Schools, colleges, and universities have some of the busiest entrances of any building. These buildings experience frequent and intense periods of footfall across multiple entrances and often have tightly managed budgets. This makes entrance matting specification for education one of the most difficult to get right.

In this blog INTRAsystems look at key entrance matting considerations for educational establishments and provide guidance for specifying commercial entrance matting in an educational setting.

Type of Building

There are many different types of educational building. Understanding the brand, traffic volumes and how the entrances will be used are some of the very first considerations for your specification. Educational buildings tend to have many multiple entrance points and you need to consider each individually as well as in the context of the overall design specification.

For example:
• Universities battling to attract new students could use their primary entrance matting as a vital space to make a bold design statement with creative use of colour and pattern.
• Centres for professional training may want a sleek premium finish throughout combining stainless steel scraper bars with a muted colour fibre.
• Cycle entrances or doors from muddy school sports fields will benefit from a larger walk-off area using a combination of fibre and rubber inserts or a more aggressive bristle brush insert.
• Less used, secondary entrances might be adequately covered with a simple entrance matting fibre.

A robust entrance matting specification considers the unique needs of the various entrance points. This ensures your specification meets your building’s needs for the long term- both functionally and aesthetically – without overspending or over-engineering.

Specification Guidance

There are three key things to remember when choosing entrance matting for schools, colleges and universities:

1. Durability is key, so a commercial entrance matting system is essential. Aluminium recessed matting is the ideal choice for its strength and durability.
2. For ease of cleaning and maintenance, INTRAsystems recommend a closed construction entrance mat. This ensures debris stays on the surface where it is quick and easy to remove with any rotary vacuum.
3. By using a combination of inserts you can create a range of complimentary entrance matting solutions using a single product.

Insert Options

As a guide, INTRAsystems recommend a polyamide fibre with a high tuft count to provide maximum moisture absorption and retention. The higher the number of tufts, the better the absorption and retention.

INTRAlux Elite polyamide fibre is a good insert option for education. In addition to its class 33 wear rating, its 92,990 tufts per square metre can absorb 5.4L/m² of moisture. Also, this superior tufting provides exceptional dust retention to improve indoor air quality.

For additional scraping action for more demanding entrances, you can combine the fibre with rubber or bristle brush inserts.

Example Specifications

INTRAsystems has worked extensively with architects, interior designers, and contractors to provide high-performance entrance matting solutions for schools, colleges, and universities across the country. This gives INTRAsystems an unrivalled understanding of the specific needs of this sector.

The systems INTRAsystems recommend are exceptionally durable to cope with high traffic flow, whilst remaining budget and design-conscious.