Tradition is a great thing. It gives us all a sense of who we are and where we came from. Keeping up decent customs and delivering longevity in terms of standards in most of our educational establishments is still seen as a key factor in their overall success. The crème de la crème seems to be able to weld the best of the past to our ever-increasing desire for modernity.
Overlooking the leafy London suburban delights of Hampstead Heath, Highgate School was established in 1565 by a Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth the First. Sir Roger Cholmeley, their Founder, was granted ‘Letters Patent’ to found ‘a grammar school…for good education and instruction’. It’s an educational success story that’s been rumbling over a myriad of well-worn desks and bustling, boisterous corridors to this day. When the Highgate School in North London wanted to carry out a major refurbishment they would turn to an Architect who would have their vested interests at heart, together with providing an eye for modern detail, whilst giving a nod towards the school’s venerable past.
Ed Toovey Architects provide high quality architectural design and Master Planning expertise focusing on independent schools. It’s a discipline at the very cornerstone of what they do. Ed Toovey commented, “we have carried out important Master Planning and/or building projects for a raft of schools across the country”. Ed Toovey goes on to add, “we’re hugely proud to have been involved with Highgate School, Chigwell School, Yehudi Menuhin School, Rugby School and Uppingham School to name just a few.
The brief would see a transformation of the schools’ main dining facilities using luxury vinyl in plank form to create a modern and uplifting environment for both dining and other diverse activities taking place in the hall; including music concerts and parents’ evenings. The refurbishment would also see some of the lobby areas given a ‘flooring facelift’. The project would be a perfect fit for international interiors and flooring specialists Gerflor. With over 70 years’ experience Gerflor specialise in education by offering solutions combining technical and stunning design characteristics for any room within the facility. The design of their products support studying in the best environment possible. Architect Ed Toovey would settle on 540m2 of Gerflor’s award-winning Creation 70 LVT to deliver the look and feel he was after.
Ed Toovey goes on to further comment, “I specified Creation 70 from Gerflor because of its fine appearance and its great acoustic qualities. The timber and plank effect gives a good grain to the floor and Gerflor have a very good selection of ranges to select from. The Gerflor products across all their ranges are hard-wearing, have a feeling of superb quality in thickness of product and are very easy and quick to install, especially with their unique Clic system”.
The Creation 70 range has been awarded the ‘Red Dot Award: Product Design 2016’ by a worldwide panel of 41 experts made up of architects, designers and journalists. With more than 17,000 entries each year The Red Dot Award is one of the best-respected design competitions in the world. The sophisticated Creation 70 range offers a brand-new palette of realistic wood and mineral finishes in tile and plank formats with beveled edges. In addition to this, the looselay Clic System’s unique vertical interlocking format allows this product to be laid quickly over most existing surfaces, with no need to close premises during refurbishments saving customers time and money. The Creation 70 range is also 100% recyclable, REACH compliant and is treated with PUR+ surface treatment, providing excellent cleaning characteristics and improved resistance to scratching.
Ed Toovey also added, “The timeframe on the installation for this project was very tight indeed. It was the most challenging part of the actual job. Being able to use a flooring system like Clic that was quick to install was a real benefit. I would certainly specify Gerflor products again. In fact, I have also used their sports flooring Taraflex for studios and gyms, and have specified this on another school project”.
Ed Toovey finally comments by saying, “the practice continues to research and promote new architectural ideas to face the challenge of educational and legislative developments”. So, it looks like the independent school sector might just be in a very safe pair of architectural hands indeed.
Learn more about Gerflor solutions, ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by calling 01926 622 600, emailing contractuk@gerflor.com, or visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations.