Reema Roy says that Forbo’s flooring solutions are recongnised by GRIHA and IGBC and are widely used in green buildings.
By Mrinmoy Bhattacharjee
How do you view the likely increase in the number of malls in India?
Being an end-to-end flooring solutions provider, Forbo Flooring definitely sees the growth in a number of malls as an opportunity, and for sure, it would be the same for most flooring product manufacturers in the country. With a wide range of innovative products, we are quite well placed to make the most of the great opportunities coming up.
What products do you have that are best suited to high traffic zones such as shopping malls?
We offer resilient products like vinyl and linoleum flooring for high traffic areas. Our unique luxury vinyl tiles Allura Flex can be installed overnight to give the look and feel of wood, stone or concrete, without the issues of moisture and bubbles. Also, these floors take modularity to a whole new level by allowing for arranging-rearranging, designing-redesigning the floor any number of times. We are also the manufacturer of one-of-a-kind floor covering Flotex, a truly washable textile carpet, which offers endless designs with extremely low maintenance. Apart from these, we offer entrance matting, linoleum, homogeneous vinyl, etc.
What are the considerations and new trends when it comes to designing the flooring in malls?
The malls of today must be built for the long term. Having said that, imagine how much the floor of the mall will have to bear in the years ahead. It has to be durable enough to withstand heavy traffic, yet remain low on maintenance and elegant and aesthetically impressive. Besides, there should be the option to renovate at minimal cost. No wonder floor coverings are to be chosen very carefully. Today there’s no end to the shape and size of the tiles and planks, as well as their patterns and textures. In fact, the flooring solution is one of the important elements for creating a buzz in the interiors. While greys and beiges are timeless classics, greens and blues are increasingly highlighting the floor space. So out-of-the-box is the trendy pick of the day.
How green and sustainable are your products?
Forbo Flooring has been a visionary and a pioneer in terms of sustainable development and our products reflect our belief. Being one of the world’s largest manufacturers of linoleum (brand name Marmoleum) which is green flooring, Forbo advocates the philosophy of green and sustainability. Marmoleum uses resin, linseed oil and wood as raw material and is a product which has a ‘cradle to grave’ lifecycle. It is a natural product widely used in green building projects and is recognised by GRIHA and IGBC. Not just that, all of our products use some or the other form of recycled content during the manufacturing process, and our major plants are being run using renewable electricity.
