Flowcrete floors have helped set the tone within an eco-friendly landmark building on the edge of the River Orwell in Ipswich.
University Campus Suffolk comprises of 10,500 square metres of accommodation, made up of public facing and student oriented space.
The striking development forms the initial phase of the first higher education institution in the county of Suffolk at The Ipswich Waterfront, a stunning location – once a Victorian wet water dock and now a hub of activity with bars, hotels and luxury homes on the site.
Flowcrete’s Peran SL and Peran STB Classic Quartz commercial flooring both in grey, were used at the site – installed by Flowcrete approved applicator Phoenix Specialist Contractors, based in Cannock.
The architect for the development was RMJM and the main contractor Wilmott Dixon.
Tony Russell, Head of Facilities Management at University Campus Suffolk, said: “The building itself was designed to be innovative and bold. The whole design of it is one that will become a landmark building in the town.”
The building is BREEAM rated to ‘excellent’ standard and utilizes the thermal mass of the building for cooling, in conjunction with triple glazing, ground source heat pumps and a sedum roof.
Alan Dean, sales director of Flowcrete, said: “This project showed that resin floor finishes can play an important part in sustainable new-build projects.”
Phoenix installed the self-leveling floor finish Peran SL to the public area of the building and Peran STB was applied in the corridors to the lifts and the lifts’ frontage, as well as toilet and shower areas.
Also, using Peran STB, Phoenix applied the floor finish to the stairs, treads and risers to hundreds of steps, located across three large-scale staircases, covering six floors of the building.
This innovative application involved creating a totally seamless finish, with no nosings used, just a small aluminum retaining bar. As a result the tread, riser, strings (side of staircase) and skirtings were completely integrated, with no joints.
On the steps, an anti-slip surface was added with contrasting Peran STB quartz colour to meet health and safety and DDA requirements.
Peran SL is a self-smoothing resin finish, ideal for minimalist, modern and contemporary environments. Peran STB is a decorative resin finish offering excellent wear and impact resistance, coupled with good looks. It is delivered to site in recyclable IBC bulk containers, so no tins go to landfill using this system – a major factor in terms of sustainable specification.