Colour psychology as a concept is nothing new, with each colour in the spectrum having a different significance. It is important to look at the effect that each colour has on mood, recovery and rehabilitation and the overall emotional wellbeing of those occupying the space. It is too often that we forget about colour and its power, particularly for healing.
As medical and design professionals have now come to understand, calming colours and colour combinations need to be used to create a calm and restorative space in healthcare settings.
Life cycle of materials specified and cleaning costs over that life cycle need also be considered.
As healthcare facilities are often high traffic spaces which are service and maintenance intensive, they can represent significant capital investment and recurring expenses. Building materials must be robust, appropriate to the locality and easy to clean. Initial cost savings in specifying less expensive and durable materials will inevitably be outweighed by future maintenance costs. A good example of this is Polytec compact laminate, which are available in a plethora of colour and finishes.
Polytec’s high pressure Compact Laminate is the ultimate in long lasting, low maintenance decorative panels, for the most demanding hardworking environments.
Compact laminate is usually used as a decorative board that provides a variety of functions for many commercial applications.
Compact laminate is:
- Water resistant and has less potential for water escape
- Higher impact resistance than ceramic tiles
- Easy to clean
- Easy to install
- Minimal electrostatic build up which equals no dust gathering
- Excellent impact strength, either glued or mechanically fixed directly onto studs at 500mm centres
- Also ideal for benchtops.
WALL PROTECTION
In areas where impact damage is a problem, antibacterial compact laminate can be fixed to the stud wall or self supporting, and provides protection against impact due to flexural strength and elasticity given the nature of the panel. Impact and scuff resistance of Compact laminate wall cladding is definitely better than a painted wall and also provides exceptional surface hardness due to the core being homogeneous which is ideal for moisture management.
