St Oswald’s Hospice is located in purpose-built facilities in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne. Hospice care is provided for children and adults following a holistic approach that aims to address not just physical symptoms, but also spiritual and emotional needs too. Continued growth in outpatient services led to the recent construction of a brand new three-storey outpatient suite, where a variety of Tarkett flooring was installed.

Stuart Franklin of Jane Darbyshire & David Kendall Ltd was the architect on the project. He said: “I specified Tarkett’s products because they met with both our aesthetic and operational requirements. Plus we knew there was a good after-care service, should any problems arise.”

It was important to make the new Outpatient Suite feel as homely and welcoming as possible, particularly in public circulation areas, and Tarkett's Acczent Wood provided the ideal solution. Available in a wide variety of wood finishes from pale, coolly subtle woods to warmer, richer-grained distressed finishes, Acczent's highly resistant Wood selection gives the real look and feel of wood in high-definition print.

Part of the Acczent Compact range, it is designed specifically for environments where people are constantly coming and going. The solid heterogeneous sheet provides optimum resistance to tearing and features a glass fibre non-woven reinforcement to give excellent dimensional stability. On top of this is a 0.8mm transparent PVC wear layer that is highly resistant to abrasion and indentation; topped off with Tarkett's TopClean XP PUR reinforcement. TopClean XP prevents scratching and abrasion, reduces soiling, removes the need for stripping and polishing and reinforces the floor's resistance to staining by markers, iodine, rubber and shoe soles. Acczent Compact is a natural choice for heavy-duty applications, providing an elegant flooring solution with excellent life-cycle costs.

Tarkett's Safetred Dimension safety flooring was specified for the eight treatment/complementary therapy rooms on the ground floor of the new Suite. This attractive safety flooring provides enhanced slip resistance for areas requiring both safety underfoot and a modern contemporary design. Tough and durable, it is available in an attractive 3 dimensional pattern incorporating multi-coloured and pearlescent chips to provide a stunning appearance. With 16 colours to choose from, Safetred Dimension can be used individually or in combination to create bright, comfortable interiors. Featuring an R10 slip resistance rating, Safetred Dimension is manufactured to EN 13845 to ensure lasting performance. Tarkett's Safety Clean PUR reinforcement makes maintenance easy, saving staff valuable time and energy. It also protects the environment by reducing the consumption of water, energy and detergents needed for cleaning by up to 50%. The PUR is reinforced with slip resistant granules for extra peace of mind.

The new Outpatient Suite was put forward for the Lord Mayor’s Design Awards 2009 and won in both the ‘Small Scale Development’ and ‘Sustainability’ categories, as well as finishing runner up in the ‘People’s Choice’ Award. The new Suite was praised for maintaining a human scale in light of its location opposite the Northern Rock office building, and for building sustainability into the scheme from the outset.

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