Fly Forbo winner shows Marmoleum brings ideas to life

Fly Forbo Award 2011 winning project, the ANZ Centre building, Docklands, Victoria, by Hassell.

Bursting with nature, literally, is the Fly Forbo Award 2011 winning project, the ANZ Centre building, Docklands, Victoria, by Hassell.

The big design concept of an urban campus with a central ‘common’ comes to life with Forbo Marmoleum and the Aquajet cutting technology. Through the ‘Grow’ precincts of the building, a delicate tracery of roots ‘grows’ down corridors and bursts forth with leafy tendrils that extend up walls and other vertical surfaces. The areas tap into people’s love of gardening and the outdoors, but also prompt the aspirations to grow the business into new markets.

The vision is symbolic of the building’s 6 Star Green Star – Office Design v2 rating from the GBCA, and of its position as a benchmark in accessible, robust and responsive sustainable architecture.

“The designers of the ANZ Centre have come up with the big idea, and have chosen the world’s most eco-labelled flooring, Forbo Marmoleum, to bring it to reality. The judges were unanimous in praise of this project for the beauty, relevance, symbolism, sustainability and synergy with Marmoleum,” says Wayne Donovan.

Highly Commended

In what was a very close finish, the University College London (UCL), School of Energy and Resources, in Adelaide, South Australia attracted a High Commendation for designers Swanbury Penglase.

Swanbury Penglase cleverly embodied within the project UCL’s inherent but quite divergent positioning of tradition, heritage, progress and modernity.

Located in the heritage-listed Torrens Building, this is UCL’s first campus outside of London.

Designers were aware that during a refurbishment of the building in 1993, a remnant was found of original 19th century Forbo linoleum that had withstood the building’s numerous prior refurbishments.

The opportunity to reinstate it with Marmoleum was a natural choice, this time as a contemporary version supporting the design principal.

Inspiring use of Forbo Marmoleum successfully communicates the London/Adelaide connection through lasercut lettering and depictions of landmarks. Intervals of coloured Marmoleum inlays against the dark Walton Uni Black emphasise custom wall installations.

“The Marmoleum flooring choice lends strong historic relevance and integrity – an appropriate presence for the internationally revered institution,” says Donovan. “The way in which it has been utilised creates a very modern vision with traditional references. Judges agreed that the UCL building is an extraordinary example of melding the old with the new.”

Fly Forbo Award - New Zealand inaugural winner

Bold use of Forbo Marmoleum to impart an ‘Aunt Betty’s kitchen’ feel to the Auckland office of brand owner Hansells Food Group has attracted the inaugural Fly Forbo Award to design company Spaceworks, Auckland.

Delivering the Aunty Betty’s brand promise in 3D, the design represents quality and tradition with modern values. Sophisticated stripes of Forbo Marmoleum allude to kitchen floor designs of the 1960’s and Aunt Betty’s own kitchen. This linear design is repeated in the lacquer finish batten ceiling. Marmoleum continues in solid red across the adjacent area and up the walls, saturating this area in Hansell’s corporate colour.

"Judges were unanimous - Spaceworks has made great use of Marmoleum to successfully achieve a big message for its client," said Donovan. 

To view the winning projects, visit Forbo website.