‘Combining contemporary aesthetics with exceptional performance’, an array of solutions from Forbo Flooring Systems’ portfolio have been installed throughout the Cancer Centre at Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH), delivered under ProCure22.
Designed by Ryder Architecture, the Centre ‘brings patient experience to the fore’, with the integrated flooring scheme ‘seamlessly guiding users through the building’. An extension of the main hospital, the Cancer Centre brings together all its cancer services –previously provided from three separate locations on the site – under one roof. Split over two floors, the £15 m facility combines a 24-bed inpatient ward, outpatient consultation rooms, procedure and specialist treatment rooms, a chemotherapy suite, and a wellbeing support service.
International design practice, Ryder, was brought in to design the interior. Associate, Toby Ingle, said: “We considered every aspect of the environment – from the design and use of the space, to the user’s journey, to make the centre as welcoming and accessible as possible for patients, while supporting their comfort and wellbeing. As the building is curved, the ground floor is essentially a circular loop split into three main zones: the main reception and wellbeing lounge, ‘Outpatients’, and chemotherapy. This layout enables patients to easily navigate their way through the building, from check-in through to treatment, and it was vital that the patient journey was seamless, and that through the flooring’s use, we achieve a smooth transition from one zone to the next.
“We opted for a timber effect in the circulation spaces to provide continuity. In the non-clinical areas – such as the lift lobby and main reception right up to the front door of Outpatients, and in the corridor upon exiting the chemotherapy suite – we chose Forbo’s Allura Flex Wood Luxury Vinyl Tile planks in White Autumn Oak, installed in a staggered pattern. Their playful use adds a sense of dimension, making it a much more friendly environment, as opposed to being cold and ‘institutional’. The planks are also easy to clean, and – thanks to their modular format – can be easily replaced.”
The building’s shape saw an early decision to fit the planks horizontally, rather than vertically. Toby Ingle explained: “This simplified finishing the planks against the corridor line, where we could install a skirting, rather than coving up the wall.”
As the user moves through into the circulation spaces of Outpatients and the chemotherapy zones – the more clinical areas – Allura Flex Wood transitions into Eternal Wood general purpose vinyl in the Elegant Oak colourway. The tones were deliberately matched to seamlessly connect the spaces, while the authentic shade also had to work with the timber joinery.
Eternal Colour was also used in the outpatient consultation rooms, chemotherapy suite, specialist treatment rooms, and the 24-bed inpatient ward and staff areas on the first floor. Toby Ingle said: “We have used Eternal on many projects, so were well aware of its performance capabilities. From a design perspective, the soft and subtle sparkle effect of the Colour range was perfect for brightening up the consultation rooms and breaking up the bays in the chemotherapy suite, without being overpowering. We used calming pastel shades, where the pared back patterning provided the ideal canvas for the furniture and equipment.”
Forbo says that due to the calendered backing and balanced construction, Eternal products ‘ensure the lowest possible residual indentation’, which is ideal for the Cancer Centre’s use of heavy equipment, furniture, and rolling loads. It added: “The high-tech PUR Pearl finish and PVC wear layer mean that staff at MKUH can be confident the flooring will maintain its as-new appearance – even after years of intensive use.
Toby Ingle concluded: “For all of the wetrooms and areas that might be prone to spillage, such as toilets, shower room en-suites, utility rooms, and the tea point, we specified Surestep Star safety vinyl for its guaranteed lifetime slip resistance. We took a holistic approach to the Cancer Centre’s design, and all of Forbo’s solutions have come together to help us to achieve a beautiful and practical integrated flooring scheme that seamlessly connects the spaces.”
