An ‘urgent renovation’ of one of the busiest corridors in the King Edward Building at the Bristol Royal Infirmary has seen the specification of combination of Gerflor’s ‘highly specialised’ Mipolam Affinity flooring, alongside Gradus’ SureProtect Endure wall cladding system .
Founded by public subscription in 1735, and thus one of the UK’s oldest infirmaries, the Bristol Royal Infirmary is a large teaching hospital in the centre of Bristol, with links to the University of Bristol and the Faculty of Health and Social Care at the University of the West of England, also in the city. It is one of nine hospitals operated by the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.
Hard-wearing interior finishes are key in such environments given the 24-hour-a-day movement of items like beds, trolleys, wheelchairs, and heavy medical equipment, making the specification of robust flooring and wall protection that can withstand such rigours key. Gerflor says its Mipolam Affinity collection ‘exceeded the Trust’s expectations’ in terms of durability and ‘easy, low-cost maintenance’. The pressed and calendered homogeneous vinyl floorcovering was chosen due to its ‘100% pure PVC construction’. The supplier says the benefits of its single-layer of PVC include ‘a remarkably high abrasion resistance, a light, more flexible, and less brittle, finish, suitability for hot welding, and ability to create seamless finishes.
Gerflor added: “The Mipolam Affinity range also features a revolutionary surface treatment called Evercare, which delivers unrivalled chemical and stain resistance.
The ‘refurb’ also saw the Gradus Wall Protection system – comprising SureProtect Endure wall cladding and PVC-u SHR40P handrails, alongside high impact corner guards, selected.
Gerflor key account manager, Healthcare and Flooring, Chris Pursey, said: “The Estates team at UHBW, and its contractor, Sisk, approached Gerflor for a complete flooring and wall protection specification for this very busy service corridor. The existing wall and floor finishes were extremely worn and damaged, and they wanted to quickly and efficiently improve the space’s appearance by introducing some lighter colours. Specifying Gerflor’s Mipolam Affinity from the 50 available colours, and the Gradus wall protection system, was the ideal fast-track choice.”
The Trust had used Gerflor flooring and Gradus wall protection on previous projects, and was keen to work with a single business that could provide ‘a complete and holistic’ flooring and wall protection specification. The corridor has varying floor levels with ramps, so handrails were specified, alongside wall protection sheets for additional safety. Mipolam Affinity flooring was chosen in two colours, with a darker grey used as a border to assist with wayfinding.
Ian Cartwright, Gradus Specification Area Sales manager – Wall Protection, said: “When we first visited this corridor, there was excessive damage to the walls, caused mainly by trolleys and wheelchairs. The site team had been making good the walls for a number of years, but long term this could not be sustained. As a combined business, Gerflor and Gradus were offered the opportunity to improve and renovate the healthcare corridor for both the flooring and walls, to propose some innovations that would deliver the required protection, and ensure that any recommendations would also offer tangible cost savings for the client. By doing both together, Gerflor and Gradus were able to offer a complete and holistic surface protection solution that was not only aesthetically pleasing, but also delivered the required technical performance. This included specifying the colour contrasts that would meet all the Approved Document M regulations for Light Reflectance Values. It was decided to match the SureProtect Endure wall cladding to the main colour of the walls, and then use a contrasting colour for both the handrails and corner guards to meet the required guidelines.”
