When designing one of the first, flagship, projects of Scotland’s £1.25 billion Schools for the Future programme, you can expect every architectural and specification decision will come under the closest scrutiny.
At a cost of £37.1 million, The Lasswade Centre in Bonnyrigg was not only intended to serve 1,500 pupils, but also to provide a new home for the town’s sports and community facilities and become a focal point for citizens.
Having had his work inspected by the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, among others, Stephen Home, senior architectural technician, at Glasgow architects Cooper Cromar, explained: “As one of the exemplar schools in the Schools for the Future programme, it had to be outstanding in every aspect. When it came to the flooring, as well as high quality, we also wanted it to be long- lasting and easy to clean.”
Mr Home consulted international vinyl and linoleum flooring specialist Gerflor about the specification. He added: “We have used Gerflor on previous jobs. They’re a trusted company and very helpful, so we brought them in on this and got good advice. We specified sheet vinyl, non-slip, and used acoustic in some of the teaching areas, where classrooms were above each other, to minimise noise disruption.”
As a result more than 8,000m² of Gerflor’s Tarasafe range of specialist slip-resistant vinyl safety flooring was laid. Inlaid with mineral crystals for a light, bright appearance, and with a tough PVC wearlayer, it is also impregnated with Sanosol fungistatic and bacteriostatic treatment for optimum hygiene and easy maintenance. As the crystals are made of mineral, rather than using the Carborundum particle (which can make floors more dull in appearance), Tarasafe is 100 per cent recyclable, which was a positive factor in the project acquiring BREEAM certification.
Also specified was Gerflor’s unique SparClean treatment. Designed to form a completely smooth surface between the mineral chips, it doesn’t impair the anti-slip performance, but eliminates dirt traps. Stephen Home added: “SparClean was very good; there’s 1,500 pupils at the school, plus the out-of-hours use, so the cleaners need to be able to work quickly and effectively.
“We specified vinyl because it’s hard-wearing and resistant to staining. The Tarasafe looks very good, we’re really pleased. It gave us what we were looking for; functionality and aesthetic appeal.”
Another benefit of the new Tarasafe vinyl safety flooring is that its mineral crystals weigh less than before, making it easier and faster to fit, while knife blades stay sharper for longer.
The MacGregor Flooring Company Ltd., Hamilton, laid The Lasswade Centre flooring and contracts manager Crawford MacGregor said his men had noticed the Tarasafe improvement.
He commented: “When you see these things on press releases you look at it and think ‘Ok’, but the guys definitely noticed the difference. They always need a sharp blade to do a good job and they’re not changing them as often.”
