A floor that has been chosen with care

More than 800,000 clients a year. Almost 80,000 employees at 100 related institutions representing a five billion euro sector. The numbers speak for themselves, the Dutch mental health service (GGZ) exists for a good reason. It is the umbrella organization for addiction treatment and mental health services. An essential part of their responsibilities is providing emergency shelter and supervised housing services. This requires the availability of suitable accommodation and the GGZ Central Brabant district had plans already for some time to develop supported and sheltered housing units in Tilburg.

Initially, they thought of flats, but when they heard about the Zeehelden area renewal project, the original plans were abandoned. The new aim was to develop the units as part of the multifunctional accommodation (MFA). The different users of the MFA share on-site facilities and communal areas. A community with shared and individual spaces for each of its members. The entire complex has a village feel about it with a square, streets and alleys. The square acts as a central hub for anyone passing by on the way to their respective destinations.

Statistics show that there is much need for social care. At the same time, there are many needs within the care sector. It means that m attention needs to be paid to quality, hygiene, safety and a personal approach. The GGZ has bought dozens of housing units in the MFA, a large number of which is designed for older people who suffer from depression or with early stages of dementia.

An important issue in offering proper care for this group is the bathroom with toilet and shower. There need to be sufficient supports, grab bars to lift themselves up, it has to be hygienic and safe of course. The flooring serves an important purpose here. Good water-resistant flooring, providing excellent slip-resistance in both dry and wet conditions, is indispensable and it should be properly cleanable to prevent the build-up of bacteria and dirt. Slippery tiled flooring with joints is obviously not a good idea in such an environment. It is highly desirable for the floor to be resistant to cleaning products, disinfectants, blood and urine as well. Looking at these desired and required properties, jointless synthetic flooring is a very good idea. That is why a top-end solution and market leader in the Benelux, the Bolidtop^® 525 TF from Bolidt, was chosen.

The TF finish has been made with one purpose in mind: to provide extreme slip-resistance. In this case, it was combined with a Bolidtop^® 525, the most aesthetic flooring system in the Bolidtop^® range, which is very comfortable to walk on. It also is sound absorbent, a major plus in a multi-storeyed building with different types of users. This flooring clearly contributes to a safe working and pleasant living environment.