Quieter Classrooms With Optimise 70

For contractors tasked with classroom refurbishments, Optimise 70 could well be the perfect recommendation. Modern school classrooms are a tough place for any floor, but the IVC Commercial Optimise 70 range might well be the perfect solution. Affordable, tough, easy to maintain and with class-leading impact noise reduction, it upgrades any classroom floor in need of replacement.

Made in Europe by IVC, Optimise 70 is a heavy-duty (0.70mm wear layer) heterogeneous vinyl floor that delivers more than just outstanding wear characteristics. With a choice of 40 designs, including everything from wood plank and herringbone to terrazzo and bright colours, it can certainly create an inspiring classroom setting while supporting pupil concentration thanks to its 19dB of impact sound reduction. And with Sanitec anti-bacterial and Hyperguard+ protection, it’s a floor that’s hygienic and easy to maintain too.

Jake Parks, national sales manager, IVC Commercial, says, “Today’s classroom not only needs to deliver excellent long-term value, but must also support the needs of pupils. The importance of setting a high-quality learning environment is now well recognised and so schools are looking for floors that are not only exceptionally tough and easy to look after, but that can also inspire and support the next generation. Optimise 70 has all the characteristics needed and is widely available from distributors across the UK. It is the perfect go-to classroom floor for contractors refurbishing school environments.”

Highlights in the Optimise 70 range include the ‘endless’ wood design of Elias, chevron plank of Olympus and the terrazzo looks of Cevennes and Coronet. These are well suited to a more sophisticated look for secondary settings. Standard designs such as the wood plank of Camargue and Toronto, as well as the bright colours of Rochus are ideal for primary and junior learning environments, where they can be used to create zones. Optimise 70 is available in 2m width and comes with a 12 year commercial warranty.    www.ivc-commercial.com 

Schlüter Stars In Stunning Bathroom

Schlüter Systems offers more than 10,000 products designed for the long-lasting installation of tiles and natural stone. The portfolios include trims, waterproofing, underfloor heating and shower drainage systems.  Worldwide, the products and  systems have created the very best in bathroom design in both style and durability.

 One example is a renovation and extension project which included the refurbishment of the residence’s 4.8m x 2.7m master en-suite. Enlisting the services of Quell Bathrooms, the client set out the fundamentals of what he wanted – bath, shower and double basin with storage. He then gave free rein to Vincent Pope, Quell’s MD, to come up with a few ideas from which the final design was selected.  The resulting wetroom featured a number of different Schlüter-Systems products in order to ensure a sound finish for the client’s considerable investment.

An integrated linear drain wetroom kit, Schlüter-KERDI-LINE-WRKL, was used to provide guaranteed waterproofing and drainage for the bathroom; it comprised a waterproofing and sealing kit, shower boards, drainage channel and support with a tile support grate.

The waterproofing and sealing kit contained Schlüter-KERDI waterproofing membrane, plus Schlüter-KERDI-KEBA sealing band, Schlüter-KERDI-KERECK pre-formed corner pieces and Schlüter-KERDI-COLL sealing adhesive. The KERDI membrane from the kit was used to waterproof the back wall and around the shower wall. The rest of the room utilised Schlüter-KERDI-BOARD waterproof backerboard in 10mm thickness. All joints and junctions were sealed with the aforementioned set of sealing products. The 800mm linear drainage channel was installed in an intermediate location, sloped to from both sides using the Schlüter-KERDI-SHOWER-L and Schlüter-KERDI-SHOWER-LS pre-sloped shower boards. The drain was designed to be tiled to in-line with the rest of the floor - in this case with wood-effect tiles - resulting in a discreet solution.

‘Since we started using Schlüter’s wetroom kits three years’ ago, we’ve had none of the problems we would get previously”, says Vincent, “We wouldn’t deviate from Schlüter as the company offers a comprehensive and trustworthy solution to prepping a wetroom”. The timber floors of the project had already been insulated, so Vincent installed the original Schlüter-DITRA-HEAT-E electric underfloor heating system. “It’s great that you can use this system throughout the whole of a room, including the shower area. Often this isn’t an option,” adds Vincent who continues, “In refurbishment work, it’s always a struggle to keep floor build-ups low; with the Schlüter-DITRA-HEAT-E system, all build-up is contained within the height of the membrane so there are no unexpected surprises”.

Vincent used chrome-plated brass finishing profiles, Schlüter-QUADEC-MC, to provide finishing against the wood-effect wall tiles. He also used the matching Schlüter-QUADEC-MC/EV corner pieces to finish the corners of the one-metre high shower wall. “Schlüter trims give a great finish for tile edges and neatly cover the edge of tile. In addition, the corner pieces provide a good-looking finish that avoids sharp edges which is important as we were finishing a low wall that could be a source of injury if finished with mitring” concludes Vincent.

Schlüter-JOLLY-AC in a Matte Brilliant White (MBW) finish was used to finish edges in wall areas where 1000mm x 330mm ceramic tiles were installed, including around window reveals. Three quarters of the edges of Quell’s custom-built niches for the project were also edged with the MBW trims, with QUADEC-MC to the inside edge of each as part of a wood-effect feature shower wall. For further information, call 01530 813396 or visit https://www.schluter.co.uk

Global Fintech Company Chooses Style For Moveable Walls

UK financial technology company Wise recently moved into new global headquarters in London, expanding its footprint by 40% and providing workspace for more than 1,000 employees. Partitioning experts Style worked with HLW Architects and contractor, Overbury, to add flexibility to the office’s expansive meeting space. Enabling the area to be quickly reconfigured for groups of between 10 to 150 people, Style installed a combination of Dorma Hüppe Variflex solid and glass moveable walls, all featuring semi-automatic operation.

Providing privacy between the divided rooms, the moveable walls deliver exceptional acoustic performance - 59dB Rw for the solid walls and 52dB Rw for the glass. A market-leading solution, Variflex offers a range of design and operational options, making it suitable for almost any location.  Wise is an expanding fintech company focused on global money transfers, allowing people and businesses to hold up to 40 currencies, move money internationally and spend money abroad.

Large companies and banks use Wise technology too; an entirely new network for the world's money. The prestigious new headquarters deliver flexible office space combined with in-house well-being amenities, located in the heart of London’s Shoreditch tech district. Blending seamlessly with the contemporary interior design of the Wise offices, the Variflex glass frames feature a black finish and a customer-supplied veneer, whilst the solid walls are finished in blue fabric.

For added functionality, the cross-walls feature a white, writable surface that is excellent for brainstorming sessions and meeting notes.  Making it quick and easy for employees to configure meeting rooms to suit their needs, the moveable walls benefit from semi-automatic operation. As the individual panels are moved into position, the substantial acoustic seals automatically expand to deliver exactly the right pressure to maximise acoustic integrity. Pass doors provide convenient access between areas. 

“This is a really superb combination of moveable walls that provide a number of small meeting rooms when required, or the facility to quickly change the space for larger meetings, all the way up to a full auditorium,” said Michael Porter, Style’s group managing director. 

www.style-partitions.co.uk