Look down
Emily Black looks at recent projects in which the inspired use of flooring by designers has greatly enhanced the overall scheme
Project 1
LDF Display at The V&A Museum
Client: Amorim
Design: FAT Architecture
Space: 52.5 sq m
Art and design enthusiasts at the V&A museum during this autumn's London Design Festival may have walked over to experience FAT Architecture's display of Amorim's corkTECH flooring. Named The Progressive Extension of the Field of Individual Development and Experience, the natural cork display covered the length of the bridge over the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries -some 52 sq m - and formed part of the festival's theme Design is Everywhere.
FAT Architecture's co-founder and director Sean Griffiths was the lead architect on the project, and says that the cork itself was the main inspiration for the architect's creation. 'The flooring scheme is based on the material's actual cellular structure, which is very geometric, so there's this scale element at play. It's almost as if you are in the material yourself.'
Laid out in a series of tiles, the flooring adopts a trompe l'oeil effect, resembling the cellular structure of cork. The display details inspiration hints from Portugal - the home of Amorim - using the geometric vernacular architectural characteristics found in the country's wine region Douro, as well as paying homage to the V&A's historic past. Griffiths explains 'If you look at it from one angle the pattern looks like mountains. In keeping with the setting as well, is that it almost looks like fragments of a Roman floor mosaic that you would find in the museum.'
Due to the complexity of the pattern the project was a challenge for both the manufacturer and installers, and Griffiths says that the end result is 'a combination of design and craftsmanship.'
Amorim, one of the world's largest cork manufacturers, was invited by the London Design Festival to showcase its new corkTECH range of natural cork flooring. When first approached by FAT Architecture it caused some initial concern at Amorim. 'When Sean said he said he was looking at the structure of cork we were a little worried, as there are 800 million cells on average in a cork stopper. But it turned out very well,' said a company spokesperson.
Cork's natural waxy fibres mean that cork flooring is waterproof, mould and mildew proof, and with the added cushiony insulating properties of carpet. Cork is a highly sustainable flooring material, as cork trees are not cut down but just the bark collected. The tree itself will continue to grow, with life-spans averaging 200 years.
Griffith adds:'It's very sustainable, and the bark of a tree is harvested every nine years. These days it is used in everything from jet-engine linings to Birkenstocks.'
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Project 2
William Morris Gallery Discovery Lounge
Client: William Morris Gallery
Design: Pringle Richards Sharratt
Space: 16 sq m
The William Morris floor covering design used in this project is a recreation by Pringle Richards Sharratt architects of an original by the designer for use in his former home in north-east London, now the William Morris Gallery.
The building houses rare samples of Morris's only linoleum design, printed with marigolds set against a foliage-covered arched trellis, depicted in assorted gradients of green. Karsten Weiss, of Pringle Richard Sharrat, says: 'As the original design used a rather dark colour palette we agreed to reinterpret rather than copy.'
Pringle Richards Sharrat's interpretation of William Morris's only lino design. It is in the William Morris Gallery and won the 2012 Forbo design competition, Fly Forbo. See the news pages for details of this year's contest
Recreating Morris's design in a variation of sizes and colours, each new creation was made to scale and tested in the Discovery Lounge before being permanently installed. The design team enlarged Morris's design by four, fitting only seven marigolds across the width of the room, and making them bright red. The trellis and foliage remain green, but the saturation has been amplified so that it stands out against the new black background.
The reds and greens for the redesign were taken from Forbo's Marmoleum Real and Vivace ranges, chosen to make the flooring the main feature of the otherwise white-washed room.
Keeping with the original linoleum design, Forbo's Marmoleum was chosen because of its ability to be cut by aquajet technology, providing precise and intricate design.
Marmoleum was also used due to its Topshield2 coating, providing protection from the dirt brought into the gallery on the shoes of the 100,000 visitors it received in the first months of re-opening. -
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Project 3
1 Angel Square
Client: Co-operative Group
Design: 3D Reid and in-house designer Kathryn Mitchell
Space: 2,000 sq m
Teaming up with Bolon flooring, the Co-operative Group exceeded its target of achieving BREEAM Outstanding as its new Manchester office, 1 Angel Square, becomes one of the UK's most sustainable offices.
As both Bolon and the client share similar environmental goals (Bolon being another BREEAM Outstanding company) their collaboration seems a happy marriage. Carpet tiles were used in the building's work zones and Winter Gardens - a space reserved for employees to relax and interact in.
But in-house design manager at the Co-operative Group Kathryn Mitchell didn't choose Bolon flooring purely for its green reputation: 'We have these fantastic spaces in the building, called Winter Gardens, which sit adjacent to great working zones named Create, Collaborate, and Concentrate. We wanted them to be a little bit of a landmark. I thought the lovely textural finish of the Bolon floors was super.'
The textile flooring tiles were laid out in accordance with their zone: red Artisan Wax tiles were used in the Create zone; green Botanic Ivy for Collaborate, and blue Artisan Oil for Concentrate - each chosen to enhance the workability of the area. Artisan Coal, Wax and Oil, Botanic Ivy and Cilia square tiles were placed in sporadic patterns in the Winter Gardens. The random patterns and colour palette complements the design theme of bringing the outdoors in, with a largely glazed facade introducing light and airiness to the potted plant-filled space.
'I love the idea of being able to use carpet tiles. I think it's a modern, modular way of providing floor finishes. From an FM perspective it's important as well - if one tile fails or is particularly dirty, it can be swapped out,' says Mitchell.
The Co-operative Group, in business since the mid-19th century, began building 1 Angel Square aiming for BREEAM Outstanding, which it has achieved - rated 94.32 per cent, and making it one of the top rated offices in the UK. Bolon achieved its BREEAM Outstanding with its neutral effect on the environment: the materials have no hazardous substances and can largely be recycled, re-entering old materials back into the design process. What can't be recycled is sent to Bolon-approved energy recovery facilities. Together they have made 1 Angel Square one of the most sustainable buildings in Europe.
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Project 4
La Fabrique Des Lunettes
Client: La Fabrique Des Lunettes
Design: Marc Ifrah Architecture
Space: 120 sq m
In the midst of central Paris's medieval lanes sits Marc Ifrah's new design for La Fabrique des Lunettes. Its conspicuous outer shell, covered in crocodile-skin tiles, is but a taster of what lies inside.
Ifrah's intention for the optical retailer was to create a store with a similar layout to an apartment: a living room, kids' room and reception room - plus the added twist of a lab hidden behind a glass wall, where customers can watch their spectacles being made.
In addition to this welcoming environment, the architect wanted to bring Fifties' style into the contemporary world, with the design practice giving the store a mix of primary colours, geometric shapes, and bold, black outlines.
A houndstooth pattern was created in the store using individually laid Royal Mosa ceramic tiles in grey tones
The drawers of the custom-made display cabinets are reminiscent of De Stijl styling, with a variety of geometric squares in red, yellow and blue, Ifrah taking inspiration from De Stijl painter Piet Modrian. This is continued on to the walls, each painted one block colour with openings edged in black.
Ifrah turned to Royal Mosa for the flooring to create a scaled houndstooth pattern throughout the space. The tessellated duotone checks were meticulously created with 10cm x 10cm tiles in soft and dark grey from the Royal Mosa ceramic range.
Mixing the Dutch De Stijl style with Dutch manufacturers, Ifrah complements the geometric design of the display units and walls with the graphic design of the floor tiles, which - in some areas - continue on to the faces of counters.
Each floor tile was laid individually, enabling the architects to achieve the precise pattern. They are also easily cleaned, which is ideal for a retail space which atteacrsa large footfall.
Ifrah is currently using Mosa tiles to decorate the opening of another La Fabrique des Lunettes store in Marseille.
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Project 5
Kohn Pederson Fox Associates (KPF)
Client: KPG
Design: Desso
Space: 1,000 sq m
Following the World Health Organisation's 2005 report on particulate matter and respiratory problems, Kohn Pederson Fox Associates has brought Desso's Airmaster carpet tiles into its own office redesign.
WHO's report specifies the dangers of dust particles (particulate matter) to the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, stating that the smaller the particle, the more harmful it can be. Desso responded by creating the Airmaster carpet tile now featured in KPF's London office.
The unique structure of the loop-pile carpet effectively traps four times more particulate matter than the standard carpet, through its mix of thin and thicker yarns capturing both coarser and finer particles invisible to the naked eye.
At the independent German Test Institute (GUI), dust particles were inserted into simulation rooms with PVC flooring, standard carpeting and Airmaster carpet tiles. Airmaster was found to be eight times more effective at trapping and retaining harmful particles than PVC, earning it the GUI golden logo certificate - the first product to receive the award.
Concerned with the health of KPF staff, KPF principal Dominic Dunn said: 'Being able to install a carpet tile that delivers on design as well as capturing and retaining fine dust more effectively than any other flooring solution was a massive advantage.'
KPF used a tile in light grey with white linear striping to suit its new monochrome, industrial-styled offices.
Desso Airmaster is available in a range of 18 colours, with a choice of intermittent lines of colour or block colouring. Colours can be chosen in order to create unique patterns, with interchangeable combinations of coloured and patterned tiles individually laid.
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