Barlo MS Centre
New MS care and research facility in Toronto benefits from safety and visual qualities of Polyflor products. Polyflor’s Expona Simplay, Palettone, and Polysafe Quattro were used in Toronto’s new Barlo MS Clinic to create a welcoming environment for patients receiving treatment for multiple sclerosis, to create a familiar, comforting atmosphere feeling.
Location: Toronto, Canada
Products Used: Expona Simplay, Palettone & Polysafe Quattro
Sector: Health & Care
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When offering medical care to members of the public, healthcare providers have two priorities. The first is to provide a clean and hygienic environment that reassures patients they are in safe hands. The second is to create an atmosphere that simultaneously feels welcoming and comfortable, so that while receiving treatment, patients are calm and relaxed.
Flooring has long been utilised as a key factor in healthcare design to achieve these two objectives. In particular, flooring played a major role in the delivery of the new Barlo MS Clinic at St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada, which opened in October 2021.
The Barlo MS Centre is Canada’s largest clinic for people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). It delivers both research and care across the two top floors of the hospital’s new 17-storey tower. The 30,000 sq ft, state-of-the-art facility provides patients with a dedicated healthcare team in one location, including neurologists, nurses, social workers, neuropsychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, neuropsychiatrists, and physicians.
The centre is filled with modern art and offers views across Toronto, designed to enhance the patient experience and make sure their stay is accessible and customised to their needs.
The hospital’s senior team was integral to many of the design decisions taken for its new development, which was led by Architects, also based in Toronto. Looking for flooring that would offer ease of maintenance, high performance in terms of its quality and a variety of contemporary designs, the team – which has prior experience of using Polyflor coverings elsewhere in the hospital – opted to use Polyflor’s Expona Simplay, Palettone and Polysafe Quattro ranges.
Polyflor supplied 12,000 sq ft of Expona Simplay in Grey Country Oak, and 3,000 sq ft in Light Classic Oak, to be installed throughout the main communal areas of the centre and its teaching rooms. Almost 5,000 sq ft of Palettone in Fired Ochre was fitted in private patient suites and research areas, while around 1,700 sq ft of Polysafe Quattro was used in the facility’s bathrooms.
The coverings made for a homely feel during care for the patients, while maintaining safe and hygienic standards as required in medical environments.
Michael Iamonaco, Regional Sales Manager for Polyflor Canada, liaised with the hospital’s staff throughout the project.
Flooring design plays a key role in the patient experience; people visiting the facility want to know they’re in well-maintained surroundings, but also have a level of comfort similar to that they would at home or in a much-loved coffee shop, for example.
I worked closely with the hospital’s team over the two years this project was taking shape, and there is now an established level of trust in Polyflor’s products which is something to be proud of. More importantly, patients and staff continue to compliment the flooring, and how the overall design is uplifting and contributes to how their time is spent there.
The project demonstrates how integral flooring is to achieving an overall aesthetic and atmosphere, and I’m pleased we were able to contribute.
Health & Care case studies
Kitwood House, a new 64-bed dementia home in Northwich, used flooring and clever interior design to trigger fond memories in its residents. Polyflor’s Polysafe range was selected for the development’s bedrooms and bathrooms to achieve a contemporary aesthetic that would minimise the risk of slips and falls, while Polyflor’s Expona Bevel Line range was selected for communal spaces to replicate the comforting feeling of home.
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