A Sustainable Workplace

THE CHALLENGE

 

It goes without saying that sustainability is rapidly becoming a common priority for clients and architects alike.

For this client however, strong sustainability principles have always been at the heart of their corporate ethos. So when a 1,500m2 area within its prestigious London office was due to be refurbished, the whole process needed to be as sustainable as possible, including the flooring.

An intricate dual-colour design incorporating a series of curved lines and roundabouts to demarcate walkways from working areas had been specified by the architect using ShawContract® TaskWorx®  carpet tiles.  Manufactured in the UK and Cradle to Cradle Certified™, the carpet tiles were to be installed onto the existing raised metal access floor.

Due to the critical working environment, disruption during installation needed to be minimal and contamination from adhesives, tackifiers and dust eliminated completely.

With circular materials in mind, the client also wanted to avoid the carpet tile being forced into landfill at the end of its working life due to adhesive contamination. 

An adhesive-free flooring solution was therefore specified by both the architect and client.

“This project proved to be a very good test for IOBAC MagTabs, as it was not just a standard straight lay design.  The MagTabs stood up to the mark well, and performed as well as or better than other installation methods I’ve worked with.  I’d be more than happy to use it again on other projects.”

Daine Walker, Flooring Supervisor for Loughton Contracts

THE SOLUTION

 

Leading flooring contractors Loughton Contracts working with major office fit-out specialist Overbury turned to IOBAC MagTabs as an adhesive-free solution.

These clever little squares, magnetic on one side and adhesive on the other, were used to securely hold the carpet tiles to the metal floor.

“This wasn’t a straight forward job and tackifier, our most widely used installation method, just wasn’t an option due to specifier concerns over its odour and sustainability credentials.  So we had to look at alternative installation solutions that still enabled easy access to the raised floor and services beneath,” explained Daine Walker, Flooring Supervisor for Loughton Contracts.

With over 10 years’ flooring experience, Daine had had previous experience of dry-adhesive tab attachment systems, but not of innovation award-winning MagTabs, so was keen to understand how MagTabs would perform in this technically demanding test.

 

 

 

 

 

THE BENEFITS

Ease of installation

Daine and his team were quickly able to complete this complex installation by peeling the Magtabs easily from the silicone release liner and positioning them at the corners of the carpet tiles and onto the metal access floor.   Only minimal preparation of the sub-floor was needed before installation could begin, and the finished floor could be trafficked immediately, minimising project time and disruption.

This speedy installation method was noted as being a comparable speed to the traditional tackifier method.

Daine commented, “We also found the MagTabs to be far better versus previous tab attachment systems as they didn’t ruck up when we needed to reposition tiles.  We could simply slide them in and out.  That, plus the fact that they were easier to remove from the liner, saved us a lot of hassle on this particular design.”

 

Superior Hold

Feedback was that the MagTabs’ grip to both the back of the carpet tile and the access floor was excellent.   There was an instant grab between the materials, meaning no movement of the carpet tiles even when heavy pallets of furniture were wheeled across the floor.

Not only are tiles held together horizontally as per conventional floating floor solutions, but due to magnetic attraction, the IOBAC MagTabs also enable a strong grip in the vertical direction, ensuring tiles are secured well in place until the time comes to uplift them.

This dual hold gave the contractor, client and specifier peace of mind that the tiles will remain firmly fixed despite the heavy foot and vehicle traffic anticipated.

 

Clean Removal

IOBAC MagTabs enable the carpet tiles to be cleanly removed for repair, access or re-design with no adhesive residue contaminating either the tile or base. 

When the time comes for another re-fit, the carpet tiles will be able to be re-used elsewhere or safely recycled, eliminating the all too common issue of contaminated carpet waste having to go to landfill, and meaning that this organisation’s reputation for sustainability is not compromised.

The raised metal access floor will also be clean, ready to receive the next floor covering with minimal time and money required for preparation.

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