A Major Trauma Centre and Teaching Hospital

Background

Situated in the north of Sheffield, South Yorkshire is one of the UK’s largest teaching hospitals and major trauma centres that offers a full range of integrated hospital and community-based health services. During a recent refurbishment project, Tarkett flooring solutions were used to enhance the overall experiences of patients, visitors, and staff, and reinforce the hospital’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

The Vision

A patient's first impression of a hospital can significantly impact their perception of the quality of care they will receive. With this in mind, the hospital aimed to create a well-designed environment that would not only promote safety but also foster trust, confidence, and competence among patients. Moreover, it was necessary to create a design that would meet the requirements of all users of the hospital, including caregivers. The design incorporated features such as natural lighting, efficient acoustics, slip-resistant materials that are easy to maintain and durable, and well-planned layouts.

Why Tarkett?

The hospital is strongly committed to reducing its carbon footprint, including during refurbishment projects, and sought solutions to prevent waste. Ashley Fearon, Projects Consultant at Tarkett, suggested the ReStart^® programme, which would take away installation off-cuts to close the loop on waste. This partnership was ideal for their environmental goals due to Tarkett's eco-friendly and durable safety floor solutions and innovative approach to circularity through pioneering recycling technology.

Products Used

Tarkett’s iQ Granit homogeneous vinyl was selected for the hospital's busiest areas, where it can endure heavy traffic and provide excellent performance due to its durability, superior wear resistance, and ability to withstand stains and scuffs. Additionally, its unique dry-buffing surface restoration reduces maintenance, lowering water, chemical, and energy consumption while eliminating downtime. Containing no phthalates and VOC levels 100 times lower than European standards, the floor is fully recyclable, both post-installation off-cuts and post-use floors. This allows us to close the loop and reduce the need for raw materials, making it an environmentally conscious solution. For wet areas with heavy footfall where safety is of utmost importance, Granit Safe. T wetroom multi-solution flooring was installed. This flooring has a slip-resistant R10 grip, waterproof installation, and Tarkett's trademarked Safety Clean XP PUR surface treatment, making it resistant to stains, easy to clean and maintain, and perfect for healthcare settings.

Results

The goal of the flooring refurbishment project was to create a safe, comfortable, and visually appealing environment. By selecting suitable flooring materials for different hospital areas, the hospital successfully addressed the functional and aesthetic needs of a modern healthcare facility. In line with its sustainability goals, the hospital utilised Tarkett's ReStart^® recycling and take-back programme to recycle rubbish responsibly and contribute to a circular economy. This closed-loop recycling solution involved collecting, washing, granulating, and using the old flooring to replace virgin raw material in the production of new flooring, thus saving 1.1 tonnes of CO₂ emissions by collecting two bags with a total weight of 299 kilogrammes of old vinyl flooring.

The People Behind the Project

"We take great pride in delivering high-quality quality products and services that not only meet our customers' needs but also align with their sustainability goals. It was a pleasure to collaborate and leverage our expertise to provide the hospital with solutions that ticked all the boxes. We are thrilled to have played a part in their journey towards greater environmental responsibility."

― Ashely Fearon, National Key Account Manager – Frameworks at Tarkett

"Studies show that a hospital’s environment can play a significant role in enhancing patients' experience, accelerating their recovery time, and promoting a sense of well-being. Good design not only contributes to a healing environment but also provides a better working environment for staff too. The refurbishment work at this hospital highlights just how much can be achieved when all parties work in collaboration – not only has an environment been created which is fit for purpose, but it is well designed with our human-conscious design principles in mind and the old floor and installation waste was all recycled ensuring nothing ended up in landfill."

― Shaz Hawkins, Segment Marketing Manager for Healthcare, Aged Care & Education at Tarkett