FLOORING IN HEALTHCARE Photo credit: Martin Jeep


A POWERFUL CONCEPT


To what extent can the colour of flooring impact our wellbeing? We spoke to Dr Axel Buether, a leading colour expert and pioneer of modern evidence-based colour psychology, who has worked in collaboration with Bona to develop a new colour collection.


TOMORROW’S CONTRACT FLOORS: TELL US ABOUT YOUR ROLE AS A WORLD LEADING COLOUR EXPERT


Dr Axel Buether: My career began with training as a stonemason and working as a restorer and freelance stone sculptor. Subsequently, this led to studying architecture in London and Berlin. After setting up a successful design agency, I achieved a doctorate in perception psychology and environmental design, and accepted a professorship in Color Light Space at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Germany.


Today, I head up the Institute for Colour Psychology at the University of Wuppertal, and my research projects focus on the effects of colour on the human brain and how colour impacts experience, behaviour, wellbeing and health in various living and working environments.


Unlike conventional studies, which are confined to laboratories, my research is grounded in empirical data drawn from real-life contexts, with studies taking place across multiple sectors including healthcare, education, and other industries.


TCF: HOW IS YOUR COLLABORATION WITH BONA RELEVANT TO CONTRACTORS?


DAB: My collaboration with Bona is around the development of an exciting new range in the flooring industry; the Bona Resilient Colour Collection.


It provides contractors with an opportunity to transform interior environments into tranquil sanctuaries which in turn contributes to increased trust and confidence of the workforce, while also improving staff focus and the experience of people using the facility.


The collection is very well suited to the healthcare sector and is for use as part of Bona’s resilient floor renewal solution – an option which contractors will be familiar with and is utilised extensively in the healthcare sector, and other sectors, to save organisations thousands of pounds. Rather than removing an old resilient surface, such as linoleum, PVC or rubber, resilient renewal enables flooring professionals to transform old flooring in situ into a brand-new looking surface but without the high cost of


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a brand-new installation. It is also a much more environmentally sustainable option which contractors can complete far quicker than a new installation.


TCF: WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF FLOORING COLOUR?


DAB: The design element of a flooring project is important and can transform an entire space, yet the psychology of flooring colour goes beyond the aesthetics, it has a powerful impact.


In any setting, the effects of the choice of flooring colour is immense. By incorporating natural elements into interior spaces, starting with the floor colour, there is a profound psychological impact on people’s emotions and wellbeing. There are several key benefits that contractors can relay to their healthcare clients which will also be relevant to other sectors too – colour can profoundly enhance wellbeing and improve physical health; increase trust and confidence; and improve staff focus and experience.


There are some compelling statistics in my 2020 report entitled Colour as a Design Tool: The Design of the Effects of Light and Surface Colours in Relation to the Experience and Behaviour of People in the Built Space. For example, a positive atmosphere can improve the wellbeing of building occupants, visitors and staff by up to 100%.


Furthermore, a colour concept that takes into consideration daylight conditions, structural context, and usability criteria, improves workplace identification by more than 50% and reduces sick leave by around 30%; while the rating of the working environment among staff improves by 40%. Given the current challenges around recruitment and retention, particularly in the public sector, the colour of the flooring has a far greater impact than many would initially think.


The balance of colours is crucial for maintaining a professional yet comforting atmosphere, without evoking a sense of coldness, and by using earth tone colours on flooring such as a grey-green, or grey-blue range, it projects seriousness and credibility which is particularly important for trust.


By helping clients select the right floor colours to create functional spaces with pleasant room colours and light temperature – which


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