Member Article

New flooring for the Old Clock Tower

Dinnington-based commercial flooring specialists, A Cumberlidge, have installed a variety of brand new floor coverings as part of the refurbishment of the Old Clock Tower building at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield.

Work on the installation was carried out in three phases and began once the builder had removed all of the existing floor coverings and laid a base of 9mm plywood.

Outlines Damian Bradley, project manager for A Cumberlidge: “The Old Clock Tower has been completely refurbished and we worked closely with Pete Trenchard, estates manager (design) for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, as well as the architect on the project, to find the most suitable floor coverings that would be fit for purpose for many years to come.

“Starting with the first floor offices, we fitted 400 square metres of low level loop Gradus Adventurer carpet tiles which not only look great but are also very durable and hard-wearing in a busy office environment.”

Continues Damian: “We then moved to the first floor communal space and the ground floor of the building and installed 370 square metres of timber effect, luxury vinyl tile from Tarkett. The architect chose ID Inspiration 70 in Natural Walnut and the final result is very impressive with many people thinking the flooring is actually real wood. Next we fitted the matting system with support for Gradus Matting and input from Pete.

“Finally, we worked on the grand staircase in the reception. We actually met with Martin Cary from Westex Carpets at the Old Clock Tower to show him the scale and size of the area and discuss requirements.

“We all chose Talana in Claret, a high tuft density, 80% wool, 20% nylon carpet which offers a fine appearance and resilience for extra heavy duty wear. In total, we laid 40 square metres to create a truly striking staircase.”

Commenting on the project, Pete Trenchard, estates manager (design) for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I’ve worked with Damian and his team in the past when, usually, I have been both the designer and specifier on the project. For the Old Clock Tower refurbishment, however, we had a number of external appointments, such as the architects, so I took on more of a project manager role.

“Damian’s focus on detail and commitment to ensuring the end result was fully fit for purpose, plus his knowledge and experience of floor coverings was invaluable. For example, I knew that the carpet the architect had specified for the grand staircase just wouldn’t work. So, I turned to Damian and he made some suggestions based on similar work he’d done and arranged for us to meet with the Westex representative to discuss options and look at different samples in-situ.

“The Talana carpet we ended up using not only looks fantastic but is perfect for the staircase and landing areas which get a huge amount of footfall on a daily basis.”

Concludes Pete: “It’s that care and attention and partnership working that A Cumberlidge offer that make them stand out from the rest. Damian was an integral part of the design and specification on this project and I look forward to working with him and his team again on future projects.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kirsten Howells .