SB 4152 Web

Interior Design & Fit Out
Enhance school interiors with Gradus
Last year, the UK government set aside £216 million to rebuild and refurbish existing schools in England to ensure they are fit for
purpose*. This provides a huge opportunity for contractors as the interior fit-out and refurbishment market for education grows.
Lynette Bowden, Group Product Manager for Gradus, looks at what contractors may want to consider during the specification
stage to help create a safe environment for students.
Interiors often get damaged in busy
schools, particularly throughout the winter
months. So, designing to help future-proof
a building should be a key consideration.
Contractors should assess the existing
damage to the building and look at where
most wear and tear occurs. They should then
specify solutions that can help to protect
these areas and prevent further damage.
Flooring first
When specifying for a refurb development in
schools, contractors should consider barrier
matting systems to help prevent dirt and
moisture from being tracked into and around a
building. Education facilities experience heavy
foot traffic on daily basis and installing an
effective entrance matting system can reduce
the amount of dirt and moisture tracked into a
building by up to 90 percent. This helps
minimise the risk of slip and fall accidents
caused by wet or soiled flooring. It also helps
to prolong the lifecycle of surrounding
floorcoverings and improve interior aesthetics.
What’s more, high performance secondary
barrier carpets, such as Gradus’ Boulevard
range, can also be used in areas at increased
risk of soiling and heavy wear, such as
corridors and staircases. This is a particularly
cost-effective way to reduce long-term
cleaning and maintenance costs.
When considering carpet, flooring contractors
should take note of the existing carpet
supplied, its location in the building, and its
current condition. This will help distinguish the
type of carpet needed to replace it. For
example, if the carpet is worn due to heavy
traffic, you will need to specify a durable,
heavy-duty solution. Whereas if you need to
create zones to separate areas such as staff
rooms, consider a patterned design. Gradus
Lafite Connect and Streetwise Design are
versatile carpet tiles that can be installed
randomly to create feature areas.
If carpet is in an area that is particularly worn,
especially at a transition point between two
floor finishes, floor trims can also be used to
form a neat, clean finish, protecting against
fraying carpet and reducing the risk of trip
hazards.
Finally, stair edgings can be used to improve
stair safety and protect against damage to
surrounding floorcoverings. Gradus developed
and patented its leading stair edging solution,
XT, which has been designed with an extended
insert that wraps around the front edge of the
step. This increases the contact surface at the
most important part of the step, and further
reduces the risk of slips.
It’s important to think about standards when
working for refurb projects and make sure you
are supplying fit-for-purpose products. When
deciding on stair edgings, a difference in Light
Reflectance Values (LRVs) of 30 points or more
between the stair edging and floor covering is
recommended, in line with guidelines set out
in BS 8300+A1:2010. This helps when it comes
to defining the edge of the stair and identifying
individual treads, providing safe and inclusive
access for all building users.
British building legislation is regularly updated
to ensure the industry is performing to the
highest standard. When entering a refurb
project, you should be aware of the initial
standards that were met during the first
installation and check if these have changed.
Don’t simply replace products like-for-like as
they may no longer be compliant. When
specifying floorcoverings, the key regulations
to meet include guidelines in Approved
Documents M (ADM) and K (ADK) of The
Building Regulations 2010, BS
8300:2009+A1:2010 and BS 9266:2013 in line
with the Equality Act 2010.
Surface protection
Wall protection can be specified to improve
appearances, increase the lifecycle of wall
coverings and reduce cleaning and
maintenance costs.
For existing school buildings, a retrospective fit
approach will conceal much of any existing
damage and prevent against any further
damage. It also creates a clean and easy to
maintain finish, which the school building and
its occupants will benefit from for many years
to come.
When a wall protection system isn’t in place,
heavy traffic areas, such as corridors and
canteens, quickly begin to show signs of
scuffing and wear, due to pupils knocking
against the walls with chairs and bags. This, in
turn, means the need for cleaning and
maintenance increases, and therefore so does
expenditure. Easy to fit products such as wall
cladding, corner guards and wall strips are
ideal for these type of locations as they can be
retro-fitted to conceal damage.
For further information and advice on any
Gradus products, please contact Gradus
Technical Support on 01625 428922 or visit
the website.
www.gradus.com
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