WHEN property and construction consultants Thomas & Adamson wanted to adopt a new hybrid way of working, it appointed Form Design Consultants to design a new layout for its Edinburgh and Glasgow offices which would offer a welcoming environment and improve productivity, creativity, and wellbeing.
The brief was to design a new flexible space with versatile work settings where staff could work quietly, collaborate with colleagues, and hold informal meetings with clients. It wanted an inviting biophilic design with bold modern colours that would reflect its professionalism and the quality of its own business projects.
The interior designer worked closely with Karndean’s regional commercial specification manager (CSM) to choose a timeless flooring design that would complement and enhance the existing period features of the buildings as well as add a comfortable style and practical surface that would stand up to the demands of a busy commercial space.
The interior design aimed to provide the creature comforts and flexibility of working from home with the added benefits of space for social interaction and collaboration. Opting for a warm wood design flooring has balanced the stark nature of the metal beams and exposed brick walls of the glazed extension and provides a visual link with the natural world outside.
Choosing a rigid core format meant minimal subfloor preparation was required, helping reduce installation time. The designer opted for the rich tones and authentic textures of Warm Brushed Oak from the multi-format Van Gogh collection.
With both rigid core and glue-down formats available, this Karndean range is said to make it possible to take the same design through adjoining spaces, even over different subfloor conditions. Having decided on the rigid core design, a local flooring contractor, Scotwood of East Kilbride, managed the installation.
It was key that business downtime during the refurbishment was minimised. Opting for a rigid core design from the Van Gogh multiformat range meant installation could be completed within a tight timeframe. As a result of the large floor-to-ceiling windows in the glazed extension area, it was understood sunlight bleaching would be an issue for any flooring chosen.
Says Karndean: ‘The Van Gogh range offers good light fastness, achieving a pass (≥ 6) rating under the EN ISO 105-B02 certification, but also has the advantage of being easily re-lifted to enable faded planks to be quickly replaced if required.’
Sustainability
Refurbishing the offices with a more flexible layout and contemporary biophilic design means the building can now more adequately meet the current and future spatial needs of the business and has removed the need to relocate to larger premises, thus reducing the business’ potential long term environmental impact.
Karndean continues: ‘Karndean flooring is designed to enhance a green built environment and support health and wellbeing. With exceptional durability as well as timeless good looks, this is a product that offers enhanced indoor air quality as well as an extended lifespan. With a commercial guarantee of 15 years, Karndean flooring will extend the lifetime of the interior and so reduce ongoing resource consumption.
‘The coffee bar area in the new glazed extension features a rigid core design which is installed without the use of adhesive, further reducing volatile emissions. Karndean products are low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and free from ortho-phthalates, heavy metals, ‘BPA’ (bisphenol A), formaldehyde and other materials which are reprotoxic, endocrine disrupting or carcinogenic. The backing layers are constructed primarily from calcium carbonate while the PVC in the wearlayer is derived from salt, a highly sustainable resource. Packaging is made using recycled material.’
Additionally, products contain up to 50% recycled material in the backing layers taken from post-production waste (off-cuts, trimmings, and process dust), says the company. ‘Almost 100% of this production and postproduction waste is then granulated and recycled back into a new plank or tile, maximising resource efficiency of the manufacturing process.’
www.karndean.com
