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Dark, aesthetic rubber floor coverings
The school building was almost completely fitted with two different rubber floors by nora systems. In the majority of the school, the award-winning covering noraplan unita in dark stone grey was used. Here, outstanding modern architectural design is combined with the unique strengths of the rubber flooring. The granite worked intricately into the flooring is inviting and fascinating at the same time, giving the room that certain extra something. As a result of the successful architectural design and the exceptional combination of rubber and real granite, noraplan unita is a winner of the coveted Red Dot Design Award.
A similarly dark shade of grey from the norament arago product range was chosen for the biology, physics, chemistry and technology classrooms; a highly durable flooring with a flat, direction-oriented relief structure, fine grain design and modern marbling. "Our floor coverings have a very dense surface and are extremely easy to clean," explains Dennis Hulleman, account executive at nora systems in the Netherlands. "They are the best choice if a more resistant and wear-resistant floor with low maintenance costs is desired. It does not need to be coated, is made of low-emission materials and contributes to healthy indoor air", Hulleman adds.
Less distraction for students
Henny Heerts, technical team leader of the school
project, is happy about the new building for another
reason: compared to the previous site in the heart of
Hengelo, the new one is much quieter. "Our students
need peace and space. There are fewer distractions
here. The building has many windows, but these are
often placed high above the ground in the classrooms
so that students are not distracted and can see only
the sky or treetops when looking out of the window",
Heerts said. Also, the nora systems flooring helps provide
a distraction-free environment thanks to its excellent
acoustic properties. This is because the permanent
elasticity of the rubber material significantly reduces
walking noise. "The rubber floors by nora systems that
were fitted throughout virtually the entire building positively
affect the acoustics in classrooms or corridors",
emphasised Heerts. "The floors dampen the clacking
sounds of heels, for example. This reduction in noise
level, which influences the ability to concentrate and the
well-being of students and staff should not be underestimated",
said Heerts.
"The new building is really remarkable with all its great
features. After a very long preparation period we
finally have a wonderful school for pre-vocational
secondary education in Hengelo" summarises Heerts.
