Trends in Public Space Refurbishments
Refurbishments of public spaces can be major issues. They tend to be big budget, and facility managers have to look for cost effectiveness as well as good designs. This is particularly the case in flooring, where large areas have to be managed. Finding the right commercial floor covering is the answer to dealing with these often demanding situations.
Public areas- big spaces and design
One of the most difficult types of public space refurbishment is the typical situation with very large spaces to be redesigned and upgraded. The need is to achieve good long term value, as well as design values. The most effective way of approaching these issues is to use a visualisation system which can explore different flooring options.
Best practice using visualisation technology is to compare a series of design options against the public space setting to get a clear idea of the design factors. You can also compare pattern options, and get a clear idea of the overall space. The additional advantage of visualisation is that you can compare a range of design modes across a big range, allowing a wide range of choices.
Note: The great advantage of visualisation technology is that at the planning and recommendation stages it provides a clear picture of the design options. This both simplifies the description process and provides a clear audit and estimate track for the various choices.
The cost factors- Maintenance, product life and repairs
These public areas are also long term maintenance issues and often have significant budget costs. Durable flooring is a natural issue, because real cost is defined over the life of the product. Maintenance and repairs can add significantly to the cost over time.
Carpets for public spaces need to be easy to maintain. Repairs should be possible using in-house resources, rather than requiring full service for minor issues. This is a cost factor that can’t be ignored, because heavy usage and wear and tear naturally create the possibility of added costs in these areas.
Modular carpet flooring- An all round solution
Modular carpet tiles are the solution to all these issues in one package. This type of carpet is very heavy duty, designer carpet tiling with a huge range of design choices. These are the new generation sustainable carpets, which are based on a new manufacturing paradigm incorporating a full environmentally responsible product life cycle.
There are many major differences with modular carpeting:
Repair and maintenance are very easy, and tiles can be replaced in minutes if required. This drastically reduces real cost over time.
These carpet tiles have individual backing, making them much stronger than old style conventional carpeting.
Design options include a vast range of different styles, including pattern, plain, multiple colours, and variable mixes of design. (This is where you can really appreciate the visualisation process, and look properly at design possibilities.)
Modular carpeting approach has been a big success in universities, commercial flooring, hospitality, retail, health care and education, creating the public spaces of the future…