Calming colours and
patterns have helped to create a special environment for mothers and babies at
Glan Clwyd Hospital.
Forbo Flooring
Systems’ new Sphera Element has been 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.
When specialist
healthcare designers, IBI Group, were tasked with designing the hospital unit,
they created a proposal that would bring the outside in with a design inspired
by nature.
Cristina Tegolo,
designer at IBI Group, who designed the ward said: “The unit is for mothers and
their babies that are born sick or premature, from 27 weeks to Term and
therefore in need of hospital care. Because of this, we of course needed to
create a sense of calm and warmth. We created the butterfly flooring design to
complement the wall art, which is a forest-like scene of trees and the hospital
really loved it.
“I had previously been
introduced to Forbo’s new Sphera collection and its ability to be cut into
shapes to create bespoke designs, so it was the perfect choice for the project.
We opted for a plain and clean looking base colour, Mortar, then for the various
butterflies we chose Teal, a mustard-like shade Amber and Yellow Green, a
bright green colour.”
These colours were
chosen for the butterfly pattern due to them having serene connotations flowing
throughout the corridors and into the equipment rooms, acting as an
aesthetically pleasing wayfinding tool.
The first of three
brand new homogeneous vinyls to be produced in Forbo’s new custom built £17m
factory, Sphera Element is long lasting, as the SMART-top (Sustainable, Modern,
Advanced, Robust Technology) surface finish ensures that it has a high resistance
to chemicals, scratches and stains – perfect for a hospital environment,
which will experience heavy footfall and wheeled traffic. It also delivers
bright and saturated hues, resulting in striking colour tones, many with high
light reflection values (LRV). Moreover, it can contribute to a healthy indoor
environment, thanks to its phthalate free manufacturing and low emissions.
Forbo’s Eternal Wood
was also installed in the cot rooms in the natural shade Limed Oak,
complementing the nature inspired theme of the ward, with bright coloured
Sphera butterflies laid on top pinpointing the numbered cot bay stations.
Andy Currie, Senior
Project Manager at Active Flooring, who installed the flooring throughout the
ward, said: “The feedback we have had from those working on the job was that
the installation was great and there were no problems at all. I am really happy
with the overall result – the bespoke graphics look brilliant!”
Mandi Cook, Neonatal
Service Manager at Glan Clwyd said: “The families and staff like the flooring
and the graphics within it as it helps to carry the theme of butterflies
throughout the unit. It helps to give a bright cheerful atmosphere within the
clinical areas. The flooring cleans easily which is of benefit as a light
colour has been used in the corridor, which gets a lot of footfall. The areas
with limed oak look very attractive and have received the most positive
comments.”
