A grateful father has ‘given back’ to Sheffield Children’s Hospital in appreciation of the excellent treatment given there to his son, as well as numerous other children, by facilitating the delivery of a fresh, bright, and colourful ED waiting area.
When Ryan Spencer, joint MD of RLX Construction, took his son to the hospital’s A&E for treatment, it set off a series of actions that resulted in the creation of what wall cladding and flooring specialist, Altro, describes as a ‘rejuvenated waiting area that has made a huge difference to families and staff alike’. Ryan Spencer, who previously worked for Henry Boot Construction, a Sheffield-based company with a background in healthcare projects, explained: “I took my son to A&E, and, as we waited, I thought that while this is a great facility that has served so many children, it is looking a little tired and outdated. I thus approached my employer with the idea of giving something back – using our contacts and experience, asking our sub-contractors to work with us at a reduced price for this project, and our manufacturers to donate products. I got great buy-in, and we were able to deliver a fresh, bright, and colourful waiting area at no cost to the hospital.”
The Altro Whiterock walls were installed by Richardson Claddings, while Fresco Flooring installed the Altro floors. Jamie Douglas, senior Capital Projects manager at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, was delighted with the outcome. He said: “We use Altro products across the hospital; this project used Altro Fortis Titanium wall protection, and Altro Whiterock Chameleon and Altro Whiterock Satins – we know these well and use them a lot.
“For flooring, we tried something new – Altro Cantata adhesive-free floors – recommended to us because the flooring is so quick to install, with little disruption. We hadn’t used adhesive-free flooring before, but it is very impressive, and we will certainly look to use Altro Cantata in other projects in the future.”
Ryan Spencer worked with Altro to propose suitable products to the hospital’s art team, who who viewed swatches and colour palettes to make the final selections. Dr Cath Rimmer, Paediatric Emergency Medicine consultant and ED team lead, said: “The whole place looks so much better. It’s clean, fresh, and bright – a far more pleasant environment to wait in for children and families attending the Emergency Department.”
Ryan Spencer was also delighted: “It was not just about looks; this project had to deliver performance too. We opted for Altro Cantata because it could be laid over the existing flooring in an area that is in use 24/7, 365 days a year. The Altro wall products are fantastic because they bring colour and interest, but with no compromise on hygiene, and easy cleanability Our thanks to Altro for their help with this project.”
Altro Cantata is described as ‘a tonal and modernist adhesive-free floor that creates maximum impact with minimum downtime’. Designed for ‘hard-working public areas’, it is a durable 2.4 mm floor that offers 14 dB impact noise reduction, ‘to quieten busy spaces, plus comfort under foot to help reduce fatigue’.
Altro Fortis Titanium ‘offers durable protection’ for walls, doors, and corners. Specifically designed to protect these surfaces, it is dense, impervious, and resistant to bumps, and features a lightly textured surface, which ‘camouflages scuffs, keeping the wall area looking better for longer’.
Altro Whiterock Satins is ‘a range of colourful, satin finish wall sheets with all the hygiene and durability of Altro Whiterock’, while Altro Whiterock Chameleon is a ‘glossy, vibrant, and vividly colourful hygienic wall cladding’, available in 16 high impact, high-design shades ‘to add a little bit of affordable luxury to a range of environments’. Offering all the benefits of Altro Whiterock, it is reportedly ‘very durable’, with a smooth, watertight, wipe-clean surface.
