Floor on floor: Rapid installation during ongoing operation

© Michael Meschede

© Michael Meschede

© Michael Meschede

© Michael Meschede

© Michael Meschede

Office spaces in a new look – and all in the shortest possible time, without dust and dirt: Thanks to the new self-adhesive rubber flooring nora nTx, the staff of the Niederbayern district administration were able to sit back at their desks again immediately after the renovation. Renovating while the business is running is one of the major advantages of the quick-lay system that nora systems launched on the market in 2015. Another decisive factor for those responsible in the construction department of the district administration: nora nTx can be installed directly on existing floor coverings. This not only saves time and money. Especially in buildings where traditional floor renovation might risk damaging the historic building fabric, this new system is the perfect solution.

Renovation while in operation

Niederbayern is the second-largest district in the Free State, covering more than 10,300 square kilometers. The district area includes nine counties, three independent cities, and 255 municipalities with a total of nearly 1.2 million inhabitants. The administrative seat is Landshut. Part of the approximately 165 employees of the district administration are housed in a building of the Ursuline Monastery of St. Joseph. Since early 2016, corridors and office spaces have been gradually renovated there. "It was important to us that the renovation could take place during ongoing operations and that the workflow was minimally disturbed," explains the deputy head of the construction department, Matthias Kopf. "Secondly, we were concerned that removing old linoleum or PVC coverings could cause lasting damage to the substrate." Thus, the new quick-lay technology nora nTx, which allows the new rubber flooring to be glued directly onto existing coverings, was the ideal solution.

Significant time savings, minimal dirt

"The installation of nora nTx on existing floor coverings is easily possible, provided they still have sufficient adhesion," explains Uwe Bauer, head of application technology at nora systems. The old coverings only need to be lightly sanded and, if necessary, primed, so there is hardly any dust or dirt during installation – a major advantage when renovating while in operation. The rooms or corridors can be entered again immediately after installation, cleaned, furnished, and used. And here’s how it works: on the underside of the nora coverings, a rubber-based adhesive is applied and covered with a protective foil, which is simply peeled off before processing. The installation is then truly straightforward: cut, remove protective foil, roll out – done. The offering is complemented by special nora nTx installation materials for substrate preparation such as filler and primer – all components are perfectly coordinated.

The flooring company commissioned with the renovation of the Ursuline Monastery is also convinced of the advantages of the new system. "We didn’t have to do major preparatory work and thus saved a lot of time," says construction manager Henri Meyer from Max Hofmannn. He also considers the fact that hardly any construction debris is generated to be a significant advantage. The costs are not higher than with conventional installation – and this with less time expenditure. This method of processing thus also makes economic sense for the installation company. "Therefore, we will definitely recommend nora nTx."

Homely, stylish ambiance

In addition to the rapid completion of their offices, the staff of the district administration can also enjoy an attractive, homely environment: The construction managers chose two rubber coverings that stand out due to their extraordinary design. In the office spaces, noraplan valua is laid in a warm, cozy brown tone. The floor creates a warm, inviting atmosphere with its warm colors and naturally textured surface. At the same time, it also scores points with the material properties of the permanently elastic rubber. It is environmentally and health-friendly, extremely durable, and at the same time ergonomic, with excellent acoustic properties and easy to clean. This also applies to noraplan unita, which is installed in the corridors of the Ursuline Monastery. The product, awarded the "Red Dot Design Award" and the "Good Design Award," combines the different materials rubber and granite into a successful synthesis: the granite chips embedded in the matte rubber reflect the light of the reddish-brown floor in all facets, creating ever-changing effects depending on the angle of incidence and the viewer's position.