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25/07/2024
3 min read
Time for an office fit-out
Forbo’s brand new Office Fit-Out sample book offers designers a chance to understand the individual flooring requirements for each area. Forbo’s Donna Hannaway tells us more.
Feature in partnership with
Forbo Flooring Systems
19/08/2020
3 min read
From reducing impact sound, to improving air quality and creating hygienic environments, as well as being instrumental in the overall interior décor, floor coverings play a significant role within an office fit-out project. A holistic approach to commercial office design is key and by seeking guidance from resources such as Forbo’s brand new Office Fit-Out sample book, interior designers can develop a full understanding of the individual requirements for each area or room before specifying the floor covering.
Starting at the front door, a well-designed entrance flooring system is highly recommended in order to keep interior floors and offices looking clean and presentable for longer, and consequently, ensuring that the building remains safe and hygienic in all weather conditions. A trusted entrance flooring system, such as Coral, can reduce up to 95% of dirt and moisture being walked into a building and reduce cleaning time by up to 65%.
Moving into the interior spaces, in today’s modern office environment, the modular flooring trend continues to rise. This is because the use of a tackifier adhesive allows the tiles to be quickly adapted to new requirements or replaced easily if an accident occurs. Modular floor coverings are the perfect solution to create unique designs, as they allow you to quickly and easily mix, match, combine or contrast various shapes, sizes, colours and textures of tiles. They also make commercial sense as they reduce installation time and wastage, which in turn helps to save on overall costs.
In main workspace areas, carpet tiles can provide comfort underfoot, reduce impact sound and improve acoustics within a space. Most importantly, the warm and tactile feel of carpet can contribute greatly to creating relaxing, reflective and calming environments. For areas that require a more sophisticated look and feel, such as meeting rooms, high quality vinyl tiles, which are available in an array of realistic wood, stone and abstract designs, offer the ideal solution.
Forbo’s Allura Flex LVT for example, can be easily installed alongside Tessera carpet tiles, without the need for a transition strip or the need to build up the subfloor, as the products are a similar thickness. This allows the creation of beautifully integrated office flooring schemes, and the modular floor coverings can also be used over raised access panels, ensuring that electrical wires can still be accessed when required.
In the corridors and circulation spaces, areas that are subject to heavy footfall and wear from wheeled traffic, a floor covering that is durable and able to withstand this is essential. And in breakout spaces, the interior design should be designed to inspire creativity. Flocked floor coverings in sheet, tile and plank formats lend themselves to contemporary or classic environments, offering the appearance, comfort and acoustics of a textile flooring with the cleaning properties of a resilient.
Finally, in kitchens, tea points and bathrooms, where spillages are common, a safety floor covering is vital to protect occupants from potential slip hazards. By choosing a genuine HSE compliant safety floor, such as products from the Step safety vinyl collection, the number of accidents caused by slipping can be reduced significantly.
With the help of Forbo’s Office Fit-Out sample book, designers can discover its comprehensive portfolio of textile and resilient modular floor coverings that can be installed together at various price points.
What’s more, the most popular colourways within the Allura Flex collection are readily stocked in the UK to ensure a speedy turnaround for your project. As Allura Flex can be installed alongside any Tessera carpet tiles, if stock or quick delivery is a concern, then Tessera Layout & Outline carpet tile collections are available via Forbo’s five day guaranteed delivery scheme, Forbo Direct.
With modular flooring offering designers greater choice with less fuss, creating the modern office using integrated flooring schemes no longer has to be complicated – thanks to the development of flooring solutions that complement one another both in terms of installation and design. Forbo understands the needs and challenges of the office sector and can provide quality solutions, product, service and advice.
If you’re planning your next office project, please visit the Forbo website for more information www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/officebook
