Impact protection is often considered a necessary evil for busy environments like hospitals, schools or retail stores, helping to keep a lid on maintenance budget spending and maintain the look of a building.
So, if you have to use it, why not make the most of it? There are lots of things you can do with impact protection to make it a feature, rather than an eyesore. Over the years we’ve seen some extreme examples; from the downright hideous to the most beautifully co-ordinated designs. Here are a few of our tips to create a visually great impact protection scheme:
1. Contrast
With the use of so many different materials and finishes in most building environments, why not make the impact protection stand out? Don’t try and blend it into the wall behind – use colour to make feature elements more striking.
Approved document M requires contrasting colours to help the visually impaired, so don’t just stick to whites and greys; try bright colours like yellows, blues and greens. Birmingham Children’s Hospital did just this, and it looks fantastic!
2. Continuity
Create colour continuity by colour coding the impact protection in different areas of your building. Doing this will not only make the environment look a bit more interesting, but it will also help with wayfinding too. Win, win!
3. Customise
Products like our HRB20 hand/crashrail allow you to mix and match the top and bottom covers, giving you a customised look to suit the area of your building.
Also, by using impact resistant sheet, you can create any number of custom designs and configurations by having your impact protection sheet CNC routed. For example, take a look at the designs the Royal Oldham Hospital have created.
4. Imagine
For years, impact protection sheet has meant single colour sheets, and routed-out patterns. While this offers a great aesthetic, it can limit design creativity.
Now, wall protection sheet can be anything you want it to be. New products on the market, like Acrovyn by Design, can incorporate images and custom designs to create fully protected, feature walls full of vibrant imagery and artwork. Check out how the Blackburn Rovers tunnel has been completely protected and visually transformed.
So there you have it; impact protection doesn’t have to be dull and boring. There are so many different options, combinations or customisations you can achieve – why not make your building’s interior stand out from the crowd?
For more information on how we can help with your impact protection scheme, please download our brochure and get in touch:
