Client: Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale NHS Trust
Architect: Nightingale Architects
Main contractor: Eric Wright Group
Flooring contractor: Phoenix Flooring
Type of works: installation of Polyflor XL PU, Polyflor Mystique PUR and Polyflor Forest FX sheet vinyl flooring.

Eye-catchingly colourful inlays urging visitors to ensure they eat their “Five a Day” portions of fruit and vegetables are featured in the flooring in main reception and other traffic areas at Rochdale’s new £10million state-of-the-art health centre Nye Bevan House.

Designed by Nightingale Architects and built for Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale NHS Trust by Eric Wright Group, the centre houses four GP units and four dental suites, as well as providing a wide range of support services, some previously available only at hospitals.

The inset “Five a Day” designs employ a variety of colours from lower maintenance Polyflor XL PU heavy-duty sheet vinyl, from commercial flooring specialist Polyflor Ltd, and were created via the Polyflor Expressions Design Service which uses computerised water jet cutting facilities to produce precise shapes for complex inlaid decoration.

They were installed, in a ground floorcovering of Polyflor Mystique PUR heavy-duty sheet vinyl, by flooring contractor Phoenix Flooring who also fitted Mystique PUR and Polyflor’s timber effect Forest FX sheet vinyl in various areas throughout the centre.

Polyflor XL PU features a specially formulated polyurethane surface treatment, reducing maintenance costs by up to 24% by improving the soil-resistance and cleanability of the floor, and offers a choice of 24 attractive colourways and of 1.5 and 2mm gauges to suit differing traffic levels.

Non-directionally patterned Polyflor Mystique PUR is available in 16 decorative shades and features a high-quality polyurethane reinforcement which, combined with a superior closed surface-finish, facilitates a low-cost, polish-free maintenance regime for the lifetime of the flooring, achieving savings of up to 48% compared with untreated vinyl flooring.

The products have been independently tested and the results demonstrate that they inhibit the growth of MRSA on the flooring. An effective cleaning regime is, however, the most important defence against infection. Both also achieve the highest possible “A” rating under the BRE Green Guide to Specification scheme.

Both also meet the performance requirements of EN 649 and, fully tested to fire safety standard EN 13501-1, are certified as Class Bfl-S1, achieving the criteria EN ISO 9239-1 ≥8kw/m² and the mandatory requirement of EN ISO 11925-2 pass.

The Forest FX collection is targeted primarily at the healthcare sector, providing a choice of 14 of the most widely specified wood colours and featuring a polyurethane reinforcement (PUR), which protects the floor during installation and handover and facilitates a polish-free maintenance regime.

In common with all Polyflor sheet vinyls, all products installed at the centre can be welded at the seams and to coved skirtings to create continuous, impervious surfaces that offer no sanctuary to dirt and bacteria.