ESTABLISHED more than 40 years ago, BPP University Law School, London, UK delivers educational courses and qualifications for professional career development across a range of disciplines.

With study centres across some of the UK’s key business locations, BPP took the opportunity during the pandemic, when students were no longer onsite, to refurbish several of its buildings including its legal hub in Holborn, central London.

The design team at Form Workplace Solutions was appointed to undertake the refurbishment with a brief to introduce a modern feel to the facility with innovation and creativity at its heart. A core element in upgrading the interior for visual impact and functional performance was the installation of new floorcoverings throughout the building.

‘High quality, sustainable materials and finishes’ were required to meet the expectations of students in today’s tertiary education sector. With this in mind, a combination of Milliken’s LVT and modular carpet floorcovering products were specified for the project.

Says the company: ‘In the formal study areas, Milliken’s Rendition modular carpet design in the rich, charcoal tones of Diverse and lighter greys of Edge ground the space and reinforces BPP’s monochromatic brand identity.

‘Owing to Milliken’s advanced tufting technology, the Rendition pattern flows stylishly and effortlessly across the floor of the building’s quiet study zones. The product’s Comfort Lite cushion backing provides comfort underfoot and brings a sense of calm to the space. The high-performance backing works hard in managing the building’s acoustics by absorbing up to 28dB of impact noise from footsteps, and ambient noise from people’s voices.

‘By absorbing noise in these quiet study areas of the building, students can more easily focus and concentrate on their studies. Rendition is one of two designs in Milliken’s Unexpected Purpose design collection. These innovative designs are non-directional which makes installation much more flexible and convenient, minimising fitting time and product wastage. Manufactured in Solution Dyed 100% recycled Econyl Nylon, this sustainable design offers deep saturated colour and excellent soil hiding characteristics, important for a building that experiences significant footfall. The Comfort Lite cushion backing also provides additional wear performance.’

The company continued: ‘By contrast, the communal relaxation areas have a strong urban aesthetic – a space where students can switch off from their studies, relax and play. Its exposed ceiling ducting, vivid yellow walls and bold, multi-coloured chairs create a fun and vibrant ambience.
Installed in two different colours, Milliken’s Polished Concrete LVT provides the perfect raw, industrial look and is also a hard wearing, practical solution for this busy space.

‘The soft seating around the perimeter is zoned with Heritage Wood LVT for a contrasting natural look. Heritage Wood’s photo-realistic finish offers a beautiful real wood aesthetic combining with the functional performance of a Milliken LVT product. Specified in Pride, its lighter tones pick up on the wall graphics creating a coherence in design to these spaces. The natural wood look is carried through from the building entrance where, combined with the Unexpected Purpose modular carpet, it delivers a strong, high quality first impression to the university building.’

Adds the company: ‘As part of Milliken’s M/PACT Programme, its modular carpet and LVT products are all carbon neutral making BPP’s floorcovering installation truly sustainable. In additional to the carpet having 69% recycled content, its batch-less manufacturing process minimises waste on installation. The LVT products in this interior also meet the European requirements for Indoor Air Quality and qualify for credits for BREEAM and LEED IAQ.’
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