why specify that ?

A. Because it’s greener than vinyl For PFI hospitals Carillion chooses linoleum over vinyl. On the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, 50% of the flooring was lino. At the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford (pictured above), 60% of flooring is lino, while at Portsmouth, due for completion in 2009, the figure has risen to 70-80%.

Jas Dhami, Carillion’s building economist, used The Natural Step (TNS) framework to assess the two materials. The framework grades materials based on four criteria: the concentration of substances extracted from the earth’s crust; the concentration of substances produced by society; it’s biodegradability; and the ethical nature of its production. Under this assessment method, lino scored favourably over vinyl.

‘Vinyl had a real hold on hospital floor finishes, but we found lino to be the greenest product of its kind,’ says Dhami. ‘Vinyl fell at the first hurdle of TNS – it’s oil based so comes from from the earth’s crust.’ Linoleum, on the other hand, explains Dhami, is a genuinely natural product, made from linseed oil, which is obtained by pressing the seeds of the flax plant; roison, extracted from Pine trees; sustainably-sourced wood flour (used to bind pigments); limestone (of which there are enormous quantities) and jute, a very cheap natural fibre.

The only non-natural element is the pigmentation, which is synthesised from heavy metals, but the amount used is minimal and therefore offset by lino’s other green credentials.

Furthermore, Lino has a lifecycle of 25 years, whereas vinyl is useable for around 10-15 years. And it’s fully recyclable too. The only negative is that its anti-slip characteristics are poor compared with its synthetic rival.

For each hospital, Carillion has worked with Forbo Flooring. ‘Now that we’re committed to their product, economies of scale are coming into play, which will bring further cost reductions,’ notes Dhami, who adds that at Oxford, Carillion hopes to make savings of £264,000 over the life of the project. A modest amount, but coupled with the environmental benefits, it shouldn’t be sniffed at. www.forbo-flooring.co.uk

B. Because the budget’s tight

Enia’s Tescom Prima carpet tile, with its Green Guide A rating from BRE, has been used throughout Boldon School in Sunderland, a comprehensive with more than 1,000 students. But it gets top marks in areas other than sustainability too.

Darren Purvis of project architects Waring and Netts says: ‘Prima is a good-quality loop pile carpet that met the requirements of a tight budget. And the wide choice of colours in the palette has allowed us to achieve the “zoned” concept of the building. Also, carpet tiles have the added advantage over broadlooms for maintenance. Tiles are easier and cheaper to replace.’ www.eniacarpets.com

C Because it’s made with by-products

What’s so sustainable about screed? It’s binder is made from waste, that’s what. Smoke from coal-fired power stations is de-sulfurised using lime or limestone and the end product is the source material for Cemex’s Supaflo binder.

A total of 2000m2 or nearly 30 lorry loads of the stuff went into the Bradford Community Primary Care Centre (BCPCC). Supaflo sets in around 48 hours according to Cemex. So if you pour it Friday, you can begin a second fix on Monday. www.cemex.co.uk

D. Because it allows flexibility

Want to change the office layout? No problem, if, like the recently refurbished 77-79 Farringdon Road, in London, your building has an underfloor air-conditioning system from Protek. Specified by architect Buckley Gray Yeoman,

it also impressed for its energy efficiency Protek uses the plenum under a raised access floor as a duct in itself while it is also capable of accommodating all the building services.

Standalone underfloor fan terminals distribute conditioned air to the workspace and since these are not restricted by duct or pipe connections, they can be easily reconfigured to accommodate changes with minimum disruption. www.wmprotek.com