University of the West of Scotland

When the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) built a new £110 million campus, Flowcrete UK was called upon to provide colourful, fit for purpose floors that reflected the site’s energetic atmosphere.

The new Lanarkshire facility, based in the Hamilton International Technology Park, was designed to be at the cutting edge of sustainability while creating a vibrant and contemporary venue for learning, research and innovation.

This architectural ethos was emulated across the site’s floor with a multi-coloured pattern made from multiple resin coatings. This design meant that visitors walking through the door would be greeted with a wide-open space broken up by large blocks of dappled light grey, dark grey, green and blue flooring.

To achieve this, over 1,000 m² of the decorative, methyl methacrylate system Flowfast Terrosso was applied. This fast curing flooring solution was used in Signal Grey and Dark Grey to cover the majority of the public-facing areas, particularly in the expansive atrium.

In addition to this, 350 m² of Flowfresh MF was also used in a number of bold colours, including Ochre, Dark Green and Dark Blue. This resulted in wide sections of flooring in complementary shades that perfectly suited the location and reflected the campus’ interior design scheme. The seamless, durable nature of these resin solutions means that they can be easily maintained and won’t deteriorate in the face of heavy foot traffic, impacts, frequent cleaning, scuffs, scrapes and wear.

While more commonly found within intensive food & beverage facilities, the robust polyurethane system Flowfresh MF was specified by UWS thanks to its colour, texture and performance characteristics.

To further enhance the floor, specialist sealers were used in certain parts of the site. For example, 350 m² of Flowseal UV (Pigmented) Matt was used to make sure that the sunlight streaming in through the foyer’s floor-to-ceiling windows wouldn’t cause colour fading. 350 m² of Flowseal PU Matt (Ultra) with anti-slip additives was also used to increase the site’s safety levels.

Quote: Dr Gillian Thomson, UWS Lanarkshire Project Manager, said: “Flowcrete provided sound and relevant advice during the design and installation period. The installation by Flowcrete has created more than a floor covering – through the creative use of colour it gives an informal flow to the entry to the campus and has become a real feature in the UWS Lanarkshire Campus.”