#coraltread

Classy dining in an auto showroom raises some unique issues, like how to keep out dirt and moisture without distracting from the ambience within.

Marketing cars has become somewhat of an art form in recent years. Fast disappearing are the dusty yards stacked with rows of autos, and in comes bespoke business showcases as car companies get more and more clever at attracting new costumers.

Ebbetts Waikato have taken this to a whole new level by opening a chic café designed by another Hamilton icon – Chow Hill - right inside their showrooms in East Hamilton.

Wedged in the spacious atrium between the Audi & Volkswagen showrooms ‘Osten’ (which is German for ‘East’), caters to the upper middle class professionals who are prime candidates for a new RS or GTI. And while we could wax lyrical about the tantalizing treats they serve, we really want to draw your attention to the décor.

Like all things Teutonic, the minimalist design is crisp and functional, right down to the grand entrance. The large glass sliding doors open onto a large patio, and can be retracted to allow for al fresco dining or the occasional egress of autos (should that be required). To keep the insides clean, without distracting from the design, interior designers Material Creative turned to Advance Flooring for help.

The solution lay in the robust ‘ExtraTread’ Entrance Matting System utilizing extra-wide intense wear polyamide infills in a stylish aluminium frame. The sleek low profile system is highly slip resistant, moisture absorbent, and traps dirt on specially designed corrugated rails.

The low profile enhanced both attractiveness and strength, and was fabricated to exact size in Advance’s Auckland factory. Installation was completed in a matter of hours, and (incidentally) a matter of hours from opening (allowing for all the nasty equipment to be removed and the floors cleaned prior to installation).

Seeking inspiration in the Architect’s own office

When an architect is asked what his best building is, he usually answers, “The next one.” But since you can’t really use that for inspiration on your own building, then perhaps the next best thing is to look at the buildings they design for themselves.

Warren & Mahoney have taken this principle on board in designing their new Christchurch offices. The building embraces the core values of the new-look Christchurch blending form and function in a building with “a sense of strength, creativity and positive public engagement”.

The 3,400 sqm building at 254 Montreal St includes a 1,000 sqm studio for Warren & Mahoney, and incorporates all the features you’d expect in a post-quake project – structural resilience from a raft of seismic measures, thermal efficiency incorporating intricate solar shading, and of course dynamic devices to minimize maintenance and repair.

And after years of experience working with our products, it’s no surprise really that Warren & Mahoney specified CoralTread entrance matting to help keep the elements outside their building. In what we’d describe as an optimal installation, the anodized aluminium strips with black polyamide strips fill the generously-proportioned glass-encased wind lobby, accentuating the myriad of buildings and road markings beyond the plate-glass entrance doors.

Our studies show that 2-3 steps on CoralTread can remove up to 86% of the dirt which might otherwise be trampled into the building, and visitors to Warren & Mahoney’s office will take several more steps to traverse the wind lobby, ensuring efficiency and a clean and safe environment inside for occupants and visitors.

CoralTread is made by Advance Flooring, and installed globally. It uses an aluminium strip design, made to measure, separated by highly absorbent polyamide infills, and placed on a shock-absorbing vinyl cushion. It is an attractive addition to any entranceway, and ideal for use in high density traffic areas such as commercial offices, schools, airports and hotels.