When a high-end development of a new residential student accommodation building in Gloucester city centre required over 3800m2 of high-quality flooring, they turned to Gerflor for a complete solution. The flooring would need to look remarkable, be highly durable and also provide the safety elements required for this iconic refurbishment. The world class flooring installed would include Gerflor’s Tarasafe Impression and Tarasafe Standard vinyl safety flooring, Taralay Impression Comfort heterogenous flooring, together with their stunning Creation 55 LVT and Gradus Boulevard 5000 high performance Secondary Barrier Matting Tiles.
Cityheart Living’s accommodation in Cityheart’s Blackfriars Residence is brand new and offers high specification and secure student accommodation to the University of Gloucestershire. The accommodation offers a great location between city centre, historic Blackfriars Priory and the ever-popular Gloucester Docks providing all the benefits of city centre living to those studying at rural Hartpury University and the University of Gloucestershire.
Cityheart Living strive to ensure their accommodation is safe and secure for all their students, as well as being a comfortable new home. They understand that this can often be their students first long term stay away from home and their onsite accommodation teams offer a warm welcome to help them settle in.
Midas Group, a multimillion-pound construction group with seven offices around the southwest and Wales, had been appointed by the developers Cityheart Living as main contractors but went into administration in 2022. With the start of the 2022/23 academic year in September, and students booked, the occupation date was already set.
Vitruvius who are a team of project and construction management consultants swiftly proposed a Construction Management approach to restart the project and were appointed to take over the project.
Set in the outskirts of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Vitruvius is a project and construction management consultancy which leads, manages, and delivers commercial construction projects. They work in partnership with clients looking to achieve business growth, supporting them from the very start of a project to ensure their property plans meet the future needs of their business.
The Vitruvius team are experts in creating and delivering the right built environment to enable businesses to grow, not just for the short term, but long into the future.
Andy Moore, Senior Project Manager from Vitruvius said, “This was the second phase of a student accommodation project, that was completed a few years ago. Phase two added 190 flats to the building scheme.”
On specification Andy Moore went on to say, “The Gerflor flooring and Gradus Barrier Matting products that were chosen for Phase two had to match those that we had installed in Phase one. The Architect’s specification and Trade Contractor proposals ultimately led the decisions. The Gerflor & Gradus products were specified for a variety of critical reasons, including their non-slip technical performance and for their longevity thanks to for their hard-wearing properties. The Client, Cityheart Living employed Vitruvius to complete the project in a Construction Management capacity. By retaining some key site team members and some of the key trade contractors, the project was able to get going again relatively quickly.”
Andy Gordon, Gerflor Specification Area Sales Manager, Northeast at the time commented,” Getting the acoustic element right on this project was crucial. Specifying Gerflor’s vinyl solutions and also the Gradus Barrier Matting products met this challenge extremely well and head on, when it came to the design floor scheme and the required performance of products for this prestigious project.”
The actual installation of the Gerflor flooring and Gradus Barrier Matting would need to be of the highest standards, as set by both the End User and the specifying Architects. The delivery of the outcome would be the responsibility of Bristol-based Gollop Contract Flooring.
Paul Watts, Contracts Manager of Gollop Contract Flooring Limited said, “The client is extremely pleased with the final result using the specified Gerflor and Gradus products. As usual, Gerflor’s vinyl flooring and Gradus Barrier Matting went down very well and was extremely easy to lay”.
John Hughes, Manager, at Cityheart Living Blackfriars Residence commented, “The final finish is really outstanding and both staff and students are enjoying the new aesthetics of the installed Gerflor and Gradus flooring”.
Paul Watts concluded, “We have specified Gerflor flooring & Gradus Barrier Matting product innovations many times before and would definitely choose them again, particularly now that many of their best sellers are stocked and are readily available in the UK for a fast turnaround.”
Andy Moore ended by commenting, “The building interiors look really good all round. The various Gerflor floorings, as well as Gradus Barrier Matting are performing extremely well. The flooring contractor, Gollops who did the actual installation, also did a brilliant job. Gerflor’s flooring collections and Gradus Barrier Matting products are credible and well-known in the marketplace for their high quality and competitive pricing and I have used them on many occasions”.
Andy Gordon finally commented, “The client is absolutely delighted with the final end result. It was an exceptional project to work on and I’m thrilled that the new Gerflor and Gradus products installed for this refurbishment are delivering both on looks and technical performance.”
John Hughes concluded,” We have absolutely no issues with our new Gerflor and Gradus flooring products and as it stands, I would definitely specify Gerflor and Gradus again.”
Gradus Overview
Gradus is part of the Gerflor Group, and is a UK manufacturer of contract interior solutions, this includes stair edgings, floor trims, barrier matting and wall protection. This array of interior finishing solutions and accessories, ensures that the Student Accommodation sector has a complete package for all project needs. The combined business of Gerflor and Gradus is backed up by a strong network of experienced specification, technical, customer and design support teams.
Technical range overview for the product categories installed on site.
1/ Tarasafe Impression and Tarasafe Standard Safety Vinyl Flooring
Where there is the risk of potential slip hazards, Gerflor delivers the ideal solution offering outstanding slip resistance which is key to the safety of premises staff and the visiting public with their world class safety collections.
Tarasafe Impression*
Tarasafe Impression from Gerflor is a safety sheet flooring suitable for medium to high traffic areas. For specifiers and designer, the range offers 20 references, and the collection is ideal for hardworking contract environments. Tarasafe Impression meets HSE guidelines and offers Safety in Numbers. It has an HSE 36+ pendulum test value, ≥ 20 μm surface roughness and a R11 wet slip resistance rating. It has a Group T wear rating, and it also offers a hygienic solution, thanks to a revolutionary UV cured Protecsol® control treatment for easy cleaning and maintenance.
* Tarasafe Impression Safety Flooring replaces Taralay Impression Control.
Tarasafe Standard
Tarasafe is a range of slip resistant sheet flooring that meets HSE guidelines. It is constructed from vinyl with deeply inlaid mineral crystal particles (patent pending) and coloured chips for a decorative design. Contains no Carborundum. Tarasafe Standard PUR is reinforced with a glass fibre grid and is suitable for use in all areas of heavy traffic where slip-resistance, durability and hygienic conditions are required.
It is also treated with an anti-bacterial and fungicidal treatment. This product comes with a 12-year warranty and is 100% recyclable, when the product is at the end of its’ life. The Tarasafe Standard range comes with the unique UV cured PUR surface treatment, therefore no polish for life and easier cleaning and maintenance.
2/ Taralay Impression Comfort Heterogeneous Vinyl Acoustic Flooring
The Taralay Impression Comfort collection from Gerflor comprises of a Very High Density (VHD) foam backing, reinforced with a glass fibre grid and a printed design that is protected by a transparent wear layer (0.65 mm thick) which offers 19 dB sound insulation and an indentation resistance of 0.08 mm.
The product is protected by a UV cured surface treatment Protecsol® 2 which is easy to maintain and permanently eliminates the need of an acrylic emulsion (metallisation). It does not contain any heavy metals or CMR 1&2 and it is 100% compliant with REACH. The product emission rate of volatile organic compounds is < 70 µg/m3 (TVOC after 28 days – ISO 16000 -6). It is also 100% recyclable. This flooring is suitable for medium to high traffic areas including hospitals, schools, commercial and public areas. For designers, the range offers 96+ SKU’s, selected references within the product range are also DSDC accredited for dementia applications.
3/ Creation 55 LVT
Dryback, Solid Clic, Rigid Acoustic and Looselay
The UK stocked Creation 55 Essential LVT Collection is available in Dryback and selected references are also available in Solid Clic, Rigid Acoustic and Looselay formats. The exclusive new Protecshield™ Treatment on the LVT collection is an invisible film that protects against micro-scratches and dirtying, without changing the matt appearance of the coating. In addition to protecting against external damage during day-to-day use, this new revolutionary surface treatment makes maintenance much easier and cost effective. The collections come with a o.55mm wear layer, are REACH/ compliant & Phthalate Free, there are no Formaldehyde emissions, they contain recycled content and can be also recycled at end of life. With the Creation 55 Essential Collection, clients can Mix and Match. Specifiers can combine, contrast, or mix up designs completely for a unique and customised floor scheme. The options are simply limitless providing a vast palette of incredible choices.
4/ Boulevard Entrance Matting
Gradus Boulevard 5000 is a tufted cut pile, high performance barrier matting manufactured from ECONYL® regenerated solution dyed nylon. It incorporates a light scraper for dirt removal and features a heathered design to disguise the effects of soiling. It also offers excellent moisture retention properties.
Boulevard 5000 is suitable for interior use in most contract environments including retail, education, healthcare, and commercial office. It is ideal for use in circulation areas such as foyers & receptions, lift lobbies, staircases, corridors and walkways, vending & canteen areas, and service points. Boulevard 5000 is available in 500 x 500mm bitumen backed tiles and 2m sheet with impervious pvc backing for easy installation. It is also easy to maintain, being resistant to bleach solutions. Gradus Carpets is a brand of the Gerflor Group, manufacturing premium quality carpet tiles and planks, broadloom, and impervious backed carpets. Using a range of high-performance yarns, Gradus’ extensive range of carpets are suitable for a wide variety of contract applications.
Learn more about Gerflor solutions, ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by calling 03332 412901, emailing contractuk@gerflor.com, or visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations.