Flooring
The Equinox and Economix Collection are manufactured with an impervious membrane, which means that any liquid spills stay on the surface of the carpet until they are cleaned, and will not seep through and contaminate the sub-floor, which can cause bacterial growth and odours
soiling and stains, while still being easy to clean and maintain. danfloor’s Equinox Collection and Economix range also come with an antimicrobial yarn treatment, mædical i-Link, which guarantees optimum active freshness and active hygiene for textiles, even after intensive use and frequent washings. mædical i-Link technology is based on the fixation of a non- migrating permanent coating on the carpet fibres. The coating is specially designed to deactivate microorganisms, and offers a 4 log reduction in the presence of harmful organisms, including the bacteria that cause MRSA. In addition, our Equinox and Economix Collection are manufactured with an impervious membrane, which means that any liquid spills stay on the surface of the carpet until they are cleaned, and will not seep through and contaminate the sub-floor, which can cause bacterial growth and odours.
INDOOR AIR QUALITY
When it comes to flooring in the healthcare sector, it is not just infection control that should be considered, but equally indoor air quality, especially if you have patients living with breathing difficulties such as asthma. Throughout the last 10 years there have been numerous studies into the use of carpet versus hard floor surfaces and what effect these two flooring solutions have on air quality. Fine dust can present a significant health hazard, especially for allergy sufferers, as particles may cause irritation when they are breathed in and enter the respiratory tract. The studies conclude that carpet can improve indoor air quality by capturing the allergens in its fibres, therefore preventing them from circulating back into the air. The allergens should then be removed through regular
vacuuming.7 There are other studies which suggest that walking on hard surfaces disturbs more particles, causing them to become airborne into the breathing zone. In comparison, on carpet more of these particles remain in the carpet fibres, resulting in less dust in the breathing zone.8
ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE The BRE Environmental Assessment Method is the leading and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings. It sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design, and has become the de facto measure used to describe a building’s environmental performance. There is increasing responsibility on the health sector to address sustainability in the procurement and management of its estate. Environmental requirements and targets, including BREEAM Healthcare, and the aspiration of zero carbon public buildings by 2018, make sustainability a key priority in the design and operation of healthcare facilities.
As of 1 July 2008, all health authorities in the UK (the Department of Health, NHS Wales, Health Facilities Scotland, and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland) require that new healthcare buildings seeking Outline Business Case (OBC) approval commit to achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating, and that all refurbishments commit to achieving a ‘Very good’. In Scotland, project- specific requirements in relation to the BREEAM assessment are dealt with by Health Facilities Scotland as part of the NHS Scotland Design Assessment Process. There are many reasons why organisations wish to achieve the required BREEAM rating, including:
l BREEAM addresses a wide range of environmental and sustainable issues to enable designers, developers, and building managers, to demonstrate their environmental credentials to clients, planners, and other parties.
l It provides market recognition for low environmental impact buildings, demonstrating an organisation’s commitment to sustainable building practices, and its interest in its community, staff, patients, and the general public.
l BREEAM has a positive influence on the design, construction, and management, of buildings, demonstrating a good management approach, with efficiency and effectiveness at its heart.
l The BREEAM rating provides a transparent reflection on the performance of the building to denote those buildings that have performed better than the regulatory baseline.
l BREEAM is a tool to help reduce running costs and improve working and living environments.
ADDITIONAL BREEAM CREDITS For example, Under HEA 05, ‘Acoustic Performance’, which aims to ensure that a building’s acoustic performance, including its sound insulation, meets the appropriate standards for its purpose, an additional four credits can be awarded under the category of ‘Multi-residential and other residential buildings (for individual bedrooms and self-contained dwellings)’. If impact sound insulation values exceed British Standards by 3 dB one credit is applied, by 5 dB three credits, and by 8 dB four credits. Therefore, to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating it’s good to have acoustically sound rooms.
SPECIFIC STANDARDS At danfloor we ensure that all our carpets meet specific industry standards. The certification we receive, including BRE and ISO accreditation, provides clients with the peace of mind that our products, manufacturing processes, and management, have undergone rigorous testing and assessment to achieve the highest standards and environmental credentials possible.
Our Equinox collection and Economix range come with full BRE Certification, offering Green Guide Ratings ranging from A to A+ depending upon the application. Before selecting a flooring solution it’s important to consider many factors, but you should always use a product which has been tried and tested for many years within the healthcare sector. There are always alternatives available, but they may be aimed at the residential market, and will thus not be suitable for the demands of the care environment. It is also important to check the carpet specification to ensure that you are getting the best possible product and protecting your investment.
MAKING A COMPARISON
danfloor’s Economix broadloom carpet range features on stairways, and in corridors and meeting rooms, at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s Bedale Centre in Bognor Regis. Interior designer, Ginni Bilham, drew her inspiration from the seaside beach huts and architecture of the local seafront.
A good way of comparing otherwise ‘identical’ carpets is by looking at their total pile weight, which includes not only the weight of the yarn, but also the backing. As a general rule, and in
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