Edited By Toby Maxwell
IN THIS FLOORING FOCUS, we explore some of the very latest in commercial flooring design options. This edition features case studies ranging from a global manufacturing headquarters, a high-footfall student living space, through to a busy and highly versatile co-working development. What they all have in common however, is the need for flooring solutions that not only deliver durable, practical performance, but which significantly enrich the space for all those using it.
These examples – together with a round-up of some of the latest new flooring products and updates – should, we hope, provide plenty of inspiration for sourcing the ideal option for getting your project just right from the ground up.
1 Project: Amtico – The Loom Club
SET IN AN old piano factory, The Ivories, in Islington, London, the Loom Club perfectly combines a new and innovative environment that bridges the gap between working from home and working from an office, while creating a sense of community.
Kasawoo, a London-based architecture studio, worked with the Loom Club’s co-founders to bring this project to life.
Central to the design is the use of Amtico Acoustic flooring, which effectively reduces sound transmission between floors and spaces by up to 19dB, ensuring a quieter, more focused space for users in an otherwise bustling environment. In the communal area, White Oak is featured in a large parquet laying pattern around the kitchen island, establishing a defined zone that introduces warmth and visual depth. Adjacent areas showcase a complementary White Oak laid in Stripwood, which provides contrast and enhances the overall character of the space.
This thoughtful combination of different laying patterns within a unified colour palette creates distinct zones that cater to a range of activities – from co-working and meetings to yoga sessions and social events.
www.amtico.com /commercial
2 Project: Forbo – Potterrow
MANAGED BY This-Is-Fresh, 16-18 Potterrow Student Living is a purpose-built student accommodation building for post-graduates with 151 studio apartments located ten minutes from Edinburgh Waverley and opposite the University of Edinburgh Campus. Previously consisting of cluster flats, Jasper Sanders + Partners, together with ADP Architecture, were appointed to convert the building into a more mature and sophisticated space tailored to a discerning international clientele.
Jasper Sanders, founder and director of Jasper Sanders + Partners, says: ‘As a studio, we had previously designed the existing student accommodation some years prior. Our brief for this latest refurbishment was to transform the building from cluster flats to studios, with premium finishes to address the need for high-quality accommodation attracting an international postgraduate demographic.’
Jasper Sanders + Partners specified a broad range of Forbo’s commercial flooring brands throughout the scheme. Rebecca Finney, creative director, who led on the vision and strategy for the building, says: ‘We have a longstanding partnership with Forbo and frequently specify their products due to their versatility. For this scheme, where brand identity is expressed entirely through materiality and experience, it was essential to choose materials that not only ensured durability but also resonated with our design intentions.
Finney adds: ‘In the entrance arrival area, we specified Marmoleum Real in the Dark Bistre colourway, a rich, marbled coffee shade with undertones of ochre echoing the notion of Scottish whisky, which ultimately created a sense of drama upon entry into the building. We also used Marmoleum Concrete within the studios, as this not only provided durability, but a neutral base too.
‘While design excellence is a core value for us, we are equally committed to creating spaces that are thoughtfully crafted for both functional purpose and environmental responsibility. With Marmoleum being one of the most sustainable floor coverings on the market, and certified Climate Positive (carbon negative) from cradle to gate without offsetting, these objectives were met.”
From the project’s inception to the involvement of Jasper Sanders + Partners in spring 2022, the scheme reached completion in autumn 2024, receiving enthusiastic reviews from both building management and residents. It also won the Public Choice Award at the inaugural Forbo Awards. www.forbo.com /flooring
3 Project: Interface – University of Edinburgh
THE OLD COLLEGE building in the University of Edinburgh’s central campus has hosted the institution’s prestigious law school for over 300 years. With the interiors becoming outdated and out of touch with modern working habits, it was clear some of the workspaces needed a major refresh.
Andrew Reid, area manager at Interface, says: ‘The University of Edinburgh’s Old College is not only one of the capital’s key landmarks but also a listed building, so there was a whole set of considerations and huge pressure to transform this space into a showstopping one that truly reflects its worldwide reputation.’
Interface’s Concept Design Team introduced a sense of calm to the university space with the Undulating Water, Shallows and Sandbank colourways of the Upon Common Ground collection, which incorporated earthlike tones and textures throughout the main work areas and meeting rooms. In addition to the clear aesthetic appeal, the tiles also reduce impact sound by up to 29dB, which helps to improve acoustics and limit disruption in these critical concentration zones.
Heather Davie, interior designer at the University of Edinburgh, says: ‘The new design scheme for Old College was a dramatic change from what everyone was used to, with some team members having worked in the same environment for over 20 years. Like with any change, we expected that it would take getting used to initially, but the immediate feedback we had was incredibly positive and we’ve seen a significant increase in employees using the new space rather than opting to work from home.
‘In fact, the finished refurbishment is now being used as a prototype for the wider university’s push towards providing more collaborative, flexible spaces. It’s great to see this space within Old College being given a new lease of life, and the flooring really ties it all together.’ www.interface.com
4 Project: Karndean – Clive Booth Student Village
VINYL FLOORING specialist Karndean Commercial has partnered with Oxford Brookes University to build a vibrant and sustainable student community in harmony with its woodland setting.
The new Clive Booth Student Village, set close to the university’s Headington Campus, replaces outdated student accommodation built in the 1970s with a complex of accommodation blocks that sit sensitively within the established wooded landscape and conform to Passivhaus and BREEAM design principles.
Appointing MICA Architects and Karndean Commercial alongside a multidisciplinary team, including landscape architects, ecology and arboricultural consultants as well as transport and heritage consultants, Oxford Brookes University is constructing 12 environmentally friendly blocks containing over 1,000 study bedrooms within contemporary shared apartments.
Self-contained apartments include between six and 11 study bedrooms, each with a compact ensuite, and a generously sized shared kitchen dining living room. Wider and shallower than frequently found for student accommodation and fitted with large windows that open for plenty of natural ventilation, the study bedrooms benefit from daylight that penetrates all the way to the back of the room, connecting the interior with its woodland surroundings.
The interior boasts a contemporary biophilic style that has been developed around the project’s key priorities of sustainability, practicality and wellbeing.
Jessie Turnbull, senior associate at MICA Architects, says: ‘The university was very keen to use LVT throughout the accommodation as this would be easier to clean and would provide a modern vibe that appeals to both domestic and international students. Carpeted bedrooms are very much a British choice while hard floors are more usual in homes across Europe, Asia and the US.
‘Following consultation with a group of student ambassadors, we opted for the warm natural tones of Lime Washed Oak in the bedrooms and Rose Washed Oak with its slightly greyer hues in each living space to complement the duck egg blue kitchen units. The concrete frame construction called for a rigid core format, with its enhanced acoustic benefits and easier installation.
‘The feedback we’ve had from students has been absolutely fantastic and, although it’s early days, the flooring is holding up really well.’
www.karndeancommercial.com
5 Project: EGE – Nestlé Headquarters
DANISH CARPET manufacturer Ege Carpets has supplied carpet to the food giant Nestlé’s 4,000m2 Scandinavian headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. The premises feature colourful rugs in the café and lounge areas as well as carpet tiles in muted shades in the more traditional desk zones.
The interior design of the Scandinavian head office was created in collaboration with interior designer Laura Scheuer Trøstrup from The Sweet Spot and space architect Maria Juul Løhde from WINK.
The wish from Nestlé was to create a workplace where employees alternate between working at desks in quiet zones and informal meetings in cosy and more relaxed sofa environments. Likewise, space has been created for contemplation time in the windowsills, which are now furnished with patterned cushions and pillows to fit the purpose.
Ege Carpets says that more and more customers demand storytelling features when it comes to interior design, including carpet. The firm adds: ‘We’re experiencing an increasing demand from customers who want their carpet to tell a story or create a certain atmosphere. Our collections are developed by internationally recognised designers such as Tom Dixon or our own in-house design specialists at Ege Design Studio.’
www.egecarpets.com
6 Product: Bolon
BOLON HAS expanded its Elements collection with the addition of four new colours. Elements features a balanced, natural melange look, drawing inspiration from nature and highlighting natural tones inspired by tactile materials such as stone, wood, and textiles.
Lisa Jarhult, product developer at Bolon, says: ‘We have enhanced the tactile and textile characteristics in the new Elements collection – it’s a subtle blend of hues, neutral colours, and chromatic accents. The collection ranges from rich, rustic, earthy tones to lighter, crisp, and cool colours. They blend into the environment, almost as if they were taken directly from nature.’ www.bolon.com
7 Product: Parador
FLOORING BRAND Parador has launched 15 new decors in the glue-down vinyl category. New in the Trendtime 5 product line are seven stone-inspired designs in a large tile format and three-square tile decors, offering the ability to mix and match for various installation options.
With the Trendtime 10 product line, Parador offers herringbone flooring in a gluedown format for the first time. The individual herringbone strips can be glued together to create customised laying patterns.
www.parador.de
8 Product: Indiginous
INDIGENOUS HAS introduced a new collection of Reclaimed Elm floors. Crafted from salvaged timber, the new floors have a unique vintage look, with a rustic grain, pegs and knots and deep nut brown colouring. Designs include a traditional random plank format or Versaille herringbone pattern. A tactile, durable finish, made from a special mix of water-based oil and water-based lacquer, complement the wood’s rich tone and authentic aged surface.
All of the timber used to craft the floors is salvaged from rural properties where it was originally hung as outside doors. Over 100 years old and weather beaten, the doors are dismantled and a metal scanner is used to find nails and other metal, which is carefully removed. Original wooden pegs are left in place and the doors are planed to create the surface layer of the wood floor.
The floors are constructed using modern engineered methods for stability, with a sustainable European White Oak base layer below the tongue and groove joint.
www.indigenous.co.uk
9 Product: Milliken
NORTHWARD BOUND 2.0 is a new carpet tile collection from Milliken that is made from Universal Fiber’s sustainable Thrive matter yarn, which uses 100% post-industrial recycled resin for a total of 90% recycled content.
There are three designs in Northward Bound 2.0 collection. The first design, Snow, has a soft and organic feel and an undulating surface texture. The second design, Glacier, has a strong geometric pattern reminiscent of broken ice with strong dark to light contrasts creating a bold and striking effect. Firn is the third design, and aims to complement the other two and provide a bridge between them.
www.millikencarpet.com
10 Product: RAK Ceramics
RAK CERAMICS’ Re-Use porcelain tiles are made entirely from 100% preconsumer recycled materials. The manufacturing process of Re-Use Quartz and Mineral tiles transform repurposed waste materials originating from the tile production processes into new, high-quality, cutting-edge tiles.
Re-Use tiles feature a Matt Soft Rustic finish, designed to suit a range of interior styles from classic through to contemporary. They are available in two versatile sizes of 58x58cm and 58x116cm and a choice of four finishes
www.rakceramics.com/uk
