Forbo Flooring Systems has played a vital role in bringing the outside in during the design of a new extra-care housing scheme, for Southampton City Council thanks to its range of colourful and practical floor covering solutions available. The result is a design that ensures that the residents have a bright, healthy and hygienic environment to live in and subsequently, the project won a Commended award in the Fly Forbo 16/17 competition.
Design Consultant Alex Salway, from Daring Design UK Ltd, designed the interior of Erskine Court for Southampton City Council; a ‘housing with care’ facility designed for the over 55s and one of the first of its kind in Southern England. Residents have access to care 24/7 if they need it, while also maintaining their independence and having space in which to socialise and be part of a community.
Alex said: “The theme of the building was to bring the outside in, something Forbo’s product range allowed me to do with their impressive range of colours. Due to my research into creating a positive environment for the elderly, I opted for Forbo’s Flotex Metro collection for this project as not only was the colour range vast, but it’s also Allergy UK approved, which is ideal for an environment where a healthy indoor environment is of upmost importance for resident’s well-being.”
Spanning across three floors, the Flotex Metro was used in a variety of colours to easily distinguish each floor for the residents, and to help them identify their own floor and apartment; it was installed in the break out areas of each floor and in each lift and stair landing area. With its green tones, the Citrus colourway was used on the ground floor to represent leafy grass; Tangerine, a shade of orange, was used on the first floor to represent earth; and the blue shade Petrol was used to represent the sky, to help residents recognise that they were on the top floor.
Forbo’s Committed to the Health of One campaign underpins our aim to contribute to creating better indoor environments by committing to the health and well-being of all individuals living and working in indoor spaces. Flotex achieves this through excellent hygiene and sound absorbing qualities, the certification by Allergy UK for the positive effects it has on allergy sufferers and a wide range of stimulating designs and sympathetic colours, which can create inspiring interiors.
| Location | Southampton, UK |
| Interior Design | Daring Design UK |
