Design Space 11

design space

Issue 11/stories:The London Collection – two tales of one city

Inspired profiles – Heidi Stowers, Sue Solly and Emma Foster

Tracking the progress of Mission Zero

11www.interfaceflor.com.au

Re-defining the possibilities of carpet tile

Innovative projects – we discover creative use of carpet tile in education, hospitality, commercial, civic and healthcare projects

NewdirectionsCustom design: thinking outside the square

Contents

As the saying goes, ‘change is the spice of life’. And the same goes for the design industry – change keeps things exciting. New product collections, advances in technology and new materials are just some of the constantly evolving elements that keep design and designers moving forward. But it’s not only material changes that lead to innovative design. Changing the way we think about existing materials and common practices – or, thinking originally about them – can also lead to radical new design solutions. This issue of DesignSpace looks at both kinds of change – new collections and projects and new ways of thinking.

Just as InterfaceFLOR products are design tools that allow designers to create unique spaces, DesignSpace is also a tool for designers – providing inspiration and showcasing how designers are using carpet tile to push boundaries. In this issue, we speak to three designers about their work and how carpet tile inspires them. We also talk to designers who are re-defining the possibilities of carpet tile. These designers are using a traditionally commercial product in residential projects, or to create completely custom rugs to break up spaces. They prove that the only limit to design is imagination.

If changing the way we think as individuals can be challenging, radically changing the approach of an international company is sure to present a plethora of challenges. Seventeen years ago, InterfaceFLOR founder and chairman, Ray Anderson, started to rethink the company’s approach to sustainability and launched Mission Zero. In this issue, we track the progress of this commitment and look at the many challenges faced along the way. We hope you enjoy reading this issue of DesignSpace as much as we enjoyed putting it together!

01 Design DirectionsDesigners thinking about carpet tile in new and exciting ways.

08 ProductsInterfaceFLOR’s new London Collection lets designers bring the spirit of London to life in interiors.

14 PrinciplesThe target date for InterfaceFLOR’s Mission Zero is only nine years away. We take a look at the progress and challenges.

InterfaceFLOR and the publisher hereby disclaims, to the full extent permitted by law, all liability, damages, costs and expenses whatsoever arising from or in connection with copy information or other material appearing in this publication, any negligence of the publisher, or any person’s actions in reliance thereon. Inclusion of any copy information or other material must not be taken as an endorsement by InterfaceFLOR. Views expressed by contributors are personal views and are not necessarily endorsed by InterfaceFLOR or the publisher. The terms ‘InterfaceFLOR’ and ‘Mission Zero’ are registered trade marks.

Published by the Indesign Group(61 2) 9368 0150, [email protected]© InterfaceFLOR

Publisher: Raj Nandan, IndesignDesign Template: Sylvia Weimer, Spacelab DesignDesign: Lauren Mickan, IndesignEditor: Mandi Keighran, IndesignWriter: Guy AllenbyProduction: Sarah Djemal, IndesignInterfaceFLOR: Sally Orme

Cover Image: WAYSS Youth Housing, Melbourne. Interior Design by GHD. Photography by William Keleher Photography

Printed with soy based ink. Manufactured with 50% post consumer waste and 50% FSC certified fibre.

Changing our thinking to create new directions in design.

02 ProfilesWe discover what inspires three interior designers from Melbourne and how they use carpet tile as a design tool in their work.

12 Case StudyWe look at how carpet tile can be used to create custom rugs to fit any space.

16 ProjectsWe discover how carpet tiles can be used to create inspiring educational spaces, bold venues, vibrant workplaces, welcoming public spaces and healthcare interiors for wellbeing.

InterfaceFLOR : Design Directions 01

“ Closely linking in with our design concept, we used carpet tiles for the common areas of three residential buildings in North Melbourne. The modular system was selected as a sustainable product that was both cost effective and easily replaceable if damaged. The carpet tiles allowed us to break up extensive circulation spaces with subtle shifts in colour and graphic.”

“ Carpet tiles are easy to maintain and with current advancements in carpet tiles with design, colour and quality, it is easier to capture the quality of space desired. Common areas in residential buildings are thought of as high traffic areas, and clients generally require materials to be robust, durable and easy to maintain. With carpet tiles, you can create a warmer more inviting environment for the end user on the journey in and out of their homes.”

Changingperceptions

Although carpet tiles have long been integral to commercial fit-outs, most designers never considered them for residential projects. But perceptions are changing and designers are recognising that carpet tiles are ideal for use in multi-residential projects.

CHRISTINA PRoDRoMouINTERIoR DESIgNER, Cox ARCHITECTS

TESSA RouLSToNSENIoR ASSoCIATE,

RoTHELowMAN

02 InterfaceFLOR Designers : Gray Puksand

Right: Alkira Secondary College, MelbourneInterior Design: Gray Puksand and Hayball Architects working in association for the PVIS Partnerships Victoria in Schools ProjectPhotography: Peter Clarke, Latitude Group Flooring: Cubic (in Green, Orange, Dimension, Purpose)

Far Right:william Angliss Institute of TAFE, MelbourneInterior Design: Gray PuksandPhotography: Peter Clarke, Latitude GroupFlooring: Proscenium, Opening Night, Audition, Solid Foundation (in Lagoon, Porpoise)

Right: Portrait photography: James Geer

03InterfaceFLOR Designers : Gray Puksand

The contemporary office, says designer Heidi Stowers, is at the very heart of our ordinary lives. “It’s where we have our networks of friends and where our romances happen,” she says. “It’s now where we do our banking online, the dry cleaning gets picked up, and you often have your lunch inside the office… we spend a lot of time at work and, as a result, our workspaces are becoming more flexible and it’s really important that what we design supports us in the way that a community would. You need to have quiet spaces and collaborative zones, you need to have informal areas where you can share knowledge and not even know that you are doing it.”

To this end, Heidi believes that InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles have a crucial part to play. “I think they offer a terrific opportunity to define spaces without the use of

vertical plane, without the need for walls and even without the need for screening,” she says. “You can direct the way people will walk, you can encourage the way furniture is contained within the space by the use of carpet tile in the floor plane.”

As for what carpet tiles have to offer – beyond the “worlds of opportunity in relation to the kind of design response you want” – Heidi is quick to offer that she finds InterfaceFLOR’s environmental leadership, with its Mission Zero initiative, particularly inspiring. “I take a lot of joy in seeing such a large company taking a stand and taking the rest of us on a journey. I think it’s really throwing down the challenge to the world.”

Heidi leads the interiors group at Melbourne’s Gray Puksand and has both a straightforward and

benevolent view of her role in the corporate world. She sees her job as “humanising” it.

Heidi’s design career began, literally, on the drawing board as an architectural draftsperson in Geelong. Later studying interior design, she’s worked in Geelong and Melbourne and has been with Gray Puksand for the last seven-and-a-half years.

Ask her what she loves most about her job as a designer and Heidi admits it’s the communica-tion with her team and the clients that really floats her boat.

“I love working with a client and working out what their desires and aspirations are for the workspace and then responding in the design with a language that reinforces the way they work.”

A life less ordinaryIf there’s one thing Gray Puksand designer Heidi Stowers would like to do, it’s to inject more humanity into our ordinary landscape.

InterfaceFLOR Designers : Geyer04

05

There are precious few moments in the life of a design professional, says Sue Solly, when you get to sit back, relax, take in the fruits of your efforts and experience that real ‘wow’ moment. For Sue, an Associate and Project Leader at leading Melbourne interiors firm Geyer, it’s one of the best things about her job, and it’s these moments that make all the hard work worthwhile.

One of these thrilling moments occurred recently, when Sue saw the 16-floor fit-out Geyer has completed for Worksafe Australia in Melbourne. Although the project’s budget was tight, Sue and the team at Geyer thought outside the box to create the visual impact this project needed to have the ‘wow’ factor.

“To maximise the impact through the floors we used colour in the flooring and it worked really well. They loved it,” says Sue of the bold Worksafe Australia fit-out. “Using InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles, we provided diverse design solutions throughout their floors at minimal cost to the client.”

The Worksafe Australia project is the perfect example of how Sue really enjoys working with a

client and a consultant team, and working collaboratively to obtain a solution that really sings. As a project leader, Sue very much loves “engaging with the younger talent [on her own team] and giving them an opportunity to contribute to that process.” By engaging with the project in an innovative way, Sue has demonstrated how it is possible to provide strong visual identity for a space within tight budget constraints.

Sue, who has worked in the design industry for 19 years, and with Geyer for almost six years, also has experience working on projects in Britain and China. She specialises predominantly in corporate and hospitality projects like this one, that call for strong identities and creative thinking. These two sectors, says Sue, “have very, very different drivers and not just with the immediate client group but also in terms of engagement with people through the organisation.”

With corporate work, Sue says it’s “very much designing collaboratively with a large group of people... whereas with a hospitality client it’s more emotive... it’s their passion.”

In both instances, when Sue approaches a new job, the crucial thing, she says, is tapping into the “aspirational objectives and business drivers of the client. Then when it comes to conceptual translation you are already formulating a lot of ideas from the start to develop the form and the use of finish.” InterfaceFLOR’s extensive range of carpet tiles are the perfect design tool to enable the experienced designer to succeed in both areas.

Team workProject Leader Sue Solly loves nothing better than working collaboratively with a team and creating solutions that really sing for her clients.

opposite: Portrait photography: James Geer

opposite lower right: worksafe Australia, MelbourneInterior Design: GeyerPhotography: Shannon McGrathFlooring: Equilibrium (in Constant, Charcoal), Solid Foundation (in Lime Green, Sapphire, Mid Grey, Crimson, Mid Brown)

Above:Australia Post, MelbourneInterior Design: GeyerPhotography: Tyrone BraniganFlooring: Latitude (in Distance)

InterfaceFLOR Designers : Geyer

06 InterfaceFLOR Designers : Woodhead

This page:Portrait photography: James Geer

Top right:ATo, CanberraInterior Design: WoodheadPhotography: Ben WrigleyFlooring: Equilibrium

Right: Shell Development Australia, PerthInterior Design: WoodheadPhotography: Martin FarquharsonFlooring: Equilibrium (in Axis)

07InterfaceFLOR Designers : Woodhead

Emma Foster is a vivacious young interior designer with Woodhead in Melbourne who sees her role as coming up with a range of varied, unique and different ideas. “It’s good going on a journey by starting somewhere and to keep on pushing it and pushing it,” says Emma. And it’s design tools like InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles that give Emma the freedom and inspiration to push design to its limits.

In a recent project in the city’s Docklands, for example, Emma and the team specified a “vivid configuration” of InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles in the office’s break-out areas to create a colourful space, clearly delineated as a break-out area. “We used oranges and blues in almost a tartan configuration,” she says.

Emma has spent her career to date with Woodhead having started at the respected company’s office in Perth, worked briefly in the Sydney office and now the office in Melbourne. Although Emma says she is “still young in the industry and is still making an identity for myself”, it’s clear her creative talents are appreciated and her design skills are fast developing.

Emma is at a stage where she is coming to understand the

Woodhead designer Emma Foster’s approach to design is to concoct a whole range of different ideas and then push the envelope further.

Different strokes

wonderful possibilities that carpet tiles present. “I look at some of my earlier works and they are quite plain, but now we seem to be using carpet tile in a lot more variety,” she says. “Even down to putting branding in the carpet and things like that. We are using them to connect spaces, create walkways and flows through the spaces.”

Indeed Emma has become so taken with the inspiration that carpet tiles deliver that, of late, she has taken to using the variety as a point of inspiration. “They are just so varied these days,” she says. “If I am stuck on an idea, I just cruise through what carpet tiles there are and come back and go: ‘let’s spin it off this’.”

Emma also finds that clients are becoming more open to the possibilities that the carpet tiles present. “Carpet seems to be the thing that you can get away with, for example, more than bright colourful joinery,” she says. “The carpet cost is the carpet cost, but if you’re doing something ‘far out’ with the joinery I suppose everybody thinks ‘is that going to last?’, but with the carpet tile they think it could be changed with ease at not a massive cost – it adds texture and it’s a nicer way of using colour than painting a wall.”

08 InterfaceFLOR : Products

Designing connectionsInterfaceFLOR’s new London Collection captures the essence of one of the world’s most iconic cities, giving designers a tool to bring the spirit of London to life.

09InterfaceFLOR : Products

London is one of the world’s great cities. It’s a place where the past, present and future combine. By walking London’s streets you can taste this living history and get a sense of the place where people have belonged for two millennia. InterfaceFLOR’s London Collection tells two tales of one city, exploring the secrets of London and the sense of connection in the heart of the city. The London Collection gives designers a tool to bring the spirit of the city to life in interior spaces.

Streetscape recreates the living streets of Britain’s historic capital. It’s a collection designed to capture the sense you get – wandering the many streets, lanes and byways of London – that wherever you go you’ll inevitably experience the old overlaid by something vibrantly new. The heart of the city is where everything meets, where nature collides with culture and ideas and inspirations coalesce.

London is also a place where few conversations don’t begin with reference to the everchanging British weather – and the chance of rain.

“Now in contiguous drops the flood comes down. Threatening with deluge this devoted Town,” wrote Jonathan Swift in 1710 of an autumn downpour.

A sudden cloudburst, persistent drizzle, or a storm, rain that can go on for days is a phenomenon tied as inexorably to thoughts of London as the black cab or the double decker bus – it’s part of what creates that sense of place.

London Shelter and Streetscape, inspired by the great city, together capture its buildings and streets and celebrate an interior life where a squall or an inevitable shower of rain has forced inhabitants and visitors alike indoors to find refuge.

“ ExPERIENCE THE OLD OVERLAID BY SOMETHING VIBRANTLY NEW”

10 InterfaceFLOR : Products

Right: Vermont (in Brownstone), Viva (in Pebble, Sultan, Mocca)Far right: Tempest (in Citron)

StreetscapeThe London Streetscape collection features two products: Vermont and Viva.

Vermont is versatile and energetic, with a strong, singular pattern in earthy browns and stone tones that echoes the patina of London’s buildings and streets and its rich cultural history. Vermont combines these colours and textures across a palette of eight colours that infuse interiors with tradition, narrative and meaning.

Viva, on the other hand, evokes London’s social milieu. It is about the city as a living and vibrantly social place. London as a music and fashion capital; London as a cultural melting pot. Viva’s 24 colours bring the energy of London’s human and cultural side to life to interiors.

Vermont and Viva combine to create living urban environments – places that people can connect to and belong.

11InterfaceFLOR : Products

“ SUDDEN CLOUDBURST, PERSISTANT DRIZZLE, OR A STORM...”

ShelterThe London Shelter collection evokes the impression of rain as it descends in three patterns – Cloudburst, Monsoon and Tempest – across six colourways.

Cloudburst is a constant shower of familiar running lines. Its warm and gentle strokes soften surfaces to create inviting spaces.

Monsoon is a natural blend of unpredictable rainfall and raindrops, throwing haphazard spots and lines together to create a natural torrent – a monsoon that is alive and warm.

Tempest is a wild storm. Randomly placed lines represent the beauty of intense lightning and a driving storm of intense power.

Together they combine to give designers endless options – from the subtle to the intense – that accentuate the power of nature outside yet provide shelter and connection to London’s great indoors – and, in turn, to our own.

12 InterfaceFLOR : Case Study

Rugs can be key to defining large spaces, creating a welcoming domestic environment, or adding a splash of vibrant colour. Forward thinking designers are now using InterfaceFLOR carpet tile to create custom rugs with the flexibility to match any space.

Floor show

This page:wAYSS Youth Housing, MelbourneInterior Design: GHDPhotography: Peter GlenaneFlooring: various

opposite left:Coca-Cola Place, SydneyRug Design: InterfaceFLORPhotography: John RichardsonFlooring: Stonecraft, Rococo (in Cordovan, Soapstone), Platform (in Cordovan)

opposite right: Carnegie Morgan Hill, SydneyInterior Design: Davenport CampbellPhotography: Tyrone BraniganFlooring: Solid Foundation (in Black, Light Grey, Gold)

13InterfaceFLOR : Case Study

Adding a rug is a perfect way to soften, define and aesthetically tie an interior together. Now, forward thinking designers are taking advantage of InterfaceFLOR’s extensive range of carpet tiles to create rugs in custom designs to suit any space. The variety of colours and patterns that the carpet tiles are available in makes them an invaluable tool for designers looking for a unique rug to suit a specific space. Their durable nature is another advantage carpet tile rugs have over traditional floating rugs.

In Melbourne, such a rug has added a real sense of ‘home’ where it’s needed most.

At the end of 2010, Interface-FLOR donated carpet tiles for a modular rug in a Department of Human Services-funded Youth Housing facility run by WAYSS Ltd in the outer Melbourne suburbs.

The facility is designed to assist young people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless by providing them access to safe and stable accommodation and education and vocational training.

The designer, GHD, worked with an eclectic mix of local artists, craftsmen and industrial designers to create an interior that moved away from the traditional models of publicly-funded youth housing to provide residents with an environment that feels more like a home. Carpet tiles provided

the flexibility to match the rug to these eclectic interiors.

Good quality, durable furnishings, such as the carpet tiles, were used throughout to promote feelings of self worth and the colourful, semi-industrial theme contributes to a fun, positive environment. Full height ply panels with strong graphics offset the brightly coloured carpet tile rug, which, being modular, allows residents to customise and change their environment. It’s the essential element that creates a sense of ‘home’ in the new building.

Also in Melbourne, at the Crowne Plaza Intercontinental, a carpet tile rug was designed by Andrew Wales from BVN to replace an existing rug in the lobby. The new carpet tile rug is, says Andrew, a durable, sustainable alternative to traditional floating rugs. Like the rug used at the youth housing, it was custom designed, reflecting the proximity of the hotel to water and thus creating a strong identity.

The Carnegie Morgan Hill office fit-out in Sydney, by Davenport Campbell, demonstrates further benefits of using carpet tiles to create rugs, aside from aesthetics and flexibility.

At Coca-Cola Place in Sydney – a 21-storey commercial tower designed by Rice Daubney Architects and the first multi-storey office building given a 6-Star Green Star rated V2 rating

in New South Wales – a balance of aesthetics and sustainability were the driving forces for all aspects of the building’s design – including soft furnishings.

InterfaceFLOR was commis-sioned to design a custom rug for the building’s ground floor public entry space, a space filled with unique artworks.

The InterfaceFLOR design team took their cues from a magnificant indigenous artwork by Freddie Timms, which covers the entry forecourt ceiling – as well as from the landscape outside.

The Stonecraft collection was selected as it connected the space with both the ceiling, the outside and the tones and colours of the timber panelling.

The rug in the entry forecourt is the key element that pulls all the different design elements in the space together.

Making these carpet tile rugs possible is TactilesTM, an innovative glueless installation system developed by InterfaceFLOR that enables floating floors – which appear as rugs – to be created without damage to the surface of the floor. This allows designers to develop completely custom designs, giving interior spaces a strong public identity that may not have been achievable with a traditional rug.

14 InterfaceFLOR : Principles

Mission control

InterfaceFLOR are now only nine years away from achieving an extraordinary goal that was initiated in 1994: zero negative impact on the planet by 2020.

InterfaceFLOR : Principles 15

At a time when some are strug-gling to even begin reducing their environmental footprint, Inter-faceFLOR has been treading ever more lightly on the earth for the last 15 years – via its initiative Mission Zero™.

The target date for culmination of this commitment, initiated in 1996 by the company’s founder and chairman Ray Anderson, is now only nine years away.

It’s been a complex struggle, but countless challenges have already been overcome. Of the nine InterfaceFLOR manufacturing facilities worldwide, eight now operate with 100% renewable electricity use. Energy use per unit is down 40%; greenhouse gases reduced by 44%; waste sent to landfill down 77%; water use down 80%; and the use of recycled and biobased raw materials now makes up 36% of products.

In Australia, Lend Lease is just one high profile devotee. “The most important thing InterfaceFLOR has achieved is to lead the industry,” says Rod Leaver, CEO of Lend Lease Australia, “not just in carpet, but in waste, manufacturing and all materials by providing a take back policy for all products, to prevent them going to landfill at the end of life.”

To date InterfaceFLOR have taken huge strides, but challenges in the run up to 2020 still remain. These include: sourcing of more recycled raw materials to make sustainable closed loop products; sustaining an engaged culture that keeps people connected to Mission Zero; and achieving aggressive “zero” footprint goals on waste, energy use and emissions. A war on waste is being waged on three fronts: footprint, products and culture.

In footprint terms, Inter-faceFLOR carpet tiles are 100% climate neutral. In Australia, their highly sustainable Sydney headquarters has been awarded a 5-Star Green Star rating. Not only are existing green attributes high-lighted in the design, but green materials and finishes have been used throughout. At the plant in Picton, New South Wales, a mod-ernisation program was under-taken, making it one of the most advanced carpet manufacturing facilities in the world. And this is happening at InterfaceFLOR facilities globally, with six LEED certified facilities internationally and all manufacturing facilities conforming to ISO 14001.

In product terms, Interface-FLOR have changed the way they envision, design and make

Left: InterfaceFLOR founder and chairman, Ray Anderson, at a manufacturing facility

Below: Looking to reduce their environmental footprint, Sony used InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles in their Australian headquarters

products – moving towards a more cyclical model that learns from nature’s designs. This is reflected in InterfaceFLOR’s engagement with biomimicry, which sees de-signers look to nature as a source of knowledge and inspiration. The i2 product ranges – Interface-FLOR’s largest – are an example of a whole new flooring system inspired by nature.

InterfaceFLOR’s role as a global leader in the sustainable business movement is no better evidenced than by their ReEntry™ program, which has diverted over 100,000 tonnes of material from landfill.

In Australia, one company impressed with the program is Sony, who were looking to reduce their footprint. “When we were looking for like-minded companies to help us with our head office refurbishment, we couldn’t go past InterfaceFLOR,” says Facilities Manager, Lisa Arnold. “InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles are Climate Neutral, earn 100% Green Star points and can be recycled. That was important to us.”

Lastly, InterfaceFLOR’s forward thinking Mission Zero commitment has created a culture of inspired and innovative thinkers, all directly inspired by Ray Anderson’s unique vision for a sustainable business model.

16 InterfaceFLOR Projects : Education

wandering through the welcoming interior of a well-designed contemporary school, it’s difficult to picture the dull, monochrome and echoing places many used to be. Long gone are the flip-top timber desks and the blackboards and the chalk dust, groaning floorboards or squeaky lino – and in their place are bright colours and dynamic spaces.

At Alkira Secondary College in Victoria, designed by Gray Puksand in collaboration with Hayball, the architectural vision was informed by the new understanding that the design of schools is about creating places that encourage and support profound learning.

The use of bold colour that clearly defines various spaces and encourages directional movement is thus an important aspect of the design. Carpet tiles met these requirements for the designers with the additional benefits of durability, safety and easy maintenance.

“We used the colours to define circulation and to provide a subconscious reference to zebra crossings,” says Hayball Architects’ Richard Leonard. “The internal multipurpose spaces in each of the buildings became a metaphor for a streetscape that connected with the external pathways around the site.”

Dynamic learningCarpet tiles are the perfect design tool to create refreshing, modern and dynamic environments that encourage students to engage and learn.

17InterfaceFLOR Projects : Education

This page and opposite:Alkira Secondary College, MelbourneInterior Design: Gray Puksand and Hayball Architects working in association for the PVIS Partnerships Victoria in Schools ProjectPhotography: Peter Clarke, Latitude Group Flooring: Cubic (in Green, Orange, Dimension, Purpose)

“ A METAPHoR FoR A STREETSCAPE THAT CoNNECTED...”


Above and right: Sheila Sawle Learning Plaza, Santa Maria, PerthInterior Design: Edgar.Idle.Wade ArchitectsPhotography: Andrew PritchFlooring: Exchange Street (in Teal/Magenta, Magenta/Red, Lime/Teal, Red/Yellow), Station Hill (in Teal/Magenta, Magenta/Red, Lime/Teal, Red/Yellow),Syncopation (in Lagoon, Flame, Boysenberry), Cubic Colours (in Green, Yellow, Black, Northern Lights)


All the bold colours that were used at the Alkira site referenced the different building types throughout the school. “The ‘orange’ was the colour for the year 10 to 12 Building, the ‘green’ for the years 7 to 9 Buildings, ‘yellow’ for the DATS,” says Richard of the scheme. “We wanted the finishes to encourage movement throughout the spaces, therefore we purposely held off using the colours to define the ‘classroom’. The learning areas ‘go beyond’ the boundaries of the room.”

Carpet tiles also contributed to the colourful, vibrant, modern and refreshing learning environment that was achieved at Santa Maria College Learning Plaza in Perth. The design of the new interiors were led by discussions with students and staff as to how they would like a new learning centre to function. The students’ desire

for an environment that “makes you want to learn” resulted in a youthful and extroverted design that rethought the function of many of the 18 class spaces.

One of the most important innovations was to create flexibility within the spaces to allow for different learning styles and activities. Carpet tiles proved to be the perfect design tool to do this with, breaking up the floor planes of large open spaces. New staff facilities were also added and these included a community room and an associated meeting room and lounges, together with collegiate spaces. The dominant design element in the community room is a radial grid pattern repeated in both the ceiling and the floor using InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles, which draws the eye towards views across treetops to the city and the Swan River.

“ A CoLouRFuL, vIBRANT, MoDERN AND REFRESHINg LEARNINg ENvIRoNMENT...”


yellow and grey geometric shapes inserted as a wayfinding device to denote the “hallway” through the large space.

The importance of the physical elements of learning environments cannot be underestimated. These are the spaces that will either inspire or discourage the building of knowledge. As each of the projects discussed clearly shows, the use of InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles as a tool to inject colour, vibrancy and fun into schools, and make spaces easily navigable and comfortable spaces for students creates fun learning environments to encourage and inspire.

Another education project that makes valuable use of colour is the refurbishment of Gilmore Primary School in the ACT. “It’s a good example of the impact colour can have within an educational environment,” says Marcelo Solar, Principal at peckvonhartel.

The work at Gilmore Primary School included both interior and exterior refurbishment of the library, learning units, toilet blocks and also the conversion of a learning unit into a performance hall. In the library, InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles were used to create an open, fun, visually inspiring learning area, with a swathe of


opposite: Sheila Sawle Learning Plaza, Santa Maria, PerthInterior Design: Edgar.Idle.Wade ArchitectsPhotography: Andrew PritchFlooring: Exchange Street (in Teal/Magenta, Magenta/Red, Lime/Teal, Red/Yellow), Station Hill (in Teal/Magenta, Magenta/Red, Lime/Teal, Red/Yellow),Syncopation (in Lagoon, Flame, Boysenberry), Cubic Colours (in Green, Yellow, Black, Northern Lights)

This page: gilmore Primary School, CanberraInterior Design: peckvonhartelPhotography: Cameron Warren (peckvonhartel)Flooring: Syncopation (in Strata, Sunburst), iLine (in Logan)

22 InterfaceFLOR Projects : Hospitality

That’s entertainment

Hospitality flooring has to be enticing, durable and easily maintained. InterfacFLOR carpet tiles present graphic and cutting edge solutions that go beyond the aesthetic.

Hospitality projects present a variety of specific challenges to designers. Not only do interior fit-outs need to be bold and vibrant, inviting and capture the identity of the venue, but finishes need to be hard wearing, durable and easily maintained, able to stand up to the constant flow of patrons. The fit-out also needs to be easily changeable, as hospitality projects have one of the shortest life spans in the interior world. InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles meet all these requirements, giving designers a key design tool for all types of hospitality projects.

One of the projects which takes full advantage of the benefits of carpet tiles is the V Max Bar at Events Cinema in Sydney, designed by Indyk Design.

At first glance, it’s clear to see that the carpet tile was the perfect choice aesthetically for the fit-out, breaking down the large space and graphically reflecting the boldly patterned upholstery and angular furniture. The tile allowed designer Shelley Indyk to create a custom pattern on the floor plane.

“Carpet tiles are the perfect medium to create an abstract patterned floor plane,” says Shelley. “They reinforce the abstract vastness of the space and are also a decorative graphic extension of the bar space and the V Max logo.”

But the benefits of carpet tiles go beyond the strong aesthetic features that Shelley used to creatively brand the bar. InterfaceFLOR products also meet specific practical requirements unique to hospitality projects.

As Shelley explains, traditional broadloom carpet would have been far less flexible than carpet tile in terms of maintaining the high traffic space. “Using carpet tiles,” says Shelley, “we can always renew some parts of the graphic without redoing the whole.”

Like Shelley, V Max Bar venue manager, Steven Oakley was also won over by the flexibility, in both design and maintenance, of InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles. “The ability to have carpet tiles, rather than a traditional carpet, is attractive in terms of ease of replacement,” he says. “The carpet tiles are hard wearing, and they give you the ability to create custom designs.”

Similarly, at the High Wycombe Tavern in Perth, InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles were chosen not only for the wonderfully graphic possibilities they presented, but also their functional benefits.

“Client Peter Cinani wanted his new local tavern in High Wycombe to bring a slice of hip urban culture and creature comforts into decidedly suburban surroundings,” says Think Architects’ designer

23InterfaceFLOR Projects : Hospitality

This page:v Max Bar, SydneyInterior Design: Indyk DesignPhotography: Tyrone BraniganFlooring: Solid Foundation (in Sapphire, Black), Syncopation (in Graphite, Strata)

24 InterfaceFLOR Projects : Hospitaility

“ THE BENEFITS oF CARPET TILES go BEYoND THE STRoNg AESTHETIC FEATuRES...”

Above and opposite page:High wycombe Tavern, PerthInterior Design: Think ArchitectsPhotography: Rob TanFlooring: 1968 Collection Green Street (in Red/Yellow), Penny Lane (in Red/Yellow)

Right:The Ranch, SydneyInterior Design: @ qubed designPhotography: Anthony Habashy, AH PhotographyFlooring: Bertola (in Muscovite)

Lynda Mills. InterfaceFLOR’s 1968 collection proved an ideal framework for the look required. “The strong rounded geometric patterning of the carpet and its combination of earthy, mustard and sauce colours seemed tailor-made for the new ‘local’,” she says.

The distinctive patterning of the collection was also used to define areas within the tavern, provide wayfinding and reflects the common detailing in the built furniture and bar, helping to create a strong visual identity.

As in V Max Bar, another draw card for Lynda was the ease of maintenance and durability.

It’s this durability that also attracted Michelle Jansen van Rensburg of @ qubed design, designer of The Ranch Hotel in Eastwood, Sydney. A large, busy pub, The Ranch has a diverse range of customers including students, families and corporate

groups. “With such a mixed set of customers,” says Michelle, “it was important that the design be able to cope with the number of patrons attracted day and night.”

It was important that the floor complement the total palette, but would also, says Michelle, be “perfect for hiding stains in this kind of environment”. A richly coloured design from the Stonecraft Collection fitted the bill perfectly. “We chose a carpet pattern that blended in with our selected finishes, that did not have a bold pattern and did not consist of multiple colours as is often used,” says Michelle, “but a colour and pattern that was classic and elegant to ‘ground’ the large space.”

Thanks to their considerable corporate experience Michelle and @ qubed design chose to use carpet tiles – instead of the hospitality’s standard broadloom

solution – because of its cost effectiveness and because it is “hardwearing, environmentally friendly, very quick and easy to install and maintain,” says Michelle. “Any serious stains and marks that cannot be removed from a small area can simply be replaced with new tiles.

As these projects go to show, carpet tile provides the perfect solution to the myriad of specific challenges thrown up by hospitality projects – meeting all design criteria from aesthetic to functional.

25InterfaceFLOR Projects : Hospitality

26 InterfaceFLOR Projects : Commercial

Bold colour can make a powerful statement – and delineate discrete zones within a space – especially when introduced on the floor plane.

First impressions

This page:BDo, PerthInterior Design: MKDCPhotography: Acorn Photo AgencyFlooring: Cubic Colours (in Red, Orange, Kaleidoscope, Carnival, Black), iLine (in Search)

Right:Campari Head office, SydneyInterior Design: HassellPhotography: Tyrone BraniganFlooring: Solid Foundations (in Mid Grey, Fire Engine)

27InterfaceFLOR Projects : Commercial

In the rapidly evolving world of commercial interiors, it’s no longer enough to create a space simply to house employees – workspaces have to communicate to employees and clients alike, and first impressions, as they say, are the most important. For this reason, designers are introducing bold colour to make a powerful statement. When this colour is introduced through carpet tile it can also work to delineate various spaces within the workplace, or as a wayfinding device.

Of all the corporate interiors in the world, perhaps the one you’d least expect to feature riotous colours is a chartered accountant’s. Unkindly mocked by generations of stand up comedians – Question: How do you torture an accountant? Answer: Tie him to a chair and force him to watch you fold a map the wrong way – accountancy firms often haven’t helped matters by often believing the best way to convey a sense of solidity and accuracy and trustworthiness is with a “safe” and conservative aesthetic for their fit-outs. But times change and so too, it seems, do the interiors of accountancy firms.

Take BDO’s new interiors in Perth Subiaco, which have been designed by Marshall Kusinski Design Consultants to have a dynamic and welcoming sense of arrival. As you enter the reception area, clients are greeted by an organically shaped reception desk on a black carpet with splashes of vibrant reds and oranges from InterfaceFLOR’s Cubic collection.

“We were able to create an eye catching first impression from the street,” says designer Talia Teoh from Marshall Kusinski Design. “It sets them apart from their

competitors, and the depth and variance in colours allowed us to cross coordinate the tiles. Every area appears bespoke.”

In the main part of the firm’s floors carpet tiles have been used to cleverly delineate the lines between offices and break-out areas, including the main one dubbed the Hub. Here, bold carpet tiles from the iLine range featured on the working floors blur into tiles from the Cubic collection, showcasing the vibrancy and flexibility of the product. Bold and colourful furniture is married with the equally vibrant floor.

InterfaceFLOR products were also ideal for the design of Campari’s head office in Sydney’s St Leonards, says Julia Borghesi, senior associate at HASSELL who did the fit-out. As she says, “InterfaceFLOR tiles enhanced the design by providing a saturated colour palette appropriate to the project and enhancing the brand; strong, simple colours matched the Campari product.” Again, the designer has employed carpet tiles as a design tool to create a strong corporate identity.

Likewise, at Standard Chartered Bank’s Marina Bay Financial Centre in Singapore, Woodhead specified carpet tile to visually ‘theme’ each floor. Market Street and Exchange Street designs in the colourways of green, rust and blue were employed for the “theme colours of Asia, Africa and Middle East respectively,” explains Woodhead’s Angelo Di Marco, Principal and Workplace Portfolio Leader. The selection lends a dynamic impression in the clean-lined corporate

“ THIS PRoDuCT IS THE TYPE oF FLooR CovERINg THAT vISIToRS AND STAFF REMEMBER...”

environment, and conveys visually the international focus of Standard Chartered Bank.

Again, Woodhead employed carpet tiles as a design tool for the offices of Land Management Corporation in Adelaide. The designers were, says Simon Dodd, Associate at Woodhead, “in search of a bold and striking floor which held its own with the rest of the interior palette”. The carpet tile chosen was from the Silhouette Collection because, as Dodd says, “this product is the type of floor covering that visitors and staff remember when they leave and has become a real talking point. Woodhead and the client wanted a strong and lively flooring pattern, which was still commercially durable and could offer the desired environmental credentials,” he continues. “Too often the floor is a nondescript base from which the finishes palette is based upon.”

In this case, however, the floor has become a memorable design feature that helps to brand the company’s space.

Above left: Land Management Corporation, AdelaideInterior Design: WoodheadPhotography: Luke DicksonFlooring: Post (in Print)

Above right and opposite: Standard Chartered Bank, SingaporeInterior Design: WoodheadPhotography: Standard Chartered BankFlooring: Market Street (in Yellow/Lime), Colour Me (in Lime, Green, Blue, Aqua, Brown)



“ THE DISTINCT AND uNIquE LINEAR PATTERN PRovIDED STRoNg DIRECTIoNAL quALITY...”


Left: Hasbro, SydneyInterior Design: GeyerPhotography: Tyrone BraniganFlooring: Fast Forward (in Nougat), Equilibrium II (in Rotate)

Below: Carnegie Morgan Hill, SydneyInterior Design: Davenport CampbellPhotography: Tyrone BraniganFlooring: Solid Foundation (in Black, Light Grey, Gold)

reception area and shared spaces within the office. The tile was used to support the overall concept of a neutral canvas where Hasbro’s products could shine as the true heroes of the space.

Likewise, at the offices of Carnegie Morgan Hill, by Davenport Campbell, a bold rug insert of carpet tiles delineates space, and the charcoal, black and yellow palette creates a vivid identity.

In all the case studies discussed, InterfaceFLOR carpet tile is shown to be an important design tool for the total space, not only delineating various zones throughout, but creating a strong corporate identity for the company and a bold first impression.

At toy and game company Hasbro meanwhile, carpet tiles have again been used as a backdrop for Hasbro’s products. Interior designers Geyer used a canvas of black and white InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles, allowing the products to speak for themselves.

As in the BDO project, InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles, this time from the Fast Forward collection, were used not only to create a visual identity, but also to “delineate general working areas,” explains Geyer’s Jennifer Hume. “The distinct and unique linear pattern provided strong directional quality without appearing rigid and enhanced the design by introducing a textural overlay and visual anchor to the workspaces.”

As a contrast Geyer specified Equilibrium II Rotate in the

32 InterfaceFLOR Projects : Civic

A well-designed library is an important community hub. They are functional centres that need to take a lot of traffic, meaning durable finishes and materials are key. These days they’re not only quiet places of learning and contemplation but also somewhere to meet and connect with others. As such they need also to be comfortable, welcoming and aesthetically appealing to a wide cross section of the community they serve. InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles meet all these requirements – they are not only durable with sound absorption qualities, but also provide direction and wayfinding devices, delineate various zones, and give these important community spaces welcoming identities.

At Lane Cove Library in Sydney, for example, Stephenson + Turner architects were charged with the task of “breaking down” a large library space – in this case very

Community spiritAs our libraries re-invent themselves as vibrant centres of learning and social connection – InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles have a pivotal role to play.

long – into discrete zones. As director Geoff Larkin explains, “we needed to provide a sense of movement and variety as people moved through the space.” This was accomplished using InterfaceFLOR tiles in a bold and striking variety of shapes and colours in the floor plane.

Stephenson + Turner chose InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles for the job because, as Geoff says, the “quality is the best” and the “range is great”, but more specifically InterfaceFLOR’s Bull Ring pattern had just been released and “the design proved the inspiration for the design of the children’s area”. The Bull Ring tiles, thus, provided the lead melody in what became a symphony of different modular carpet tiles, demonstrating that InterfaceFLOR collections can both visually support a concept, or be the inspiration for a concept.

“The great range of styles with a commonality of colourways

33InterfaceFLOR Projects : Civic

This page and opposite:Lane Cove Library, SydneyInterior Design: Stephenson + Turner ArchitectsPhotography: Tyrone BraniganFlooring: Syncopation (in Flame, Beach), Stitched Up (in Bodkin, Stay), Bull Ring (in Lime-Teal, Magenta-Red), Chenille Time (in Prohibition), Penny Lane (in Lime-Teal), New Road (in Lime-Teal)

34 InterfaceFLOR Projects : Civic

enabled us to create the variety we were after,” says Geoff, “without upsetting the overall sense of unity in the project.”

Similarly, when lahznimmo architects were commissioned to renovate the Whitlam Library at the University of Western Sydney’s Parramatta campus they turned to InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles. Here, a variety of spaces needed to be provided for focused work but also for social and collaborative engagement, and it was important for these spaces to be distinctly delineated. As with Lane Cove Library, carpet tiles were used to break up a large space, making it more welcoming. “As the library is basically one very large double storey hall we felt the need to break up the areas and define zones more clearly,” says Anja Michelzahn, Associate Director at lahznimmo.

It was also important that paths be clearly indicated and directional, so the library would be easy to navigate. Again, carpet tiles proved to be the best solution. Lahznimmo, together with InterfaceFLOR, designed a custom colour to “accentuate and differentiate the main traffic routes through the Whitlam Library,” says Anja.

The custom carpet, in shades of green, was designed to complement and coordinate with the joinery, upholstery and loose furniture selected for the spaces.

“ wE FELT THE NEED To BREAK uP THE AREAS AND DEFINE ZoNES MoRE CLEARLY”

Top: whitlam Library, SydneyInterior Design: lahznimmo architectsPhotography: Brett BoardmanFlooring: Level Six (in Top Soil), Stitched Up (in Bodkin), Cubic Colours (in Carnival, Painted Desert)

Above right: watson’s Bay Library, SydneyInterior Design: CK Design InternationalPhotography: Cecilia KuglerFlooring: Blue Print (in Plot), Syncopation (in Beach), iLine (in Email)

opposite:Lane Cove Library, SydneyInterior Design: Stephenson + Turner ArchitectsPhotography: Tyrone BraniganFlooring: Syncopation (in Flame, Beach), Stitched Up (in Bodkin, Stay), Bull Ring (in Lime-Teal, Magenta-Red), Chenille Time (in Prohibition), Penny Lane (in Lime-Teal), New Road (in Lime-Teal)

35InterfaceFLOR Projects : Civic

At Watson’s Bay Library, that services the picturesque harbourside Sydney suburb, it was a different story. Here, the library is housed in a much smaller more intimate place, meaning the emphasis was on creating a “homey” and “beach like” place, says Cecilia Kugler, director at CK Design International, who designed the fit-out. “We wanted it to feel like a community living room,” says Cecilia. Yet, unlike a living room, some of the materials, notably, the carpet needed to perform at almost industrial conditions.

In the sitting space in the library, carpet tiles have been used as rug inserts “to create distinct spaces within a whole,” explains Cecilia. These rug inserts also creates a domestic aesthetic, referencing traditional floating rugs, but without the trip hazard.

The dark blue tiles were chosen as the main colour both for ease of maintenance and also to provide a strong counterpoint to the light shade of the inserts. The carpet tiles throughout also lent a great deal of flexibility to the library (“if the layout changes, the design can be changed”, she says), not to mention durability because individual tiles can be changed if needed.

As each of these vastly different library projects demonstrates, carpet tiles not only have the pragmatic features demanded by civic projects – durability, sound absorption and safety – but also the aesthetic flexibility to suit any environment and make libraries welcoming community spaces.

36 InterfaceFLOR Projects : Healing

Hospitals and clinical environ-ments can be stressful at the best of times for patients, visitors, and employees. As Tonya Hinde, an interior designer with extensive experience designing for healthcare environments, explains, excessive noise can only add to the stress. Carpet tiles, says Hinde, are the obvious solution to “keep reverberation noise levels to a minimum”.

In addition to this acoustic protection, carpet tiles can also be used as a key visual element in healthcare environments to create a positive space that helps to promote wellness and patient recovery times.

It was because of this that carpet tiles were specified by Hinde in the Geelong Superclinic. “We chose InterfaceFLOR carpet tiles for the project because – for a carpet – it is a actually a very forgiving product,” she explains. “It’s a very stable product, easy for staff to wheel equipment on… and importantly it’s easily maintained and looks good for a long time in high traffic areas.”

Hinde specified carpet in three tones – two in reversed pattern shades with a complementary plain and one with “shadow overtones”. The idea was for the

Protect & healCarpet tiles offer both resilience and acoustic protection for the healthcare environment and create a positive space for wellness.

floor to appear “like a landscape which followed the flow of the floor plan,” she says.

More specifically, she chose a pattern that not only appeared to broaden the space, and was forgiving to stains, but was also “friendly, a bit fun and not too serious” to reflect the fact that the Geelong Superclinic is a modern, positive, family-friendly centre.

Carpet tiles also fitted the bill perfectly at Calvary Hospital in Sydney’s Kogarah, where, along with resilience and acoustic protection, a key requirement was a design element that easily and attractively delineated various departments within the hospital.

Colour served a purpose for each of the levels at Calvary Hospital, and is effective through two ways. Firstly, it provides visual cues for staff and patients; ensuring that navigation through the hospital is a pleasant experience, without confusion. Secondly, colour accents differ on each floor, injecting life and creating moods dependant on the area you are in, making for a positive healing environment. “Every level was accented with a different colour,” says Krystle Kirkman, field designer at InterfaceFLOR. “These accents

Above and right:Calvary Hospital, SydneyInterior Design: Krystle Kirkman, InterfaceFLORPhotography: Tyrone BraniganFlooring: Syncopation (in Terrain), 1968 Green Street (in Lime/Teal)

Top right:geelong Superclinic, MelbourneInterior Design: Tonya Hinde Interior DesignFlooring: Aiki Koi (in Tea Leaves, Bonsai)

37InterfaceFLOR Projects : Healing

made it easy to inject life and variety into the floorplate.”

An additional benefit of using carpet tile was the ability to easily create an attractive way finding system. Before the new carpet, explains Krystle, “Visitors tended to wander through the corridors a little lost. The simple use of accents has provided a functional tool for navigation for the hospital.”

As part of this wayfinding system, an area rug – a square section of patterned tiles – was inserted directly outside each of the elevators to clearly denote to visitors which floor they were on. The 1968 collection was the perfect choice as it offers bold patterns and a variety of colourways. The 1968 collection also provided the perfect point of reference for the colourful and eye-catching mosaic tile wall at the entrance – a creation of the building’s original architect, who designed and fired the custom tiles himself.

As demonstrated in these two projects, carpet tiles are a significant part of the puzzle in creating positive healing environments, which deliver functional healthcare spaces and reduce stress.

Design Space 11

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