Anticipating the needs of designers and the construction sector when it comes to flooring is a constant challenge for my industry. While we as suppliers endeavour to set trends, the changing pace of technology and constraints of the modern economy make it more important than ever to bring our customers into the design process. While principles remain the same, almost every element of commercial and domestic buildings will be changed as smart management technologies, new construction techniques and advances in materials mean businesses must invest if they want to stay ahead.
My company, V4 Woodflooring, is investing £3 million to create the V4 World design centre, a state-of-the-art facility which will be equipped with the latest technology, including virtual reality goggles to allow customers to visualise our flooring in place.
While as a business the primary purpose of V4 World will be to showcase luxury flooring products and wall panels in an aesthetically pleasing environment, so architects, builders, specifiers and customers can see our products in individual room settings, the design centre will have a wider social purpose. The centre will host training days for installers, and educational events for schools to discuss how best to protect the environment and foster a culture of sustainability in business.
We now stock a massive range of products to suit all budgets and styles, not just in wood but also in concrete. It might seem counter intuitive for a supplier of wooden floors to expand into concrete, but the installation process is remarkably similar. Our range of pre-cast concrete panels for walls and floors are lightweight, easy to install and work in almost any interior space, without any of the difficulties of traditional concrete flooring
We listened to what home owners and commercial installers wanted and added engineered wood floors to our range. Because engineered wood is a composite, made from layers of wood chosen for their different physical characteristics it is not only more cost competitive than many solid wood options, but also less prone to expansion and contraction when factors like temperature and humidity change.
These are just some of the ways we have embraced new ideas to suit our clients, and on top of this we are able to provide samples with full spec sheets and life style images for architects’ libraries.
