Education

We believe that learning environments are some of the most important places there are and the way they function is just as important as the way they look. Schools, colleges and universities need inspiring, durable, attractive and easy to clean walls, doors and floors that can cope with the demands of growing up; cater for the creativity of the classroom and withstand the attention of everyone who uses the space, term after term.

Having worked with you on creating education spaces for many years, we’re aware of the changing views on learning spaces, for example the positive impact that biophilia - using natural shades, including wood-look options, and images of nature - has on learning. We’re aware of the benefits that adaptable learning spaces and effective way-finding solutions, among other design concepts, have for those with autism or Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) needs – and that, actually, these should not only be considered for specialist spaces, as the same things hugely benefit all children. We have also worked through the decades to develop solutions to age-old issues; safety floors to prevent slips; adhesive-free floors to reduce downtime; shoe and barefoot flooring for safer changing rooms; floors that reduce impact sound reduction for quieter working spaces; and walls and doors that impress, yet don’t compromise on hygiene and easy-maintenance.

We understand the challenges of complying with regulations designed to keep our children safe, whether finding solutions that have the required 30-point light reflectance value difference between floors and walls, installing safe disability access ramps, or giving reassurance that our doors and walls meet the required standards for fire resistance. As students and staff spend so much time inside a school or university building, we take air quality seriously: our floors have undergone rigorous external volatile organic compound (VOCs) testing and are proven compliant with national and international air quality schemes.

We appreciate that education buildings are among the busiest public spaces, meaning durability and easy maintenance is essential. Our walls, doors and floors are made with high quality materials and offer some of the lengthiest guarantees in the industry - for particularly hard-working areas, we have resilient options to keep these spaces looking better for longer. Our technical support begins at the first enquiry and takes you through not only installation, but the life of the product.

You’ve told us that sustainability is a factor when it comes to designing and installing education spaces. In addition to the recycling benefits of Altro adhesive-free floors, our vinyl floors and wall cladding products are compliant with HEA02 Indoor Air Quality under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), the world's leading environmental certification scheme that sets the standard for best practice in sustainable building design.

When it comes to installation, we understand that with education buildings, time is a factor. As well as easy to install floors, doors and walls, and floors that halve installation time, we offer support online, on the phone and, where needed, onsite, all the while understanding the pressure you’re under to deliver in time for the beginning of term. And our support doesn’t begin and end there: from your first enquiry we’re here, during specification and installation, and throughout the life of the solutions you’ve chosen.

Education: