Wood and Material luxury vinyl tiles create a pleasant atmosphere for work, business meetings in the conference rooms and relaxation.

FORBO’S PORTFOLIO COMBINES QUALITY WITH AFFORDABILITY   Alumno, a specialist student accommodation developer, conceived and delivered a sophisticated and welcoming space for Element Bermondsey, a new student accommodation overlooking Bermondsey Spa Gardens. To do this, Forbo Flooring Systems’ Sarlon and Safestep floor coverings were specified, for their technical and aesthetic qualities.   Operated by CRM Students, the UK’s leading independent student accommodation management brand, Element Bermondsey provides 143 students living in Southwark with high-quality, fully serviced and sustainable accommodation. Greenaway Architecture and Tatham Studios worked with Alumno, to create contemporary spaces for the increasing number of students coming into London to study.   Greenaway Architecture and Alumno took the reins when designing Element Bermondsey, as Ron Plunz, Development Director at Alumno explained: “We had agreed a palette with our funding partner during our initial design meetings, which we had presented to them in a CGI format. We then took this vision and fine-tuned it to get a much clearer idea of the direction we wanted to go in.   “When designing student accommodation, we usually opt for a neutral theme as there is a mix of cultures, ages and people living under one roof. By choosing a contemporary yet neutral palette, it provides students with the freedom to make the spaces their own.”  Not only was it important that Alumno created a space that allowed the residents to express themselves, but it was also key that the building met sustainability requirements. Ron explained further: “We really wanted and needed to achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ with this building. As such, one of the factors we wanted to address was noise levels, to create healthy and comfortable spaces for the students. It was for this reason that we specified Forbo’s Sarlon acoustic floor covering; with a 19 dB impact sound reduction it exceeded the requirements needed for this accreditation.”  Forbo’s Sarlon 19 dB was specified in two different colours for this project. Ron explained: “We used Sarlon in Silver Concrete for the hallways and kitchen areas and Anthracite Nairobi in the bedrooms; both are deep greys, which offer an attractive, neutral baseline for the rooms, whilst providing some warmth to the spaces. I like to use products with some natural patterns like stone, concrete or textile weaves as it can serve a dual purpose of forming a pattern, whilst also helping to hide marks, which keeps the room looking smart.  “Forbo’s Sarlon offering fits this perfectly as it is available in a range of natural patterns and a versatile range of colours. We always use Forbo as its product range is just so varied, full of aesthetically pleasing designs that fit the technical requirements we’re looking for.”  Not only this, but the XtremePUR finish ensures Sarlon delivers improved scratch resistance, which is important for student accommodation as it endures heavy use across an academic year. Additionally, Sarlon is phthalate free, minimising the impact it has on the residents’ wellbeing.  Furthermore, Forbo’s Safestep product was used in the ensuite bathrooms, offering a good level of slip resistance. Ron continued: “Obviously resident safety is extremely important for these types of projects. So, for this reason, we needed a floor covering that could satisfy our health and safety requirements, but one that didn’t look industrial. Forbo’s Safestep was the perfect solution, with the contemporary Lava colour, which is a dark grey shade with hints of green running throughout it. It suits the neutral palette of the room, but also provides a good level of slip resistance.  “Forbo has a wide range of options available. In fact, there’s a solution for all applications, which makes our job easier, as we don’t have to use multiple manufacturers. Instead, we can purchase all the floor coverings we need from one company.”  CRM Students welcomed students into this latest scheme at the start of the 2022 academic year and has received positive feedback from the residents and press.  For more information about Forbo’s product range for student accommodation, visit: www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/studentaccommodation  

When charity, Small Steps, secured its new home at the heart of Richmond, it required a warm and welcoming interior environment that would support children living with physical disabilities and their families. Providing the perfect natural canvas, Forbo Flooring Systems' linoleum brand, Marmoleum, was installed throughout the purpose built facility. Spread over three floors of a former office building on Worple Way, the 517 m² site that Small Steps now calls home, was funded through a generous donation. The entire design team – which included JTP Architects, Robert Bird & Partners, MTT Consultants, ISG Ltd, PIP Building Services and P2 Design – worked together, many on a pro bono or reduced fee basis to complete the refurbishment for the charity.

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.

Capturing the traditional charm of the Tudor period, London-based design studio, Upcircle, designed Chester’s newest student accommodation by taking inspiration from the city’s history and architecture. With the help of Forbo Flooring Systems’ comprehensive portfolio, including its recently refreshed Allura Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) collection, a warm, striking and sophisticated interior was created.

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.

"The works compromise the conversion of a former Dominican Church, a protected structure into a Town Library. Our goal was to retain the unique character, spatial and light qualities of the church while also providing a functional & comfortable library space. We chose Forbo as our flooring partners due to their great quality and durability, along with their fantastic range of colour and texture choices. The colours were selected to emulate the stained glass windows and has been very successful"

The natural composition, pure aesthetics and excellent performance attributes of Forbo Flooring Systems' Marmoleum and Nuway Tuftiguard in Bamboo have helped to create a holistic interior design within a new state-of-the-art wellbeing centre in Skipton, Yorkshire. Paris Ackrill, Co-Founder at Avalon, said: "At the heart of Avalon's philosophy is connection; a connection with oneself, with others and with nature. Our customers come here to explore the inner voyage of mind, body and spirit; therefore, our aim is to provide them with a holistic and healing experience, which goes beyond the services that we offer and into the interior. As such, we have used colours, textures and shapes to replicate an earthy and organic design throughout the centre, as we are interested in the effect that nature has on our state of being.

Sunderland Royal Hospital’s Emergency Department has undergone a large refurbishment with a three-storey extension and a new colourful paediatric department featuring Forbo Flooring System’s Marmoleum Marbled floor covering. Designed by P+HS Architects, the new development provides a vastly improved environment for patients and staff, and has been shortlisted for best refurbishment at the 2017 Healthcare Estates Awards. The scheme is also entered into this year’s Building Better Healthcare Awards.The existing Emergency Department building previously housed both the adult and paediatric services, however to make the environment more welcoming for children, the refurbishment has seen the creation of two separate entrances. The children’s paediatric ward has been clearly defined by the use of six bright colours from the Marmoleum Marbled collection.

Forbo Flooring Systems’ Marmoleum was the product of choice for a creative breakout space at investment management firm, Triple Point. With its growing headcount, Triple Point appointed AW Spaces to create an environment that could accommodate the company’s hybrid working strategy, whilst developing a light and warm aesthetic.  Founded in 2004, Triple Point employ 215 people and manage over £2.7 billion of private, institutional and public capital across five distinct investment strategies: Social Housing, Energy, Digital Infrastructure, Private Credit, and Venture. Each of these strategies helps to solve a problem society faces, and each one creates opportunities for investors.  With the company’s increased headcount and the new hybrid working strategy, AW Spaces suggested increasing the size of the breakout area available to employees. The aim was to make this area feel different from the working environment, by incorporating warmer colours with a dynamic flooring design.   Another important aspect for this project was the environmental impact. Lisa McLeod, Design Director at AW Spaces spoke on this, saying: “Sustainability was a big part of Triple Point’s brief. As such, when it came to choosing a floor covering for the space, the sustainability aspect led us to look at products such as Forbo’s Marmoleum. After discussing the sustainable flooring with Triple Point, where I also sent them a concept image of a design, we decided it was the perfect solution.  “Not only did Marmoleum fit the sustainability requirements, but it’s also available in a variety of contemporary designs that match in tone with each other, which allowed us to create a very dynamic space. Additionally, it’s a really nice material to work with, which aided the installation process.”   Forbo’s Marmoleum was specified in Terracotta, Titanium and Vintage Blue from the Marmoleum Walton range, and in Neptune Blue from Marmoleum Piano. Lisa commented on these choices, saying: “We chose these colours as they work beautifully together and coordinated with the joinery so it looked as though those elements rise from the ground. We also really liked the warmth of the Terracotta colourway and the brightness of Neptune Blue, which provided some contrast from eachother without looking disjointed from the joinery they connected to. The choice of colours really helped us to convey the feeling that this space was for relaxation rather than work, with all the colours flowing into one-another nicely.”  This refurbishment wasn’t like a typical installation as there were multiple different colourways which had to be combined in different shapes. As opposed to a typical refurbishment where tiles or sheet flooring is laid; this flooring had to be cut into shape in situ. The finished flooring mixes curved edges with sharp points, with all four colourways meeting towards the middle of the floor then flowing out at different angles around the room.  Lisa continued “The pattern was quite complex, so Forbo recommended an installer called Medifloor to us who could take on this challenge. We had worked with them on a couple of occasions before, so we knew they had the credentials, and they did a fantastic job with pinpoint accuracy!  “We’re absolutely delighted with the finished result and I’d say the breakout space remains my favourite part of the entire project.”  With a unique installation, a specialist approach had to be taken by installers, Medifloor. Jim Gordon, the Director of Medifloor, spoke on this, saying: “AW Spaces gave us this amazing design for Triple Point, which was extremely challenging to create with all the different curvatures. So, to achieve it we actually used computer aided templates which allowed us to cut the perfect curve – something that’s really hard to acheive in flooring.   “Forbo’s Marmoleum Walton was perfect for this, as it’s the only sheet flooring that lends itself to the natural materials used in this project and looks amazing when finished.”  With this method, a creative and dynamic flooring solution was created. With the installation starting in July 2022, Triple Point’s office refurbishment was finished in mid-September 2022 and has been well received by the staff who use it.  Luke Francois, Guest and Employee Experience Manager at Triple Point, concluded: “We asked AW Spaces to create a bright and inviting space, with a focus on using sustainable products and services, and Forbo’s Marmoleum ticked all the boxes for this. We’re happy with the end product delivered by AW, Medifloor and Forbo.” For more information about Forbo’s range of office products, visit: www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/offices  

Forbo’s Tessera Create Space 1 has been installed throughout Lloyds Register office at Trinity Park. An ideal floor covering for an office environment as Tessera Loop Pile products are designed to maintain their good looks in the most demanding heavy traffic areas such as busy offices.Create Space 1 is an exceptionally flexible range of 18 commercial colourways, styled for today’s interiors and lends itself to single colourway installations, feature area designs and bespoke creative schemes. Lloyds Register at Trinity Park have used Create Space 1 to create feature area designs and brighten their offices as they have used bright colours against contrasting monochrome colours.

The newly built Mundaring arena indoor sporting facility is located in the Perth halls district. The building caters for a range of sports such as hockey, basketball and netball and was constructed for the local community now and for future generations. Forbo Flotex was chosen for the functionality and longevity and the new plank designs suited the design visual requested. Additionally, Flotex is a proven floor covering in sporting and gym applications. The 70 million nylon 6.6 fibres per m² offer superior wear characteristics and abrasion resistance when compared with other yarns, making it the ideal flooring for high traffic areas. Flotex is also well known for providing healthier indoor quality and has been awarded the asthma and allergy foundation seal of approval.

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) continuously strive to provide better education for the next generation of medical professionals. As such, with help from NTW Solutions they wanted to create a modern learning space for their medical education centre in Gosforth. Forbo Flooring Systems' Flotex, Modul'up and Allura Flex ranges all played a key role in bringing this project together .NTW solutions was established in 2017 by CNTW NHS Foundation Trust to provide a range of important services, across a variety of teams. They work alongside stakeholders such as NHS Foundation Trust to provide high-end project outcomes. Offering a variety of foundation placements, the medical centre will provide young nurses and doctors with a good base level of education to then move forwards in their chosen speciality. To do this there was a variety of factors to review when looking at designs.

The robust qualities and unique geometrical design of Forbo Flooring Systems’ Flotex Triad planks has helped to refresh the entrance level of this busy university library in Glasgow.The Andersonian Library, located in the Curran building at the University of Strathclyde, is a public facility for thousands of students and staff across Glasgow’s universities. After years of heavy footfall, the original carpet that was fitted in the reception area and corridors of the library was fast deteriorating and imminently becoming a trip hazard.Dawn McNeil, Building Surveyor at the University of Strathclyde said: “When we saw the carpet starting to fail within the entrance level, we knew that we needed a new flooring solution which would be robust stand up to the high levels of traffic, yet also able to retain its aesthetics in years to come. What’s more, as it’s a busy library, it was important for us that the flooring was also easy to clean, as the floors are very prone to food and drink spillages."

A former pub located in the heart of Taporley village, Cheshire, has been converted into a luxury health and welbeing centre, featuring a state-of-the-art-gym, treatment rooms and apartments for staff use. Instinct Gym and Wellbeing aims to help improve the health and mental wellbeing of the local community through new initiatives. When it came to selection the best floor coverings, having worked with JA Flooring on previous projects  Enigma Holdings Group, the owners of the building, called upon the flooring contractor once more. As aesthetics and durability were key objectives of the project, JA Flooring advised the use of an array of solutions from Forbo Flooring Systems’ portfolio including its Allura luxury vinyl tiles (LVT), which played a significant role in the renovation works.The natural wood and stone aesthetic, combined with the benefits of strong, comfortable vinyl tiles, meant that Allura was installed in the gym, treatment rooms, spin studios and circulation areas. In the treatment rooms where a more serene surrounding was required, Allura Wood in the Whitewash Elegant Oak colourway was used.In the entrance and reception area, a bespoke Coral Logo entrance flooring mat was produced to reinforce the Instinct Gym and Wellbeing branding – helping to create that all important first impression, whilst offering protection in extreme traffic conditions and maximum functional performance.Finally, Tessera Earthscape carpet tiles in Iceberg were installed in the apartments; and in the changing facilities and kitchens, the Surestep range in various neutral colourways helped to complement the overall sophisticated interior of the health and wellbeing centre.

The main building of the NHL Stenden University in the Netherlands has recently been extended. In addition to a focus on sustainability, the architect wanted to stimulate meetings and bring students and teachers together. In the middle of the central hall you can climb, sit, lie and build with the cube-shaped elements. The long wooden stairs and the walls are partly overgrown with plants and the floor features a beautiful green lawn digitally printed on Flotex Vision.Furthermore, BRTArchitecten has created various meeting places and has given the building it its own landscape. There is an area with a corn field, a tropical rainforest and a delta landscape. These landscapes are all also printed on Flotex Vision and thus form a beautiful focal point in the room. In addition to Flotex Vision,Forbo's Flotex Metro and Marmoleum Real were installed within the University Building.The renovation of the Stenden Hotel Management School was completed in December 2019. A beautiful new campus of 4,500 m2 where Flotex has been chosen thanks to its unique combination of design flexibility, acoustics and ease of cleaning.

After raising funds to refurbish its paediatric entrance and waiting area (for younger children) the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust consulted with its patients and parents to gather their aspirations and provide inspiration for the look and feel of the space. The consensus was the children wanted a theme that reflected a place where happy family memories are made; the Devon coastline. Following this consultation, the Trust enlisted the help of Studio Hanson and Navada Construction to bring the idea to life. Thanks to its naturally bacteriostatic properties, combined with its natural texture and appearance, Forbo Flooring Systems’ Marmoleum collection has helped to turn the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital’s playful beach theme dream into reality for its paediatric entrance and waiting area.

Nearly 500 square meters of Flotex Planks form the basis for a relaxed soccer experience for almost 400 VIP guests in the VIP lounge of the Benteler Arena in Paderborn. Christian Schuster from Freiraum Planungsbüro was responsible for the feel-good ambience. Here, the sports club's holistic interior design concept includes not only a fancy lighting installation but also the creative design of the floor surfaces. "The unique feel of the flooring and its sound-absorbing effect decelerate the atmosphere in the room, " says Schuster, who particularly appreciates the combination of functional and design aspects for Forbo Flooring. It was precisely this combination of the exclusive look of the textile surface and high durability of the flooring that also convinced the sports club SC Paderborn to give preference to the flock flooring. While Flotex planks in a herringbone pattern in three harmonious colourways in the main area, a calm grey tone was chosen for the adjacent lounge and a radiant red tone for the new media lounge. With around 90 colourways, Flotex's broad colour selection offers the opportunity to set colour highlights.

In a world where competition for the workforce has become tougher, Avinode needed an office with a strong identity and a strong attraction element. The company is driven by its curiosity and is at the forefront with new technology and they wanted this to be reflected within the new premises. Marmoleum was chosen from an environmental perspective. Marmoleum is a natural, durable floor covering available now in over 300 beautiful colours.

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.

Ingram Micro is one of the largest distributions of IT products and services in the world. The new office in Diegem, Belgium, is a large rectangular space with little daylight. When designing the new office not one wall was allowed to connect straight to another. Everything had to be slanted to enhance this concept, a herringbone design from Allura LVT was chosen for this floor.

The University of Illinois street dining renovation project includes a high-end micro-restaurant dining concept that serves over 3,000 students a day. The University has successfully used Flotex floor covering amounting in 8,000 m2 on campus, installed in student housing and shared areas for dining and student union activities. The university has repeatedly chosen Flotex for its proven clean-ability, durability and hygiene.

"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.

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%.

Nuway Tuftiguard Classic has recently been installed within a modern office building in Dublin, by the expert installers from Andrew Scollan Matting Systems.Cut into a unique shaped matwell, the classic grey and aluminium aesthetic of Nuway Tuftiguard Classic was chosen to complete the first impression for visitors entering the building, whilst also providing outstanding dirt and moisture retention. As a result, this will reduce the number of accidental slips or falls and protect interior floor finishes.

Housing corporation De Veste is always looking for the perfect home for their customers. In doing so, one of their main focuses is on the sustainability of homes and also creating awareness in the field of energy consumption, therefore the look and feel of their office mus also radiate this vision. That is why they have opted for sustainable Marmoleum Concrete throughout their canteen, lounge and offices. Using it alongside Flotex Vision Floral ensures the homely feeling of the housing co operation.

Congratulations to Deicke Richards (DR) Architects for their win at this year’s 2020 Learning Environments Australasia Awards for excellence in educational design. The John Paul College (JPC) Kindergarten extension articulates the college’s Reggio Emilia approach to teaching and learning within an Australian context. Reggio Emilia is an early learning education style that values children as capable and resilient and rich with wonder; it emphasises hands-on, discovery learning that allows children to actively engage all their senses, guided by educators rather than directed.The kindy’s program is strongly art and nature-based and focuses on encouraging children to creatively problem solve, engage deeply with personal and group projects, and to experience nature with freedom and wonder.To support this program, Deicke Richards led a collaborative process with a diverse stakeholder team to produce a design framework that fosters engaging experiences with climate; form (external, internal and transitional spaces); light; colour; materials and texture; smell; sound; and taste. Marmoleum flooring was chosen as the main internal floor finish as it fits the design and teaching philosophy.Marmoleum is made from natural raw materials, many of which grow and are renewable. The material is produced CO2 neutral without offsetting and can be sustainably recycled at the end of its useful life. Marmoleum is healthy, containing zero plastics and is asthma and allergy approved by the British Allergy Foundation. Marmoleum thanks to the linseed base is inherently bacteriostatic naturally inhibiting the growth of common bacterial and viral infections creating a better interior for children and staff.The kindy’s new building has a logical layout. Two classrooms are separated by a central amenities block and open onto a generous verandah that flows into the “piazza” or green heart. Each classroom is characterised by an internal “Atelier” form which offers focused respite from other activities – a sunken studio features in ‘The Burrow’ classroom, while a playful house-like structure punctuates ‘The Nest’ classroom. These unique Atelier spaces are dedicated to creative exploration and elevate the children’s art-focused learning experiences.JPC Kindy’s thoughtfully layered learning experiences exemplify how the values of a kindy – or any educational institution – can be meaningfully embedded in its environmental and spatial design.Diecke Richards founded in 1994 is renowned for their collaborative processes and inclusive culture. DR has a commitment to using their skill in design to achieve a social purpose and this is evident in the JPC kindergarten community project.

In the refined finishes and the elegance of the accessories, the design of the Luxury Design apartments located in the historic centre of Verona finds an informal dimension. Between the wooden elements and the natural stone details, the identity of the city's architecture comes to life. The choice of flooring respects these elements. The beautiful herringbone floor with Allura Hungarian point planks in different colours creates both an authentic as well as luxurious atmosphere.