CONTEMPORARY PORTFOLIO CREATES INSPIRATIONAL AND SUSTAINABLE ACCOMMODATION

Archwood House, a new purpose-built student accommodation scheme in Peckham, was commissioned by the University of the Arts London (UAL) to house its students. Tasked with creating proactive and forward-thinking spaces for residents to live and study in, architects Nelson and Long specified an array of solutions from Forbo Flooring Systems’ contemporary portfolio to make this happen.

spaces a more homely feel. Not only this, but Forbo’s Tessera Chroma carpet tiles are made with 62% recycled content by weight, aiding in creating a more sustainable scheme.

This was combined with Forbo’s Eternal de Luxe Decibel vinyl floor covering in the communal and studio kitchens. This solution served a double purpose: It reduced impact sound by 17 dB and provided an R10 slip rating, both of which were key to creating healthier and safer spaces for residents to live in.

Forbo’s Coral entrance flooring, Allura Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT), Tessera carpet tiles, Eternal de Luxe Decibel general purpose vinyl and Surestep and Safestep safety floor coverings were all installed throughout the building.

Comprising 343 bedrooms and 50 studios, Archwood House provides students with accommodation close to UAL buildings and is designed to provide students with the creative and inspirational spaces they need, to enhance their university experiences.

Nelson and Long worked closely with UAL to develop a design that would create spaces which were flexible and would allow residents to flourish in their surroundings.

Alicia Nelson, Co-founder of Nelson and Long commented on the brief they received: “Our client’s brief was to create innovative and inspiring spaces for UAL’s creative students to learn and grow in. Sustainability was top of the agenda too, so we needed to carefully consider the materials we specified to ensure we met the requirements.” With the project brief in mind, Alicia set about sourcing materials that reflected the needs of the building: “Due to the variety of high-quality and sustainable products available within Forbo’s portfolio, as well as its reliable customer service, we opted for a variety of Forbo floor coverings for Archwood House, including its Allura LVT and Tessera carpet tiles."

Alicia also specified Forbo’s Tessera Chroma carpet tiles in the Pathway and Tuxedo colourways, which were installed in the bedrooms and the cinema room respectively to give the

With safety in mind, Alicia also specified a range of Forbo’s safety flooring, as she explains further: “As a genuine safety flooring with guaranteed lifetime slip resistance, as well as an R10 slip rating and a 36 PTV score, it was the ideal solution to ensure the safety of residents. Not only this, but it comes in a variety of colourways, such as the neutral wood décor we specified, which complemented the overall design.”

In addition to this, to maintain the condition of the interior floor coverings, Alicia opted to use Forbo’s Coral Classic entrance flooring system in the Mouse Grey colourway.

Forbo Flooring Systems - Enquiry 11

Multipanel demand doubles in social housing in 2023

Multipanel, the UK’s leading bathroom wall panel brand, has announced that demand for its panels have doubled within the social housing market in the past 12 months, and has launched a new product in response to the rise in sales.

Multipanel has launched a new type of profile, which will enable bathrooms to be adapted without the need to replace Multipanel panels, which have a 30-year lifecycle. Whether a floor needs to be replaced, or a bath taken out, the floor to wall profile will allow for seamless adaptation.

The new 103 floor to wall profile will have particular benefits for Housing Associations. With bathroom flooring enduring high levels of traffic, it will often need replaced more quickly than panels, which are high-performing and durable, coming a 30-year warranty. The floor to wall profile creates a discreet base to fit Multipanel above, while allowing sheet vinyl flooring to clip in underneath.

The new profile launch also comes at a time when bathroom adaptations in Social Housing are on the rise. With more bathrooms needing to be adapted to suit an aging population, and service users with additional needs, there is an increased demand for solutions that allow quick, simple yet quality specification for bathroom adaptations.

Multipanel - Enquiry 12

Double award win for Aico

Aico were delighted to receive the award for Customer Service Excellence on Wednesday the 14th of June from the ASCP Safety and Compliance Awards. In addition to this achievement, Aico were honoured with the Fire Safety Manufacturer of the Year award at the Fire and Security Matters Awards on Thursday the 15th of June.

Andrew Sturgess, National Specification Manager, Aico commented "These awards are a recognition of our commitment to excellence and passion for innovation. We are always looking for ways to improve our products and services, and we are constantly striving to be the best that we can be”.

Aico - Enquiry 14

Tighten

Up Over Sealing

Another barnstorming project from Designer Contracts

When Designer Contracts was invited to get involved in an exclusive rural development of 11 new family homes, it signalled the start of a unique two-year installation project.

Said sales manager Lindsey Haystead: “It was a really beautifully executed scheme which we were delighted to have been part of and involved laying approximately 2,500 sqm of carpet through the 11 houses. We used our range, ‘Solar’ throughout the houses which involved some quite long landings and different floor levels. We chose Solar because it is a stain-resistant, two-ply twist which looked amazing when it was installed.”

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ISO-Chemie’s UK sales and operations manager Andy Swift, who has been speaking at a new Air-tightness in Construction CPD event, explains why keeping a tight seal on things is so important.

As every housebuilder and developer in the UK knows, designing homes is as much about designing an efficient heating system as it is about anything else.

It’s no secret that efficient heating is at the forefront of the agenda by now, with debates about the most ecologically friendly way of heating homes sitting side by side (not always comfortably) with the outrage against rising energy bills. There is one solution, at least, which has proven wildly effective, comparatively cheap to enact and satisfies those on all fronts, and that is to ensure that the houses being built lose as little of their precious heat as possible.

That is why ISO-Chemie, whose gap-sealing tapes and solutions provide effective resistance against heat loss, is doing its best to get the word out there by touring the country giving CPDs to architects and specifiers. The message is clear, not only are the right products needed for the job, but also the right installation. Hence the need to go beyond simple marketing and into the realm of education.

ISO-Chemie - Enquiry 15