ALL THINGS BRIGH The brightest and boldest Altro products have been used to refurbish Haven H
Haven House Children’s Hospice, in Woodford Green, Essex, provides the highest level of respite and palliative care to families and young people from birth to 19 years old who have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.
In the hospice, children benefit from a range of play activities, as well as day and overnight stays. They also have access to music therapy, aquatic physiotherapy, physiotherapy and therapeutic yoga. In the grounds there is a specialist play area and tranquil sensory garden surrounded by many acres of beautiful woodland.
Haven House Family and Community Support Manager Judi Porter says: “For the children at Haven House, colours, shapes, textures, light and other sensory stimuli make a very positive impact, and are so important for overall wellbeing. Our aim is to give babies, children and young people the best possible life and we knew that by bringing more colour to Haven House we could significantly improve their quality of life.
“Above all, Haven House interiors need to be hardwearing and functional, because a lot of areas are clinical spaces. Altro was recommended to us by Great Ormond Street Hospital, as they have the most wonderful colourful Altro floors and walls.”
A visit to Altro’s offices at Letchworth proved to be inspiration for the design scheme at Haven House. Judi explains: “The moment we walked through the door there was an instant ‘wow’ factor. We were blown away by the incredible colour everywhere and the innovative and creative way they showcase their products.
“The most impressive part of the tour was Altro’s rainbow staircase, made out of different types of flooring, which is a stunning and beautiful thing. We were so uplifted and inspired by it that we knew we had to have something similar at Haven House.
“Altro helped us to see that we could use colour everywhere, in both a practical and aesthetic way, create a bright and beautiful interior and still fulfil our functional brief.
“We worked very closely with Altro to select the products that would help us achieve what we wanted. Many products are designed for clinical use, so we had huge flexibility with different shades, textures and finishes throughout the building. We actually have two rainbow staircases at Haven House, they really are our pride and joy, and you can’t walk up or down them without smiling!”
The Haven House rainbow staircase has been created from different colours of Altro Suprema and Altro Walkway 20 safety flooring.
“Our aim was to create colour zoning in specific spaces, and Altro products played a significant role in this,” adds Judi. “Walking through the corridors at Altro’s HQ we were struck by how the floors and walls flow together beautifully, and we wanted to achieve that effect.
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“Of course, we couldn’t use bright colour everywhere, because some of our children are sensitive to powerful shades, so we had to strike a good balance.
“We decided to focus on the five brand colours within our logo; orange, green, yellow, purple and blue, using matching shades of flooring and walling in key areas within the building to provide pockets of colour. It’s very effective and really pops!”
The entrance at Haven House has a green theme, provided by new Altro Orchestra smooth flooring in the shade Jungle, and Altro Whiterock Chameleon walling in Hawaiian Palm. Altro Orchestra has also been fitted in the shade Trumpet in the Family Room at Haven House, which transforms into a Sensory Room via a removable partition; and in the Activity Room in the shade Jungle. This ties in with the principles of biophilia – bringing the outside in and harnessing the healing powers of nature.
Continuing this theme, Altro Wood Safety flooring in Bleached Oak has been fitted throughout Haven House, in meeting rooms, cafe area, all corridors and bedrooms, creating a homely, non- clinical feel. On the entire first floor, the product has been fitted with Altro acoustic underlay to reduce sound levels.
“There is a real warmth about this wood-effect flooring, it looks lovely – something you would want in your own home
www.tomorrowscontractfloors.co.uk
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