Forbo Flooring Systems has played a vital role in bringing the outside in during the design of a new extra-care housing scheme, for Southampton City Council thanks to its range of colourful and practical floor covering solutions available.
The result is a design that ensures that the residents have a bright, healthy and hygienic environment to live in and subsequently, the project won a Commended award in the Fly Forbo 16/17 competition.
Design Consultant Alex Salway, from Daring Design UK Ltd, designed the interior of Erskine Court for Southampton City Council; a ‘housing with care’ facility designed for the over 55s and one of the first of its kind in Southern England.
Residents have access to care 24/7 if they need it, while also maintaining their independence and having space in which to socialise and be part of a community.
Alex said: “The theme of the building was to bring the outside in, something Forbo’s product range allowed me to do with their impressive range of colours. Due to my research into creating a positive environment for the elderly, I opted for Forbo’s Flotex Metro collection for this project as not only was the colour range vast, but it’s also Allergy UK approved, which is ideal for an environment where a healthy indoor environment is of upmost importance for resident’s well-being.”
Spanning across three floors, the Flotex Metro was used in a variety of colours to easily distinguish each floor for the residents, and to help them identify their own floor and apartment; it was installed in the break out areas of each floor and in each lift and stair landing area.
With its green tones, the Citrus colourway was used on the ground floor to represent leafy grass; Tangerine, a shade of orange, was used on the first floor to represent earth; and the blue shade Petrol was used to represent the sky, to help residents recognise that they were on the top floor.
Alex, who is experienced in designing local authority properties, and was recommended to Southampton City Council for this project, continues: “Before I started on this project, I went to visit a local special needs school where Flotex had been installed throughout.
"I was really impressed with how good it looked, how easy it was to clean and how well it handled the heavy footfall over the years, as well as the heavy traffic from motorised wheelchairs and scooters, which were going to be used internally in the Erskine Court scheme.
"Following this visit, I then took a Flotex Metro sample to the project managers and contractors to demonstrate its robustness and durability by spilling red wine and various food types onto the surface and then wiping it away; they were sold – indeed keeping cleaning costs down and general maintenance is vital for councils and all local authorities.”
For comfort and safety, a combination of floor coverings were used in the communal areas such as the hair and beauty room, laundry rooms and break out areas. Surestep Texture and Stone, which offer outstanding slip resistance, were installed throughout in the neutral colourways Linnen and Warm Concrete. Moreover, the commercial kitchens were all kitted out with Safestep R11 in the brown coloured Umber due to the demanding environment.
Flotex Naturals in American Oak was also used in communal corridors and lobbies, paired alongside the bright colours of Flotex Metro, providing the appearance of a wooden floor covering but with the warmth of carpet; while the award winning entrance flooring system Coral Brush was used in the entrance and lobby area to prevent dirt and moisture from entering into the building.
Fiona Astin, Interim Regeneration Manager, Southampton City Council, said: “Southampton City Council is delighted with the appearance, practicality and durability of the flooring at Erskine Court.Daring Design has used the colourways and products to great effect, creating a really attractive environment that’s sensitive to the needs of the residents.
"We are planning to build another new Extra Care scheme in the city starting by early 2018.We have been so happy with the flooring at Erskine Court that we plan to replicate it in the new scheme.”
Forbo’s Committed to the Health of One campaign underpins our aim to contribute to creating better indoor environments by committing to the health and well-being of all individuals living and working in indoor spaces.Flotex achieves this through excellent hygiene and sound absorbing qualities, the certification by Allergy UK for the positive effects it has on allergy sufferers and a wide range of stimulating designs and sympathetic colours, which can create inspiring interiors.
