by Brianna Crandall — July 21, 2017 — Global carpet manufacturer Interface offers more opportunities to create “+Positive spaces” with the redesign of the company’s luxury vinyl tile (LVT) hard flooring to work with its TacTiles glue-free installation method, and the introduction of two new global carpet collections at this year’s NeoCon contract furnishings show and the adjacent Interface Chicago showroom. Interface also unveiled a prototype, first-of-its-kind “carbon-negative” tile, and the company announced that it had earned Quiet Mark certification for superior noise reduction on certain LVT tiles.
LVT flooring / TacTiles glue-free installation method
Along with other benefits of the Interface LVT flooring, such as a durable finish, sound minimization and easily replaceable tiles, facilities managers (FMs) should note that the LVT flooring now uses the TacTiles glue-free installation method, and the flooring tiles are now sized to the same dimensions as Interface carpet tiles so that you can transition from one to the other without having to switch installation methods or use transition strips.
Interface LVT flooring tiles are now sized to the same dimensions as Interface carpet tiles so that you can transition from one to the other without having to switch installation methods or use transition strips (notice TacTiles underneath).
Inspired by the gecko’s remarkable ability to stick to surfaces at any angle, the proven TacTiles glue-free installation system uses the inherent strength of the Interface backing to create a dimensionally stable “floating floor.” The system uses three-inch flexible adhesive squares to hug the floor, creating dimensional stability without glue. The tiles are connected to each other, and nothing sticks to the subfloor, says Interface.
The TacTiles connectors were developed as a faster, cleaner, more earth-friendly alternative to traditional carpet adhesives, eliminating the mess, odor and drying time of spread adhesives. They provide greater flexibility for installation and selective replacement since the sub-floor stays clean when the flooring is removed, so you don’t need to clean up adhesive residue or prep the floor for the next installation, notes the company.
TacTiles also offers a more sustainable installation option, with virtually zero VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and an environmental footprint that is reportedly more than 90% lower than traditional carpet adhesives. TacTiles connectors can be recycled with carpet tiles or LVT at the end of their useful life. Interface says it is currently working on a life-cycle analysis to show the long-term cost savings and environmental benefits of choosing TacTiles over glue that will be available later this summer.
For more information about the LVT flooring benefits and installation, or for more details and a video about the TacTiles glue-free installation method, visit the Interface Web site.
Global Change and Human Connections carpet collections
Interface’s two new global carpet collections, Global Change and Human Connections, designed as individual collections, both use nature as a muse and provide the inspiration needed to create positive human impact indoors through a connection to the outdoors. Global Change and Human Connections also harmonize with existing and future designs in the Interface portfolio and pair gracefully, without transition strips, with Interface luxury vinyl tile (LVT) hard flooring.
Interface Chief Design Officer Chip DeGrace commented:
The best spaces are designed from the ground up to foster creativity, inspire productivity, and help people feel more in touch with their purpose. Both Global Change and Human Connections contribute to the creation of +Positive spaces with their modular vocabulary that has biomimetic attributes, supporting biophilic design…Global Change offers a sophisticated but organic global feel, while Human Connections provides an edgy, urban grit, associated with tight-knit and modern communities.
Global Change Collection
Global Change, the first global launch from the company’s lead product designer, Kari Pei, reflects the human need to seek out nature and brings these qualities to commercial interiors, including corporate office and hospitality environments. The collection evokes foliage through artistic interpretation of tree and leaf shading patterns.
The Global Change modular carpet collection uses nature-inspired, biophilic design to offer a sophisticated but organic global feel.
Global Change is comprised of seven face styles available in six organic color palettes, with three gradated base textures at three different price points and pile heights. The styles are available in a mixture of 50 cm x 50 cm squares and 25 cm x 100 cm Skinny Planks, ranging from flat to plush. Glazing and Shading take inspiration from the tree canopy, with foliage appearing as positive shapes against striations of texture, while Ground and Raku resemble the cracked appearance of dried earth and can be installed as non-directional squares.
According to designer Kari Pei, the collection offers “beautiful aesthetics that also deliver modular versatility and functionality. Each product in the collection was designed to harmoniously blend into the next, and the collection has the unique ability to adapt as design and tastes evolve.”
Boundary Metallics LVT collection
Also on view at Interface’s Chicago showroom was Boundary Metallics, an LVT collection designed specifically to coordinate with Global Change. The Skinny Plank tiles will be available in all six Global Change colorways, with the full collection poised for wide release later this summer.
Human Connections Collection
Human Connections, designed by David Oakey of David Oakey Designs, Interface’s exclusive product designer, embraces nature’s elements and their relationship with interactive, gritty, urban neighborhoods, artistically interpreting city surfaces including turfs, patterns, textures and grounds. This collection was previewed at NeoCon and will be available in mid-2017 in North and South America.
The Human Connections Collection embraces nature’s elements and their relationship with interactive, gritty urban neighborhoods; the carpet elements fit together to offer options such as pathways for zoning, wayfinding or crossing points, which can all foster interaction.
The Human Connections Collection embraces nature’s elements and their relationship with interactive, gritty urban neighborhoods; the carpet elements fit together to offer options such as pathways for zoning, wayfinding or crossing points, which can all foster interaction.
According to designer Oakey, the genesis for Human Connections is “the dynamic quality of a work force that is in constant, people-oriented motion. The connection is like a neighborhood, whether leading pathways for zoning, wayfinding or crossing points, which all foster interaction.” Human Connections includes six 50 cm x 50 cm squares, plus two 50 cm x 50 cm FLOR by Interface styles.
Paver and Flagstone draw inspiration from well-worn city streets, in four stone-like warm grays. Kerbstone serves as a transition tile to the collection’s more visually depictive cobblestone-inspired tiles, Sett in Stone and Moss in Stone. Moss in Stone transitions to Moss, which imitates moss and greenery growing through cobblestone. Stone Course and Rue, the collection’s FLOR by Interface styles, feature accent colors that provide pops of color, similar to flowers in bloom, that enhance wayfinding in the built environment, with accent colors prime for creating zones for interaction.
Flexible and adaptable modular system
Both collections were developed to coordinate with existing and future Interface collections and products, including the company’s first global LVT collection, Level Set. This gives designers, specifiers and end-users ultimate flexibility to create eye-catching zones and pathways. Because the Interface flooring system is modular, customers can easily and efficiently update or replace the tiles to refresh design.
Prototype “Proof Positive” carbon-negative tile
Interface also unveiled at NeoCon a prototype, first-of-its-kind carbon-negative “Proof Positive” tile. After the tile is made, there is less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than if it had not been manufactured in the first place. Interface says it has achieved this accomplishment directly through choices in design and manufacturing, without purchasing carbon offsets.
Quiet Mark certification for superior noise reduction
In addition, Interface was recently awarded the global Quiet Mark certification for superior noise reduction for its luxury vinyl tile (LVT) products featuring Sound Choice backing. The company says it is the first flooring manufacturer and one of the first organizations headquartered in the United States to receive the certification.
Quiet Mark is the international award program for excellence in low-noise technology and solutions to unwanted noise, associated with the U.K. Noise Abatement Society. The group notes that sound reduction is especially important in commercial environments with high occupancy rates, citing a 2013 study from the University of Sydney that found that the largest drain on employee morale resulted from a lack of sound privacy. Further, a 2014 study by Steelcase and Ipsos found that noise distractions may cause workers to lose as much as 86 minutes per day.
Interface says its LVT flooring can help improve employee productivity through its sound-absorbing qualities. Interface LVT significantly outperforms other standard hard-surface flooring options such as vinyl composition tile (VCT) and polished concrete, particularly through its ability to reduce impact sounds, such as footsteps or dropped objects, that can cause floor-to-floor disturbances in multi-story environments. Interface Sound Choice backing is a standard component of the company’s Level Set LVT collection, allowing for improved acoustic additions without the addition of costly underlayments.
For information on any of these products, visit the Interface Web site or click on the specific product links above.
