A SCHOOLING IN COL Amtico’s Signature collection has provided a vibrant and durable floor, wh
The School of Design at the University of Leeds has one philosophy: To unite creativity, technology, innovation and enterprise in order to realise ideas that have impact and exert influence. It describes itself as “dynamic with a mindset to embrace and benchmark new concepts, visions, technologies for their quality, context and relevancy.”
So, when the School set about refurbishing its Clothworkers’ South Building, it chose the Amtico Signature collection, with the vibrant colours and laying patterns proving the ideal way to refresh the property’s entrance and stairwell.
The flooring had not been updated in over 60 years and was starting to crack and show its age, so architects Farrell & Clark were brought in and tasked with a refurbishment. The brief was to revitalise visitor circulation in the area, improve disabled access and also signal to people that they were entering a vibrant space of creativity.
It was felt the original layout at the School of Design was confusing to people unfamiliar with the building trying to navigate their way around, so colour-coded floor levels were introduced over each of the four storeys. The versatility of the Amtico Signature Collection, with its vivid hues and distinctive abstract designs, was of immediate appeal.
In total, the project utilised eight different products from the Signature collection. The bold and striking colours of Marrakech, Seville, Napoli, Dublin and Paris helped define the levels, with each stair riser given the tone of the approaching floor level, for example fuchsia-hued Marrakech transitioning to orange Sevilla. The landings and half landings were cleverly blended by integrating the smoky-effect of Umbra Eclipse, the luxuriously dark Back to Black Vamp and the simple, clean and sophisticated White Wash Wood.
Signature is Amtico’s flagship collection of 163 products: 69 Woods, 43 Stones and 51 Abstracts, which sophisticatedly combine original palettes, distinctive patterns and stunning details. The design-led, high performance luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) have a total thickness of 2.5mm with a 1mm wear layer, ensuring they can be relied on in the toughest environments. As the stairwells and landings of the Clothworkers’ South Building were high-traffic areas, the extremely high durability of the Amtico product was a significant factor and made it a logical choice for the project.
The laying pattern used on each of the landings was Pleat, which is beautiful in its simplicity. Elevated by its perfectly precise angles and neatly balanced design, Pleat offered the opportunity to create something unusual and enabled the designers of the Clothworkers project to get truly creative. Four different colours were incorporated in a dynamic composition, as the tones segued from the previous level to the colour of the approaching one. The result is an exceptional example of the advanced cutting capabilities that enable a perfect fit and set Amtico’s laying patterns apart.
Commenting on the project, Ian Whalley from Farrell & Clark Architects, said: “The stairwell was dark and bland, and the
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client wanted to introduce visitors to the School of Design, by demonstrating its creativity as soon as they came through the entrance. The multiple colours and laying patterns of the Signature collection, as well as the fact that the wear layer is greater than in other products on the market, all led to Amtico being chosen.
“In the event, not only was it simple to install, it was also easy to minimise waste. We have used Amtico on major projects many times before, and will most definitely specify the Signature collection again.”
Amtico Signature also benefits from a host of other commercial advantages, thanks to the collection being designed, innovated and manufactured in Britain. This allows Amtico to provide excellent levels of customer service, with dedicated teams looking after a project from start to finish. Also, with sustainability vital to specification, Amtico Signature is a low-level environmental product, achieving the top A+ BREEAM rating alongside a sustainable supply chain.
www.amtico.com
www.tomorrowscontractfloors.co.uk
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