Total Hygienic Environments

Essentials for Specifiers on the Future of Total Hygienic Environments

In healthcare settings, walls and doors must withstand rigorous cleaning protocols while maintaining their structural integrity and appearance. The use of antimicrobial materials and finishes on walls can significantly reduce the risk of infection, creating a safer environment for both patients and staff.

In educational institutions, walls and doors are often subject to high traffic and frequent contact, making them potential hotspots for the spread of germs. Installing surfaces with antimicrobial properties and easy-to-clean finishes can drastically improve hygiene levels, ensuring a healthier learning environment for students and staff alike.

Fire Doors: Beyond Safety

In addition to their hygienic properties, fire doors play a crucial role in both healthcare and education sectors. These doors are not just barriers against fire; they are designed to resist the spread of fire and smoke, providing critical time for evacuation and emergency response.

Enhanced fire door specifications now include:

• Antimicrobial coatings: These coatings help in maintaining hygiene standards while providing fire resistance.
• Seamless integration with walls: This ensures there are no gaps or crevices where germs can accumulate.
• Automated sealing systems: These systems ensure that doors close completely, enhancing both fire safety and hygiene by reducing air leakage and contamination spread.

Much like the advanced, high-tech environments depicted in futuristic AI science fiction imagery often seen on social media platforms, the modern approach to hygiene in healthcare and education involves innovative materials and smart design. The goal is to create spaces that are not only safe from fire hazards but also maintain impeccable hygiene standards.

Incorporating these advanced specifications for walls and doors ensures a comprehensive approach to creating total hygienic environments. These measures are not only about reacting to current needs but also about anticipating future challenges.

By adopting such forward-thinking strategies, the UK is setting a new benchmark in maintaining hygiene and safety in critical sectors like healthcare and education. This commitment to innovation and excellence ensures that these environments are prepared to meet the demands of today and the uncertainties of tomorrow, navigating an increasingly complex world.

Vinyl wall and door linings are increasingly used in education, healthcare, and hospitality sectors to create Total Hygienic Environments. These linings are favoured for their durability, ease of maintenance, and superior hygienic properties. In educational settings, vinyl surfaces help maintain clean and safe spaces, reducing the spread of germs among students. In healthcare, they are crucial for infection control, offering a sterile environment that meets strict sanitary standards. For the hospitality industry, vinyl linings ensure a clean and appealing aesthetic, enhancing guest satisfaction while simplifying cleaning protocols. Overall, vinyl linings contribute to healthier, safer, and more appealing environments across these sectors.

Key factors in the use of vinyl wall and door linings in education, healthcare, and hospitality include:

1. Hygiene and Cleanliness: Vinyl linings are non-porous and easy to clean, reducing the risk of bacterial and viral contamination.
2. Durability: They are resistant to wear, tear, and impact, ensuring long-lasting performance in high-traffic areas.
3. Ease of Maintenance: Minimal upkeep is required, making it cost-effective over time.
4. Aesthetics: Available in various colours and designs, vinyl linings can enhance the visual appeal of interiors.
5. Installation: Relatively straightforward to install, causing minimal disruption during application.
6. Safety: Fire-resistant and slip-resistant options are available, enhancing overall safety.
7. Compliance: Meets stringent health and safety regulations, especially crucial in healthcare settings.
8. Cost-Effectiveness: Offers a cost-efficient solution compared to other materials, considering durability and maintenance.
9. Environmentally Friendly: Many vinyl products are recyclable, contributing to sustainability efforts.
10. Versatility: Suitable for a wide range of applications and settings, adaptable to various design requirements.

Nowadays architects have a range of materials at their fingertips – both literally and metaphorically - to combat the spread of disease and infection. They also have the skills and insight to make them work in the service of the public in much the same way as the heroic Mr. Snows.

Adopting a rational holistic approach to the design and specification of Total Hygienic Environments acknowledges the importance of maintaining health and safety while accommodating evolving societal expectations. It involves comprehensive planning, integration of innovative solutions, and a forward-thinking mindset to create environments that prioritize both hygiene and well-being in a post-pandemic world. 

Vinyl wall cladding products are functional, hygienic, decorative, waterproof, lightweight, easy to apply, and are 100% recyclable. According to the industry body https://www.vinylplus.eu/circular-economy/pvc-a-recyclable-material/, vinyl contains less carbon than most major thermoplastics. It is truly a remarkably robust, long-lasting material and usually needs minimal maintenance. It can remain in use for long periods before it enters the waste chain. It is quickly installed in single visits with no wet trades or broken bits damaging sanitaryware.

And after all this, it can be recycled up to eight times – giving a potential lifespan of hundreds of years. Perhaps not quite as long as The Wall and Castle Black…but close enough.

Beplas Komadur (which admittedly sounds a bit like a character from Westeros) also has major creative potential for decorative surfaces where other materials have traditionally been used. From a one-off sheet, a feature wall to a full wall mural, with a range of matching, complementary printed installation trims for that seamless, fully co-ordinated look. Using a high-quality print process, it is finished with an anti-scratch coating to ensure design stays pristine for years. Corners and radii can also be easily formed seamlessly using heat. Available in gloss or matt finish, the possibilities are endless – see here for ideas and details for your next project: https://www.beplas.com/.

We can learn a great deal from both our ‘Mr. Snows’, and as architects and specifiers we also carry the flame of knowledge and vision to create a safer, healthier, and comfortable world.

For more information on Total Hygienic Environments talk to Be-Plas Hygienic Walls and Ceilings Ltd