Eco-responsibility and sustainability have become essential requirements when designing hospitals. The subject is often complex and fascinating.
Hospitals and healthcare facilities are subject to many regulatory and technical constraints, not to mention economic and social stakes.
Meanwhile, environmental matters require you to go even further, identifying more sustainable flooring options to minimize your building’s carbon footprint.
What Sustainable Flooring Is
It is a form of healthcare, hospital, and pharmaceutical flooring often produced using recycled, natural, or low-carbon materials. Over its lifespan, it usually has low environmental effects.
In practice, this often begins with how flooring materials are collected and ends with how they are disposed of. A sustainable option must use materials harvested with minimal emissions and easily repurposed or recycled.
Hospital Flooring Features
When choosing a flooring option for your medical practice, you must consider several key features before deciding. Some of these features include the following:
- Acoustic performance: Hospitals are noisy environments, affecting both staff and patients. Flooring options with great acoustic features help minimize noise levels, creating a more healing and comfortable atmosphere.
- Infection control: Clinic-acquired infections are significant concerns. Flooring in medical settings should be simple to clean and impermeable to avoid spreading and growing pathogens and bacteria.
- Durability & Maintenance: Rolling medical equipment, regular cleaning, and high-foot traffic demand floors that withstand constant use.
- Design flexibility: Healthcare facility flooring is not only about function. It is also about creating a calming and welcoming atmosphere.
- Slip resistance: Safety is crucial, especially in medical settings. Hospital floor options must guarantee sufficient slip resistance to avoid accidents, particularly in places susceptible to spills.
Hospital Flooring Options
In the medical sector, floor options are just a surface underfoot. It is an important element, too, contributing significantly to the aesthetics, functionality, and safety of medical environments.
Hospitals need flooring options that maintain hygiene standards, withstand resistant spills/heavy foot traffic, and provide a welcoming/comfortable atmosphere for staff, patients, and visitors. Here are flooring options you can install in your healthcare facility:
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Linoleum
This is an economical and cost-effective floor option. It is not only fire and water resistant but can also withstand many years of wear and tear. In addition, you can use and recycle it to make a new floor.
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Vinyl
Vinyl floors stand out for their easy maintenance, durability, and resistance to stains or moisture. They are not just great options for clinics and hospitals. They are also suitable for other healthcare facilities where spills are everyday. In addition, they offer a cushioned surface that minimizes fatigue for medical experts.
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Epoxy
Epoxy flooring is not just popular for being non-porous. It is also common for its seamless surface. This makes it easier to maintain and clean. In addition, epoxy flooring can withstand high foot traffic, and you may customize it with different patterns and colors to match the design aesthetics of a healthcare facility.
The bottom line is that being health-conscious and living sustainably are the priorities for design, particularly in the hospital flooring industry. As sustainable and eco-friendly options, epoxy, linoleum, and vinyl are emerging as the top choices for hospital settings.