The UK is slowly but surely reopening in every sense of the word. Travel throughout the country has been permitted, and right in time for summer as well. Commercial establishments and other public spaces have also begun operating at much higher capacities in recent months. Eventually, more and more people will be looking to go out to visit different places after more than a year of staying in their own homes.
However, it’s also important to note that the pandemic has drastically reshaped how people interact with various spaces. More particularly when it comes to their health, and understandably so. This is all the more true in shared areas from your local shop to grand summer destinations. In this light, implementing proper designs has become extremely crucial.
If you’re planning to go on a holiday throughout the summer months or just going out for a walk, make sure to note how the places you’ll be visiting are taking the necessary precautions to safeguard your health. This can come in the form of safety protocols or even just smart and deliberate layout choices. Oftentimes, just looking at the contract flooring solutions of establishments can tell you a lot about their approach to the current health crisis.
Feet on the Ground
Pandemic-proofing a particular place has become vital over the past year. When the government and several medical experts emphasized various health guidelines, commercial establishments were quick to make the necessary renovations. Floors undoubtedly take up the largest amount of surface area in any place you’re planning to visit, but they’re so easily overlooked.
It should only be right that floors are able to highlight how essential regulations are enforced. While it may seem like a trivial—and even a silly—matter, simply looking at the flooring can potentially have significant impacts on your health. When you’re out and about, take a moment to notice if the place you’re in has incorporated these specific design trends into their floors.
In the Right Direction
It generally falls upon the responsibility of an establishment or even public space to protect the welfare of the people that go through them. This will usually be more evident in comprehensive protocols or well-thought-out designs. More importantly, however, it’s been observed that implementing proper pedestrian flows has proven to be a great tool against the ongoing pandemic.
Deliberate flooring designs like directional pathways or putting signage on the floor can, in fact, promote social distancing between people. These seamless integrations into floor designs can assist pedestrians in distinguishing different zones, which creates the necessary borders and identify dedicated areas within a particular space.
Color Coded
In line with practical designs, contrasting colors will also be a good way to provide people with clear instructions to maintain a safe distance between one another. Utilizing varying tones and hues in flooring can greatly indicate the areas where people should and shouldn’t be passing through. Again, it helps to improve the flow of pedestrians throughout an establishment or public space.
Moreover, it’s also just a great way for designers to get creative when it comes to incorporating health into the layout of a certain area. It allows you to better interact with your space without entirely being too imposing. This creates a unique but necessary experience that lets you know how much these places truly care about your well-being, especially given the current context of the pandemic.
Not Just for Show
Another important thing to be on the lookout for is whether the right type of flooring is installed within a space. Different materials will not only help to elevate aesthetics, they will necessarily present varying degrees of health implications for you as well. This might be a little too specific, but it can be important when it comes to your well-being.
In areas that get a lot of foot traffic like entryways or bathrooms, for instance, it would be best if these areas were designed with materials that are durable but also easy to maintain. Some of the best options would be ceramic, porcelain, and stone. Durability will help to avoid unnecessary causes for accidents like slips or falls. Proper maintenance, on the other hand, will essentially help to mitigate the transmission of any harmful bacteria or viruses.
Counting Steps
Try to take note of these minor details the next time you’re out and about, more especially if you’re planning to travel during the summer. Just taking a quick moment to look down will surely prove to give you enough information on how your health and safety are being taken care of. Intelligent and intentional designs can be found almost everywhere, so long as you know where and what to look for.
