FORBO FLOORING SYSTEMS’ Allura LVT range was specified by design and fit out company, Oktra, to transform an office building into a ‘stylish and modern’ workspace, says the company.
Oktra were recruited by Akoya and Brunswick Property Partners, to repurpose an office building to create a ‘vibrant and attractive’ space for young professionals and entrepreneurs to work in. Formally known as Knollys and Stephenson House, the building will be rebranded as Mosaic East, a refurbishment that’s said to be one of East Croydon’s most iconic office developments.
Typically, carpet tiles or exposed raised access flooring are said to be the go-to solution in these scenarios, however with a premium design required, Oktra opted for something different, as Danielle La Porte, designer at Oktra explains: ‘Akoya wanted to create a range of category A office suites that would be memorable to tenants, while also meeting sustainability requirements. With this brief in mind, we specified Forbo’s Allura Flex LVT, which is available in range of colourways and wood effect designs – perfect for this project.
We wanted to add some brand identity in the category A suites, so we decorated some of them in a light pink colour with linear LED lighting, and other suites in a light sage green colour. To complement the colour palettes, we chose Allura Flex LVT in the Light Honey Oak shade. We then asked flooring contractors, The Commercial Flooring Company, to install the planks in a herringbone pattern to enhance the aesthetics of the space.’
However, appearance wasn’t the only area of concern, with Akoya also conscious of the sustainability requirements. Danielle addressed this, saying: ‘The aesthetics of the flooring weren’t the only thing we had to keep in mind, we also had to ensure whatever floor covering we specified would meet Akoya’s sustainability aims. It was for this reason we specified Forbo’s Allura Flex, as it can be easily installed adhesive-free, using IOBAC MagTabs.’
Jon Cochrane, director – asset management and sustainability at Brunswick Property Partners, commented on the use of IOBAC’s MagTabs, saying: ‘Cleaning adhesive residue off sub-floors in between leases is often messy, expensive, and time-consuming. In some cases, the raised access floor panels are so badly contaminated they must be completely replaced, something which isn’t sustainable, environmentally, or financially.
However, using IOBAC MagTabs to install floor coverings removes this issue completely. This means the raised access flooring is protected and kept damage-free for longer-term usage.’
It wasn’t just the sustainability benefits that drew Oktra towards MagTabs, with the installation benefits of the tabs also a deciding factor. Daniel Hassan, operations manager at The Commercial Flooring Company, commented on this, saying: ‘Thanks to IOBAC’s MagTabs, it took a team of three fitters around five days to install 900sq m of flooring in a herringbone pattern, which is challenging to install and would’ve taken much longer to do through traditional methods. This provided a great time saving and allowed the other trades to work around us while we fitted the flooring.’
The time saved during the installation stage meant the whole project was able to be completed in 10 weeks, a quick turnaround for such a large job.
Danielle concluded: ‘We’re really happy with the finished project, as are Akoya; the flooring looks amazing and we’re delighted to have been able to get it fitted so quickly, as well as meet Akoya’s important sustainability aims.’
www.forbo-flooring.co.uk
