Forbo’s Modul’up provides a fast fit solution for Edinburgh College

For the refurbishment of Edinburgh College’s busiest campus, its FM team called upon Forbo Flooring Systems’ Modul’up adhesive free sheet vinyl for its unique ability to be installed quickly and easily, while reducing downtime and disruption to day-to-day college life – as the floor covering could be walked on immediately after installation.

Based in the North of Edinburgh, Edinburgh College Granton Campus is the largest of the college’s four campuses. A modern, practical and accessible building packed with state-of-the-art facilities, the building spans over 30,000 sqm of space across three floors and sees 1,800 students and staff come through its doors every day.

Dave Keen, Estates Services Manager at Edinburgh College, said: “Our Granton Campus has been open for 14 years and the carpet tiles that were originally laid in the main circulation areas and walkways were becoming increasingly dirty and difficult to clean. As the building is open 50 weeks of the year and seven days a week, we therefore needed to find a flooring solution that was quick and easy to install whilst the college was still open.

“We have used a lot of Forbo’s floor coverings throughout all of our campuses over the years and we are always keen to look at their new products. We worked closely with the Forbo team, who provided us with lots of samples, information and advice, which allowed us to explore the various options that were available. We soon realised that the new Modul’up adhesive free sheet vinyl was the perfect solution for us, as it ticked all of the boxes in terms of design, installation, performance and sustainability.”

Modul’up – part of Forbo’s Fast Fit collection – is a unique adhesive free floor covering that offers excellent dimensional stability and 19 dB impact sound reduction. Installed without the need for adhesives, tackifier or double-sided tape, it is ideal for high traffic applications, as it is easy to clean and provides outstanding indentation resistance. Thanks to the double structural stabilisation system, whereby two layers of fibreglass fleece are incorporated within the construction (compared to only one layer in standard vinyl), the sheet vinyl will not curl, ruck or roll once installed.

Dave continued: “We chose the Medium Grey colourway from the Modul’up Cement range, as the contemporary concrete design provided a fresh, clean and modern look. The team at Gordon and Halliday Flooring completed the work during normal college hours, while students and staff were on site. This was done with minimal disruption to daily operations and the fact that the floor could then be walked on immediately after installation really was a great advantage for us. With there being no adhesives, this eliminated the emission of dust and odours, which was particularly important for the wellbeing of all that use the building.”

Commenting on the project, Mark Edwards, Partner at Gordon and Halliday Flooring, said: “The installation at Edinburgh College went very well. My team enjoy using Forbo’s Modul’up because it truly is a hassle-free solution. For contractors, it saves on costs and reduces installation times by half, allowing floors to be completed in a quicker timeframe and for more areas to be completed. And when the time comes for the floor covering to be replaced, with Modul’up being adhesive free, it can be easily uplifted without leaving any residue on the material or subfloor. This can then be recycled or re-used again elsewhere.

“As a contractor, I would definitely recommend Modul’up, and Forbo’s Fast Fit collection, for future projects, especially for live environments where minimising disruption as well as downtime, are of the essence for the client.”

In addition to Modul’up, Forbo’s Tessera Inline carpet tiles in Onyx were installed in the circulation spaces and communal study areas with raised access floors. The rich differential linear texture of the multi-pile height loop pile carpet tile allowed for a flexible design, seamlessly complementing the Modul’up sheet vinyl.

Dave Keen, Estates Services Manager at Edinburgh College, concluded: “We are absolutely delighted with the results. The combination of Modul’up and Tessera Inline work really well together and have completely transformed the various spaces. My cleaners are extremely happy with how easy the floors are to clean, too. With the help of Forbo and Gordon and Halliday Flooring, we have designed an interior scheme that will work for Granton Campus now and into the future.”

For more information on Forbo’s Fast Fit range, including Modul’up, please visit www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/fastfit or to find out more about Forbo’s work in the education sector www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/education

-ends-