In the next instalment of our 3-part series from our pre-recorded on-demand CPD “A Specifier’s Guide to Adhesive-free Flooring, we look at the enhanced design agility that adhesive-flooring provides.
Hard to shift, easy to lift
IOBAC’s patented Dual Grip technology, combining the properties of dry-tac adhesion with magnetic attraction, holds flooring tiles securely in place, under even the heaviest of footfall.
However, these same tiles can be quickly lifted and switched for new flooring whenever the need arises, whether that’s to replace damaged tiles or to re-design a space.
Swop and change floor finishes quickly and easily with an IOBAC adhesive-free magnetic floor – no additional preparation required.
Flexible flooring
Flooring can completely transform the look, feel and purpose of a space.
Adhesive-free installation upgrades flooring to an agile design element, much better equipped to flex with today’s spaces, from rental properties to flexible work environments to pop-up retail spaces.
No longer is it a permanent feature that once chosen, you are stuck with for many years.
Completely repurposing an area? Reconfiguring a workspace? Creating an immersive, experiential space? Refreshing the shopper experience? Or simply creating a great Instagram opportunity?
Floor space needs to work harder than ever today and the creativity that adhesive-free flooring enables is much needed.
IOBAC technology represents a new way to think about flooring.
Mix and Match Materials
Interior design elements such as flooring are crucial in branding and demarcating different areas, with different properties needed for different zones.
Selection of the right flooring for each area is crucial – flooring that works in an open plan office area might not be suitable for the refreshment area, for example.
With adhesive-free flooring, specifiers can create complex designs incorporating flooring types working seamlessly alongside each other. IOBAC adhesive-free flooring technology is compatible with an array of floor coverings, including ceramic, timber, Luxury Vinyl Tile and carpet tiles.
These examples, one from a residential garden building, and one from a major US supermarket, both show how important and effective it can be to use materials alongside each other.
Flexible Adhesive-free Flooring for Demarcation
Look Down!
The easy removability of the flooring means that messages printed onto individual tiles can be swopped in and out temporarily for promotions and events.
“We regularly welcome sponsors and partners to our headquarters and being able to change the floor surface with the theme of events was very attractive to us. IOBAC provides the flexibility to insert branded tiles as an additional welcome for our guests.” Force India
Unlike a sticker, the design is printed onto the surface of the Luxury Vinyl Tile, and becomes an integral part of it, protecting the message and brand image from surface damage and scratching.
There are lots of options to use the floor to get your message across, from sales promotions to social distancing advice.
Flexible adhesive-free flooring – printed tiles for branding
Workplace agility
One sector requiring more agility than most currently is the office.
Much has been written about how the workplace will change post Covid, with the introduction of “resi-mercial” designs merging traditional office with residential spaces.
Even prior to the coronavirus outbreak, offices designs were moving towards a more agile working style as detailed in our whitepaper “The need for flexible flooring in the modern workplace”.
Agile or activity-based working styles demand a mix of functional spaces, ranging from traditional desks and meeting rooms to break-out areas and collaboration zones, with even less conventional areas such as yoga studios and sleeping pods becoming more common.
Mixing the formal with the informal, creating multi-purpose space, and utilising “dead” or “third” space are just a few of the considerations on an architect’s mind in order to create a workplace where people want to spend time.
In some cases, facilities such as gyms, cinemas and spas have been introduced in order to support well-being and create that “home-from-home” feel. Introducing features such as these enable the work experience to be enhanced, creating productive and creative communities where collaboration and face to face engagement is key.
Being able to flex existing space is important too – why have a meeting room sitting empty for some of the time if it can be quickly reconfigured into hot-desking space when not in use? The ability to change an area from a breakout area to a refreshment area to a meeting room as and when required will be increasingly in demand.
Shorter leases mean that spaces are refreshed more frequently requiring further design changes. From a commercial perspective, it makes sense for developers to maximise return on investment by creating spaces with maximum flexibility – future-proof, adaptable buildings that can be reconfigured to suit organisations’ changing needs.
IOBAC Magnetic Flooring – Flexible Flooring for Workplaces
For customisable spaces, modular has to be the way forward, for everything from furniture to flooring.
“ The highest performance workplaces we see are the ones where you’ve got a whole range of choices in terms of the types of environment provided in the office, such as informal space, formal space, relaxing areas, concentration areas, quiet areas, collaborative areas and so on.”
Chris Moriarty, Director, Leesman
Make every step count
And in retail, spaces can be enhanced by easily installing franchise, in-store concessions or pop-up promotional areas.
Combining flexible adhesive-free flooring with sensor technology enables store designers to collect real-time footfall data and use it to analyse layouts, improving the consumer experience and maximising profits.
By harvesting data from IOBAC Sensor Flooring, including entrance matting, engagement areas, and full floor tracking, businesses can make strategic decisions based on real insight.
And because adhesive-free magnetic flooring is flexible and modular, layouts can be changed quickly and easily so that results can be seen straight away.
Plus under-utilised areas of flooring, under gondolas for example, can be swapped with high footfall tiles that may be showing signs of wear or damage, really maximising the return on investment of your flooring.
Open up your flooring options
Simply put, adhesive-free flooring enables spaces to be better futureproofed against whatever changes are faced. A key benefit in today’s society.
Flooring is no longer a fixed, permanent design element. Designers can combine different flooring types, be creative with intricate designs, switch designs quickly and easily and easily repurpose spaces.
The only limit is your imagination!
Check out the rest of “The Specifier’s Guide to Adhesive-free Flooring” CPD to
> discover other benefits of adhesive-free flooring including sustainability and operational efficiency
> learn about adhesive-free flooring options
> see case studies from commercial and residential sectors