BUILDINGS, MAINTENANCE & REFURBISHMENT


Do you know if the wood-based products in your school are sustainable?


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hen you are walking on a wooden floor in your school, using wooden furniture or wood-derived cardboard packaging or photocopier paper, have you ever considered where the timber has come from and if it is sustainable?


Those of us in the hardwood floor industry are asked to provide evidence on a daily basis that the timber we use is sustainable. This will often be in connection with school building and refurbishments under the DfE schools rebuilding programme.


Comment by RICHARD AYLEN Technical Manager, Junckers Ltd


So how do you know if the wood is sustainable? Almost every company will claim to be “sustainable” or “carbon neutral” but there are many ways of interpreting this. The surest answer lies in independent certification to a generally recognised standard. For timber, probably the best known globally recognised schemes are FSC; the Forest Stewardship Council, and PEFC; the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification. Both schemes are quite similar in that they both assess and certify forest owners, manufacturers and distributors and have a stringent code of practice which includes periodic audits of accredited companies. You will see FSC logos on cardboard boxes, photocopier paper and a vast array of timber furniture and construction products. Don’t just assume that because the company is a household name and high profile that they will be the most sustainable. Some are very good. Ikea for example uses FSC certified timber and


renewable energy. By contrast one UK-based furniture retailer who advertises on TV claims to use sustainable timber but makes no mention of any independent certification for the oak they use. The message here is to look for proof from an independent third party. You need to exercise caution when considering “engineered”, multi layered wood floors as numerous manufacturers claim to use FSC or PEFC certified timber but look closely and you may find that the accreditation relates to only one or two of the various layers used to construct their floorboards.


By not choosing sustainable timber you risk supporting illegal logging, deforestation, reduction of biodiversity and negatively affecting local water and air quality.


Using sustainably sourced wood products is one of the best environmental choices we can make because timber is a carbon neutral material. Well managed forests help to reduce global warming because when trees are growing, they collect carbon from the atmosphere. At the end of the product’s life timber decomposes or is burnt for fuel, at which point the same carbon is released back into the atmosphere, so the effect upon global warming is neutral. The reason we are reducing reliance upon crude oil-based products such as plastics is because this releases carbon that would otherwise have remained trapped underground. By extracting and releasing these materials we are adding to the earth’s “carbon load” and increasing global warming.


Collegiate School (Bristol), ‘Bowled Over’ with new Taraflex® sports hall refurbishment


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hen Collegiate School in Bristol wanted to refurbish their main sports hall, together with revamping the stairs, showers and changing rooms they would specify a mix of high-quality flooring from international flooring specialist Gerflor.


The specification would include Gerflor’s Olympic pedigree Taraflex® Performance vinyl sports flooring and their world class Tarasafe Ultra and Tarasafe Ultra H20 safety flooring.


Simon Crossman Director of Facilities, Collegiate said, “We wanted a bright multi- sport surface and a surface which could cope with ad-hoc school activities such as assemblies, prizegiving’s and summer/ leavers balls. Therefore, the floor had to


be resilient, take the point loading of a high heel or a chair and not dent or deform in any way which could affect the playing surface. Another requirement was to have an indoor cricket area which didn’t involve laying additional mats. The Taraflex® indoor sports solution delivers this specification in spades.”


The installation of the Gerflor products would be the responsibility of Bristol-based Knighton Contracts. Lee Knighton, Director commented, “We had absolutely no problems laying down the Gerflor Taraflex® and


34 www.education-today.co.uk April 2023


Tarasafe products and everybody seemed extremely delighted with the final finish of the new flooring installed.”


Chris Pursey, Gerflor Area Sales Manager, Southwest & Channel Islands commented, “The client is incredibly happy with the final finish and performance of their new Taraflex® sports floor, particularly as the hall is used regularly for indoor cricket. It’s been a rewarding project to be involved in, as we were able to supply the total flooring solutions they were seeking.”


uwww.gerflor.co.uk


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