Design Projects - Floors Mag - Article
- 1. PROMOTION PROMOTION ARCHITECT’S PREFERENCE Design ProjectsPROJECTS REVIEW: IMPROCHEM Focused on offering exceptional office solutions, Design Projects prides itself on creating workspaces that are well designed to motivate those who occupy the space. They provide a turnkey procurement solution to its clients with the aim to create a positive difference to their organisation’s workplace, productivity, identity and client perception. Design Projects’services range from office design and layouts; working drawings; office fit-outs and refurbishments and through creative planning, visualisation, budget forecasting and scheduling, they develop a brief into an achievable concept. “Design Projects’critical edge is undoubt- edly its hands-on approach,”explains Garth Dockray, Director of Design Projects.“We as- sess and identify each department’s specific requirements in terms of inter-departmental A combination of over 1 000m² of Belgotex flooring was specified, making use of the Hartsfield range from Belgotex Vinyl, and two different colours and patterns from Bel- gotex Commercial’s Equinox range.“For the main office areas we relied on a combination of carpets and vinyl,”explains Ciska. Equinox is a 100% Stainproof SDX (Solu- tion Dyed Nylon) tufted multi-scroll loop carpet tile. It has a NexBac Eco backing with a pile height of 2.5mm, 4.5mm, 5.5mm (±0.5 mm). In addition, its colour offering is based on earthy tones, making it ideal for commer- cial carpet tile installations. In turn, Belgotex Vinyl’s Hartsfield range is a commercial-grade floor and available in an array of colours and textures in order to meet the design and style needs of a diverse clientele with a broad range of commercial applications. It complements natural interiors with one of eight varieties and offers the performance and durability of resilient flooring. “We used the Hartsfield range in the of- fices’chill areas as they can withstand spills, they bring a bit of comfort underfoot and they dramatically reduce echo,”says Garth. “Furthermore, the print of Hartsfield is extremely realistic, creating a floor that looks and feels fantastic.” Ciska adds that she used to always only specify international carpet products simply because she was of the opinion that they didn’t create the appearance of“fluff”. ImproChem’s project, however, completely changed her mind on this because of Belgo- tex’s unique product and service offering. Having first specified other flooring prod- ucts for ImproChem, Ciska decided to turn to Belgotex Commercial after the chosen contractor informed her that there would not be enough stock available to meet the stringent deadline. “Never before had I come across a loop- pile carpet in South Africa that, when it was cut, it didn’t create this appearance of“fluff” – that is, not until a Belgotex representative assured me that they would deliver on all my requirements without fail,”enthuses Ciska. “And they did! They literally matched the carpet I originally specified, ensuring there was no“fluff”and that the colour almost ex- actly matched the original carpet I specified, not to mention that they could deliver the amount of stock needed and on time.” WHY BELGOTEX COMMERCIAL “Begotex’s quality and service is beyond ex- cellent,”highlights Garth.“Their after-service service is also incomparable as they always follow up to ensure that a client was happy with the end result.” As already noted, Belgotex ensures that it has stock available for any given project, and they continually deliver without ever compromising on deadlines. “From the moment I contacted Belgotex’s representative, Charleen Robbertze, to deliv- ery of samples from Pietermaritzburg took only two days to arrive in Johannesburg and for me to sign off the order,”says Ciska. “Thereafter, it took just four weeks until the stock was delivered. I can confidently state that Belgotex offers exceptional service and products of superior quality, and where I would always only specify Belgotex for smaller projects, I am now an avid believer in specifying their products for any size com- mercial project.” FAVOURITE PRODUCTS According to Ciska, the product she specifies most is the Metro range. This range is consid- ered a superior, unsurpassed, cost-effective option that offers a unique linear design and an exciting range of nine colourways. Metro carpet tiles also add unsurpassed elegance to any heavy commercial floorcovering environment. They have a structured nee- dlepunch design with a ResinBac or NexBac backing. In addition, its fibres are construct- ed of Polypropylene and a Stainproof Eco Fibre Blend. “The Metro range is similar to Berber Point, but because Berber Point has been specified so often, I turned to a different range that exhibits similar characteristics and function- alities,”explains Ciska. “The Metro range is both efficient due to its linear design and cost-effective. Budget permitting, the slightly more expensive Gradual range from Belgotex Commercial is another favourite, as it offers a 500mm x 1m tile as opposed to just the 500mm x 500mm tiles, opening up a whole new environment as we can become more creative when us- ing patterns, which can in turn change the whole look of a floor.” The Gradual tile range is able to meet and exceed the requirements of any distin- guished architect as it combines resilient construction with artistic flair. The Gradual range also has a“fade-in fade-out”design, featuring two complementary shades on one tile to produce a graphic, yet subtle effect for modern interiors. This versatile, multi-tonal carpet tile comes in two size variations for endless design and layout possibilities and is constructed of a tufted multi-scroll loop pile and a 100% Stainproof Miracle Fibre (Polypropylene) fibre with a pile height of 4mm (+/- 0.5mm). This passionate team clearly aligns itself with the quality and service provided by Belgotex Floorcoverings, resulting in a build- ing that has set new standards in terms of aesthetic beauty and performance, ensuring an office environment that reflects the vision of ImproChem, while leaving behind Design Projects’stamp of perfection on every inte- rior element for many years to come. 20 FLOORS Aug-Sept 2014 21FLOORS Aug-Sept 2014 solutions that add value to its customers, as well as its owners and employees. “We were part of the professional team tasked with this project. We met every two weeks to collectively understand the client’s brief in order to not only fulfil it but also roll-it- out,”explains Ciska du Toit, the Designer for ImproChem’s new offices.“The scope of work for this project entailed the internal architec- ture and this is where Design Projects played a prominent role in carrying out ImproChem’s brief.” Garth goes on to say that being involved with this project from inception, not only gave them the opportunity to design the new workplace, but to also achieve an effective and functional working environment– it was fantastic to put it all together,”he enthuses. Belgotex Commercial Carpeting The brief for ImproChem highlighted the need for a monochromatic background with some colour accents.“It also had to be time- less so that it could be upgraded in the future without great expenditure,”states Garth.“As such, the monochromatic base, i.e. the floor, would remain the same but the accents could be changed, such as the colour of furniture.” workflow and shortfalls within. These are then carefully zoned to ensure efficient communication, which is critical when trying to create well designed workspaces that motivate and inspire.” Garth continues by adding that since people spend 60% of their time in the workplace, they need to be effective and comfortable in their working environment and it needs to inspire them in what they do. “This is why attention to detail is critical: the more we know about our client’s business, company objectives and brand, the easier it is to get our job done,”he says. This is exactly what Design Projects aimed to achieve when approached by Im- proChem, inherently AECI, who was looking to move offices by constructing a new build- ing that would service the needs of not only the company and its staff, but also its visitors and clients. ImproChem is a company that provides innovative, high-quality, safe and integrated water, energy, air and hygiene