UPHOLSTERY CHOICE
Tactile, colourful materials will play a crucial role
Benji Bagwell, lead Engineering manager at Ultrafabrics, explains how upholstery can be soft, colourful, and robust enough to stand up to rigorous new cleaning regimes. Emerging technologies based on biomimicry have, he explains in this article, led to the development of textiles that are hard-wearing and safe, yet retain the look and feel of fabric.
In the last decade, as the general public has become more design literate, interior design in the healthcare sector has moved away from a stark, institutional look to a hospitality aesthetic. Just as boutique hotels reflect character and comfort, and spas inspire calm and mindfulness, clinical areas have evolved from cold, white, functional rooms to become more welcoming spaces, softened by texture and colour.
Healthcare environments are refreshed on average every 20 to 25 years. Until recently, when specifying upholstery fabrics, interior designers specialised in this field have prioritised aesthetics, haptic perception (texture and weight),
durability (tear strength and tensile strength), and longevity (abrasion, ‘double rubs’, and colourfastness). For polyurethane, a popular material in healthcare environments, the Association of Contract Textiles (ACT) standardised longevity through hydrolysis testing to evaluate its resistance to delamination (cracking and flaking), which can result from a combination of body heat, sweat, and air-conditioning. A number of additional industry initiatives were introduced to regulate the quality of these fabrics. In order to shield patients, families, and staff from toxic chemicals that can play a role in rising chronic diseases, a Healthy Interiors Initiative was launched.
This initiative set a goal to make 30 percent of furniture and furnishings purchased free from PVC, PFC stain- resistant finishes, flame retardants, and formaldehyde.
However in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, hygiene and safety have moved to the top of the priority list for interior designers. Fortunately, leading textile manufacturers have invested heavily in research and development to produce materials that combine safety, longevity, and durability, without sacrificing the look and feel that patients and medical staff have come to expect.
A new cleaning regime According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the coronavirus can live on some surfaces for hours, and even days. In order to contain the spread of infection, all surfaces in a hospital environment need to be first cleaned, and then thoroughly disinfected and sanitised. Post-pandemic, cleanability has become front of mind for high-touch areas in hospitals. These range from furniture upholstery, seating, and examination tables, to privacy curtains and vertical surfaces such as acoustic panels. Cleaning and disinfection protocols have been increased dramatically to several times a day, and the cleaning products used will vary widely – ranging from disposable wipes to bleach-based, alcohol-based, quaternary- based, and hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectants.
At Happy Kids Dental, a children-only dental clinic in the heart of London’s West End, the designers opted for the Ultraleather Pro range, comprising antimicrobial fabrics with silver ion-based protection, engineered with EPA-registered technology to inhibit bacterial growth of bacteria. They specified an orange hue called Campfire for the Takara Belmont orthodontal chairs.
The complexity of these new cleaning regimes, and the time taken to complete them, has signalled the emergence of new disinfection technologies that are currently being tested. UVC lights – ultraviolet light in the 254-nanometer range – can be used to disinfect and prevent cell replication in microbes. Electrostatics is another new method, and involves tiny droplets of diluted disinfectant that are electrically charged, allowing them to stick more easily to all surfaces, and especially vertical ones. Fogging is another option which is
October 2020 Health Estate Journal 73
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