Appointed to design the Hammerson House Wohl Campus, a new care building, P+HS Architects specified a variety of solutions from Forbo Flooring Systems’ portfolio to help bring the vision of a country house hotel to life.

Offering 116 bedrooms, with communal lounges, a café, and an inter-generational activity room; Forbo’s Surestep, Safestep, and Allura ranges have been installed throughout the building.

Hammerson House was founded in 1961 by Sue Hammerson to provide care for older members of the Jewish community.

From there, Hammerson merged with Nightingale House to form Nightingale Hammerson, which runs both homes as a joint group.

Located on the Wohl Campus near Hampstead Heath, the home is based within woodlands and offers medical services, including a visiting GP; a large communal hall; an onsite shop; and a hair salon. 

A contemporary vision

Martha MacKinnon, senior architect at P+HS, said of the interior design approach: “We were tasked with creating a welcoming space that delivered a contemporary vision of a country house hotel, where visitors, residents, and staff could feel settled.

“Therefore, when it came to specifying floor coverings, we had to carefully choose products that could contribute to the warm and welcoming interior we wanted to achieve. 

“In the residents’ area on the lower-ground floor it was important that we specified a vinyl flooring as it needed to be durable, but also provide a warm and homely feel.

Additionally, a low-level contrast between the carpeted areas and the vinyl flooring in the bedrooms was vital as some of the residents living at the home have dementia.” 

With these driveres in mind, and to connect the building back to its countryside roots, P+HS Architects specified Forbo’s Allura LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tiles) in the natural looking Steamed Oak colourway. Mackinnon said: “The wooden aesthetic of Forbo’s Allura really helped us to connect the indoors to the outside, while contributing to our design brief, thanks to its warm shades.

“We mainly used Allura in the household and staff dining areas, and the lower-ground-floor bedrooms. Not only this, but the chosen Allura design has also been accredited by the Dementia Services Development Centre, which means it has been approved for use in dementia-friendly environments, making it the perfect choice for this project.” 

Safety first

In areas where spillages are to be expected, and therefore slip resistance was a factor, such as in kitchens and the residents’ ensuites, the architects specified Forbo’s Surestep and Safestep safety flooring.

Both ranges deliver guaranteed lifetime slip resistance and are available in a variety of bright, contemporary designs.

Forbo’s Step safety flooring collection also meets all the European and HSE safety norms, delivering safety with minimal compromise on cleaning and maintenance, thanks to its PUR Pearl finish and design.

Sara Glaser, head of marketing at Nightingale Hammerson, said: “We’re delighted with the work P+HS has done; it looks lovely and really fits the design we had wanted to achieve.

“We’re particularly happy with how safety conscious it is, as our residents are our primary concern.”

Following completion of the project, Wohl Campus recently achieved a rating of ‘Good’ from CQC inspectors.