The classic elegance of Forbo Flooring System’s Tessera collection of carpet tiles has contributed to a sophisticated, modern interior at the new headquarters of Wood Mackenzie Research and Consulting in Edinburgh.
Tasked with relocating the energy, metal and mining specialist from a traditional period town house to a flagship new development in the heart of the city’s business district, designer Rodi McLean of BDG McColl was looking for stylish floorcoverings that could be laid creatively to add visual interest.
“Having been based in a largely cellular environment in the town house, a key part of the client’s brief was the planning of the large, open plan offices and marking out the various areas of activity,” said Rodi. “In terms of the flooring specification, I was looking for a good quality product, with an interesting but understated design that I could use to create feature areas.”
Rodi specified 2,300m2 of Tessera Helix tiles in the Carbon colourway as the main component of the flooring design. The use of high lustre Antron® ‘metallic’ yarn gives the Helix collection a slight reflective quality. Combined with a contemporary colour palette of greys, taupes, blues and beiges, inspired by modern architectural materials and with a subtle linear design, Helix delivers rich texture and visual appeal to large open floorspaces.
Installation of the flooring was subcontracted to Veitchi Scotland and Director Tommy Gaunt said: “We’ve had a long association with Forbo Flooring and we always enjoy working with their products. This was quite a complicated installation, with lots of laying out challenges and hand cut design work but it went really well and the finished effect is impressive.”
Adding another element to the flooring design, Rodi also specified 500m2 of Tessera Alignment in the Nucleus colourway and 64m2 of Tessera Alignment Highlights in the Catalyst colourway, which were laid in blocks of three along the main circulation routes of the office. At ‘junctions’ or areas where a separate zone needed to be marked out, blocks of nine tiles were used to delineate a change of direction.
Designed to complement the rich black Nucleus colourway, Alignment Highlights is a range of four perfectly co-ordinated carpet tiles, each featuring a daring accent colour. The Catalyst colourway features ripples of electric blue, which complement Wood Mackenzie’s corporate colours.
Finally, to complete the specification, 200m2 of Flotex Integrity tiles in the Granite colourway were installed in the ‘back of house’ facilities and deliveries area, which is subject to much heavier footfall and potential soiling. Combining the tactile warmth of textiles with the easy maintenance and cleaning properties of resilient coverings, Flotex tiles are made from a solid vinyl base layer and a densely packed surface of electrostatically flocked nylon fibres. The waterproof backing allows for cleaning right down to the base of each flock, offering the acoustic benefits of carpet but with the functional properties of a resilient floor.
Steve Hutton, Facilities Manager at Wood Mackenzie said: “We are really pleased with our new premises and the smart and quietly sophisticated flooring has certainly contributed to the overall effect. In fact, we are so happy with the results that we have installed the same products in another of our offices in Guildford, Surrey.”
Tasked with relocating the energy, metal and mining specialist from a traditional period town house to a flagship new development in the heart of the city’s business district, designer Rodi McLean of BDG McColl was looking for stylish floorcoverings that could be laid creatively to add visual interest.
“Having been based in a largely cellular environment in the town house, a key part of the client’s brief was the planning of the large, open plan offices and marking out the various areas of activity,” said Rodi. “In terms of the flooring specification, I was looking for a good quality product, with an interesting but understated design that I could use to create feature areas.”
Rodi specified 2,300m2 of Tessera Helix tiles in the Carbon colourway as the main component of the flooring design. The use of high lustre Antron® ‘metallic’ yarn gives the Helix collection a slight reflective quality. Combined with a contemporary colour palette of greys, taupes, blues and beiges, inspired by modern architectural materials and with a subtle linear design, Helix delivers rich texture and visual appeal to large open floorspaces.
Installation of the flooring was subcontracted to Veitchi Scotland and Director Tommy Gaunt said: “We’ve had a long association with Forbo Flooring and we always enjoy working with their products. This was quite a complicated installation, with lots of laying out challenges and hand cut design work but it went really well and the finished effect is impressive.”
Adding another element to the flooring design, Rodi also specified 500m2 of Tessera Alignment in the Nucleus colourway and 64m2 of Tessera Alignment Highlights in the Catalyst colourway, which were laid in blocks of three along the main circulation routes of the office. At ‘junctions’ or areas where a separate zone needed to be marked out, blocks of nine tiles were used to delineate a change of direction.
Designed to complement the rich black Nucleus colourway, Alignment Highlights is a range of four perfectly co-ordinated carpet tiles, each featuring a daring accent colour. The Catalyst colourway features ripples of electric blue, which complement Wood Mackenzie’s corporate colours.
Finally, to complete the specification, 200m2 of Flotex Integrity tiles in the Granite colourway were installed in the ‘back of house’ facilities and deliveries area, which is subject to much heavier footfall and potential soiling. Combining the tactile warmth of textiles with the easy maintenance and cleaning properties of resilient coverings, Flotex tiles are made from a solid vinyl base layer and a densely packed surface of electrostatically flocked nylon fibres. The waterproof backing allows for cleaning right down to the base of each flock, offering the acoustic benefits of carpet but with the functional properties of a resilient floor.
Steve Hutton, Facilities Manager at Wood Mackenzie said: “We are really pleased with our new premises and the smart and quietly sophisticated flooring has certainly contributed to the overall effect. In fact, we are so happy with the results that we have installed the same products in another of our offices in Guildford, Surrey.”
