West Lindsey District Council office development, Gainsborough
Specifier: Dalby Developments
Type of works: supply of Manhattan and Wilton Metallic carpet tiles.
A combination of broadloom carpet and carpet tiles from Desso was chosen for the recently built West Lindsey District Council offices in Gainsborough near Lincoln.
The new main centre for the Council’s operations accommodates 250 staff and the Council’s meeting chambers. Dalby Developments was appointed to oversee the specification, space planning and design work for the interior of the four-storey office development.
With the walls painted White throughout, and incorporating a large proportion of glass, it was felt that colour needed to be incorporated into the interior scheme. Dalby Development decided the best way to achieve this on a long-term basis was to use the floor space.
Desso’s popular Manhattan range of carpet tiles was chosen in four different colourways for the main flooring. Manhattan is a luxuriously thick carpet tile constructed of high and low loops. Thick, chunky directional lines, combined with a soft multi-coloured pile are used to create a bold effect and provide a strong textural appearance. Around 3,500m2 were specified in total for this project.
Each floor level in the building features a different colourway. When you step through the entrance doors, the colour on the flooring sweeps throughout the open plan areas, and continues with accents in the seating and post areas.
Soft multi-colour palettes of Purple, Tan, Brown and Turquoise were chosen, one for each floor, and the Manhattan tiles make a real impact, adding warmth and comfort, as well as sound insulation.
Meanwhile, on the main staircase and landing in the building Desso’s striking broadloom carpet Wilton Metallic was selected to offer a timeless, classic but very modern look in this central area.
Dalby Developments Director, Hilary Wright, commented: “Desso provided the most interesting colour palette to select from within the parameters of the budget. A decision was also made for each product area in the fit out that there would be a single supplier so the selection was very important.” The decision was made after reviewing around 50 to 60 different tile options.
The most important factor was that this move was a long-term decision. The Council was relocating staff from three separate locations into one office in a re-developed part of Gainsborough’s town centre called Marshalls Yard, and therefore this represented a significant and strategic move.
“We also needed a very flexible and easy to work interior solution, one which would be in place for at least 15 years. So it was important to select quality products that would look good in the long term,” added Hilary.
The new four-storey building is altogether a very modern statement in its central location and with its open-plan interior. The Council meeting chambers themselves are located in the centre of the first level.
“Part of the brief was to make use of every inch of space possible and create a feel of a professional, commercial environment that people want to work in for the long term. We have created booking rooms and break-out areas, for example, to help provide for flexible working spaces.
“It was also an opportunity to create a whole environment that was positive and forward-looking, one for the Council as a whole and which reflected a real 21st Century feeling within the broader community.”