WITH a people-centric approach to sustainability, a player in the UK’s vinyl flooring market, Karndean Designflooring says it’s building commercial interiors that have a reduced impact on the environment while also delivering style, durability and performance.

Working with RFD Interior Architecture, its latest project has created a biophilic design for Groupe Atlantic’s Expert Training Academy in East Yorkshire that’s said to combine sustainable performance with thermal and acoustic comfort.

Groupe Atlantic’s mission is to help society rise to the challenge of reducing energy consumption and increasing the use of renewable energy while still satisfying the demand for thermal comfort. Its new Expert Training Academy has been established to further these goals, training the heating and hot
water industry in the next generation of renewable energy sourced appliances. With the business’ clear focus on sustainable development, it was key the academy’s interior should also have minimal impact.

Project designer and principal contractor RFD Interior Architecture has reflected Groupe Atlantic’s ambition to create a greener built environment with a comfortable yet practical interior in a biophilic style that supports health and wellbeing, meeting its sustainability brief by focusing on decarbonisation and recycled materials.

A terrazzo design floor from Karndean Designflooring sits alongside a natural moss wall and FSC certified oak cladding with recycled plastic acoustic backing. The furniture and accessories were chosen for their eco-credentials, including ultra-low carbon furniture made with recycled
upholstery materials.

Jamie Shaw, head of ESG at Karndean Designflooring, said: ‘The Groupe Atlantic project amply demonstrates how our flooring can balance on-trend biophilic aesthetics with practicality and sustainability.

‘Like all our designs, our new Opus Abstracts capsule collection replicates the beauty of natural materials using cutting-edge technology to provide a hardwearing flooring that also improves indoor environmental quality and reduces a project’s impact over its entire lifecycle.

‘The durability of Karndean flooring is key to product longevity and in commercial environments this can result in carbon footprint being 85% lower than other flooring products. These sustainability credentials were a key decision point for RFD Interior Architecture when specifying for Groupe
Atlantic’s academy.’

Dalmata from Karndean’s Opus abstracts capsule collection has reportedly provided a floor that can stand up to the academy’s heavy footfall yet is easy maintenance. Featuring large black marble chips that stand out against a white background in a striking ‘dalmatian’ effect, the flooring is said to bring an ‘impactful neoclassical look’ to the lines of the interior. Introducing additional visual interest and comfort underfoot, breakout zones have been highlighted with thick pile rugs.

Alex Jenneson, design director at RFD Interior Architecture, explained: ‘From a design aesthetic, the newly launched Karndean terrazzo was a suitable product for our story. This design statement of monochrome maximalism stands out as a confident stone effect feature juxtaposed against the neat, uniform oak panels and earthy fabric colour tones. Natural materials, controllable low carbon
lighting, biophilic elements and the clean yet playful interior design speak volumes about how workplaces can look and operate in the market today.’

The Opus abstracts capsule collection presents what’s described as various bold contemporary designs and offers designers complete creative freedom of expression with endless options to create intriguing and impactful bespoke floors. Suitable for installation alongside other Opus wood plank and stone tile designs, these new abstract designs have reportedly expanded the boundaries
of design and opened new opportunities for personalised interiors.

Karndean products are manufactured in factories certified to the ISO 14001 Environmental Management and ISO 9001 Quality Management International Standards and meet LEED Credit 4.3 and CAL 01350 standards. Using production and operating processes that are increasingly energy efficient and making use of renewable energy sources, Karndean flooring is said to provide
a resilient, comfortable and attractive flooring that’s the suitable choice to meet the sustainability challenges of the future.
www.karndean.com