1. PROMOTION PROMOTION
ARCHITECT’S PREFERENCE
Design ProjectsPROJECTS REVIEW:
IMPROCHEM
Focused on offering exceptional office
solutions, Design Projects prides
itself on creating workspaces that are well
designed to motivate those who occupy the
space. They provide a turnkey procurement
solution to its clients with the aim to create
a positive difference to their organisation’s
workplace, productivity, identity and client
perception.
Design Projects’services range from office
design and layouts; working drawings; office
fit-outs and refurbishments and through
creative planning, visualisation, budget
forecasting and scheduling, they develop a
brief into an achievable concept.
“Design Projects’critical edge is undoubt-
edly its hands-on approach,”explains Garth
Dockray, Director of Design Projects.“We as-
sess and identify each department’s specific
requirements in terms of inter-departmental
A combination of over 1 000m² of Belgotex
flooring was specified, making use of the
Hartsfield range from Belgotex Vinyl, and
two different colours and patterns from Bel-
gotex Commercial’s Equinox range.“For the
main office areas we relied on a combination
of carpets and vinyl,”explains Ciska.
Equinox is a 100% Stainproof SDX (Solu-
tion Dyed Nylon) tufted multi-scroll loop
carpet tile. It has a NexBac Eco backing with
a pile height of 2.5mm, 4.5mm, 5.5mm (±0.5
mm). In addition, its colour offering is based
on earthy tones, making it ideal for commer-
cial carpet tile installations.
In turn, Belgotex Vinyl’s Hartsfield range
is a commercial-grade floor and available in
an array of colours and textures in order to
meet the design and style needs of a diverse
clientele with a broad range of commercial
applications.
It complements natural interiors with one
of eight varieties and offers the performance
and durability of resilient flooring.
“We used the Hartsfield range in the of-
fices’chill areas as they can withstand spills,
they bring a bit of comfort underfoot and
they dramatically reduce echo,”says Garth.
“Furthermore, the print of Hartsfield is
extremely realistic, creating a floor that looks
and feels fantastic.”
Ciska adds that she used to always only
specify international carpet products simply
because she was of the opinion that they
didn’t create the appearance of“fluff”.
ImproChem’s project, however, completely
changed her mind on this because of Belgo-
tex’s unique product and service offering.
Having first specified other flooring prod-
ucts for ImproChem, Ciska decided to turn
to Belgotex Commercial after the chosen
contractor informed her that there would
not be enough stock available to meet the
stringent deadline.
“Never before had I come across a loop-
pile carpet in South Africa that, when it was
cut, it didn’t create this appearance of“fluff”
– that is, not until a Belgotex representative
assured me that they would deliver on all my
requirements without fail,”enthuses Ciska.
“And they did! They literally matched the
carpet I originally specified, ensuring there
was no“fluff”and that the colour almost ex-
actly matched the original carpet I specified,
not to mention that they could deliver the
amount of stock needed and on time.”
WHY BELGOTEX COMMERCIAL
“Begotex’s quality and service is beyond ex-
cellent,”highlights Garth.“Their after-service
service is also incomparable as they always
follow up to ensure that a client was happy
with the end result.”
As already noted, Belgotex ensures that
it has stock available for any given project,
and they continually deliver without ever
compromising on deadlines.
“From the moment I contacted Belgotex’s
representative, Charleen Robbertze, to deliv-
ery of samples from Pietermaritzburg took
only two days to arrive in Johannesburg
and for me to sign off the order,”says Ciska.
“Thereafter, it took just four weeks until the
stock was delivered. I can confidently state
that Belgotex offers exceptional service and
products of superior quality, and where
I would always only specify Belgotex for
smaller projects, I am now an avid believer
in specifying their products for any size com-
mercial project.”
FAVOURITE PRODUCTS
According to Ciska, the product she specifies
most is the Metro range. This range is consid-
ered a superior, unsurpassed, cost-effective
option that offers a unique linear design and
an exciting range of nine colourways. Metro
carpet tiles also add unsurpassed elegance
to any heavy commercial floorcovering
environment. They have a structured nee-
dlepunch design with a ResinBac or NexBac
backing. In addition, its fibres are construct-
ed of Polypropylene and a Stainproof Eco
Fibre Blend.
“The Metro range is similar to Berber Point,
but because Berber Point has been specified
so often, I turned to a different range that
exhibits similar characteristics and function-
alities,”explains Ciska.
“The Metro range is both efficient due to
its linear design and cost-effective. Budget
permitting, the slightly more expensive
Gradual range from Belgotex Commercial is
another favourite, as it offers a 500mm x 1m
tile as opposed to just the 500mm x 500mm
tiles, opening up a whole new environment
as we can become more creative when us-
ing patterns, which can in turn change the
whole look of a floor.”
The Gradual tile range is able to meet and
exceed the requirements of any distin-
guished architect as it combines resilient
construction with artistic flair. The Gradual
range also has a“fade-in fade-out”design,
featuring two complementary shades on
one tile to produce a graphic, yet subtle
effect for modern interiors. This versatile,
multi-tonal carpet tile comes in two size
variations for endless design and layout
possibilities and is constructed of a tufted
multi-scroll loop pile and a 100% Stainproof
Miracle Fibre (Polypropylene) fibre with a
pile height of 4mm (+/- 0.5mm).
This passionate team clearly aligns itself
with the quality and service provided by
Belgotex Floorcoverings, resulting in a build-
ing that has set new standards in terms of
aesthetic beauty and performance, ensuring
an office environment that reflects the vision
of ImproChem, while leaving behind Design
Projects’stamp of perfection on every inte-
rior element for many years to come.
20 FLOORS Aug-Sept 2014 21FLOORS Aug-Sept 2014
solutions that add value to its customers, as
well as its owners and employees.
“We were part of the professional team
tasked with this project. We met every two
weeks to collectively understand the client’s
brief in order to not only fulfil it but also roll-it-
out,”explains Ciska du Toit, the Designer for
ImproChem’s new offices.“The scope of work
for this project entailed the internal architec-
ture and this is where Design Projects played
a prominent role in carrying out ImproChem’s
brief.”
Garth goes on to say that being involved
with this project from inception, not only
gave them the opportunity to design the new
workplace, but to also achieve an effective
and functional working environment– it was
fantastic to put it all together,”he enthuses.
Belgotex Commercial Carpeting
The brief for ImproChem highlighted the
need for a monochromatic background with
some colour accents.“It also had to be time-
less so that it could be upgraded in the future
without great expenditure,”states Garth.“As
such, the monochromatic base, i.e. the floor,
would remain the same but the accents could
be changed, such as the colour of furniture.”
workflow and shortfalls within. These are
then carefully zoned to ensure efficient
communication, which is critical when trying
to create well designed workspaces that
motivate and inspire.”
Garth continues by adding that since
people spend 60% of their time in the
workplace, they need to be effective and
comfortable in their working environment
and it needs to inspire them in what they do.
“This is why attention to detail is critical: the
more we know about our client’s business,
company objectives and brand, the easier it
is to get our job done,”he says.
This is exactly what Design Projects aimed
to achieve when approached by Im-
proChem, inherently AECI, who was looking
to move offices by constructing a new build-
ing that would service the needs of not only
the company and its staff, but also its visitors
and clients. ImproChem is a company that
provides innovative, high-quality, safe and
integrated water, energy, air and hygiene