Textile wallcoverings and backlit materials from CMYUK have been used in the extensive remodelling and refurbishment of Flutter’s worldwide HQ in Dublin, Ireland. The project involved a significant amount of demolition and reconstruction from the ground up to transform an office complex built in 1999 into a contemporary and collaborative working space.

Artworks Solutions, a turnkey supplier to the construction industry, produced a variety of graphics for key walls and lightboxes situated in communal areas throughout the seven storey, 164,000-square-foot  building along with several acoustic solutions.

Its in-house design team put together a visual pack from a printed wallcovering perspective that included treatments for dry-wipe functional surfaces, large graphic walls, lightboxes and acoustic panels. It worked closely with Claremont Interiors to ensure this worked within the overall interior design parameters.

Walls and corridors

Artworks Solutions digitally printed graphics for over 40 walls across all seven storeys of Flutter’s office. Due to the large amount of print required, it was very keen to use products with an environmental edge.  Artworks  presented Flutter with two solutions – Kavalan Gecko 320GB and UFabrik Backlit Textile ECO FR – for high volume usage.

“In the past we’ve found inconsistencies and instability in sustainable products,” said Artwork Solutions MD Seath Herbert, “they just didn’t seem to have had enough market testing. We’ve had no production issues with the materials we specified for this project, and the installers like working with them too. They tick all the boxes for sustainability, performance integrity and price point.”

Kavalan Geko 320GB is a PVC-free, recyclable polyester-based textile for single piece wallcoverings and display systems. It has B1 and EN13501-1 fire ratings and meets the highest environmental standards including EN-71, 33P, ROHS, REACH and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approval.

UFabrik Backlit Textile ECO FR was used in a prominent design feature of the building – a tunnel-effect corridor that connects the ground floor reception with the central atrium.  This walkway has been designed to create maximum impact.  Dramatic and moody walls are studded either side by lightboxes and LED illuminated printed images which are sensor-controlled and activated by movement.  

The backlit textile is produced from 100% recycled PET plastic bottle waste and top coated for use with UV and latex inks to ensure brilliant colour reproduction. It is crease and wrinkle-free under tension and doesn’t bruise or mark when folded. Fire rated to DIN 4102-1-B1 and EN13501 standards, it is also REACH, Global Recycled Standard certified, and compliant with the California Proposition 65. As such, it’s fast becoming the material of choice for backlit and frontlit display applications. 

“The lightbox images will be regularly updated so it was important for us to use a sustainable material that could be easily recycled, but that alone wasn’t enough,” said Herbert. “It also needed to print high quality and feature brilliant colour reproduction at close viewing. UFabrik Backlit Eco does it all.”

Graphic installations

Artworks Solutions runs a large in-house installation department that has four in-house fitting teams. It also works with numerous contractors and on any single day can have up to 12 teams out in the field. The Dublin installation was more demanding than most. Delivered during lockdown and on the back of Brexit, it had a unique set of associated challenges with logistics and travel restrictions. In total, it took two months to install  – with an interchangeable crew of six including two permanent mainstays providing consistency throughout to get the job done.

The company is currently in the design, planning and production stages for additional worldwide offices in Edinburgh, New York, Los Angles, St Juliens, Malta and Toronto.

In the first quarter of 2022, it has recorded record figures, the best in its company history. It has a strong forward order book spanning a diverse client base and driving expansion across all areas of its business.

“Part of our business strategy has been to move our larger volume substrates across to more environmentally friendly alternatives,” said Herbert. “The CMYUK portfolio of surface textiles has made this a viable option with materials that not only print well but are in line with our clients’ price expectations and sustainability demands.”

www.cmyuk.com