The goal of any entrance flooring system is to safely trap and manage dirt and moisture when entering a building to create a safer, cleaner, and healthier environment. If not thought out properly and designed with intent and care, it could be detrimental to wellness and even finances.  

As businesses and employees anticipate a return to commercial workplaces, employee’s wellness is a high priority. Design plays a big part in ensuring that a safe haven can be created indoors,  and while it might not be the first thing that comes to mind as you think about improving the air quality in your building, flooring plays a surprisingly important role in creating a healthy building environment.

Leading flooring designer and manufacturer Milliken is proud to be celebrating its 100^th year of production in Britain. The company was first registered in 1920 at the Waterside Mill in Bury, Greater Manchester when it became one of the earliest textile manufacturers in the UK. It manufactured cotton shirtings and in later years industrial fabrics before switching to air bag manufacture in 2004. Following the purchase of the Beech Hill Plant in Wigan, the first Millitron® carpet tile (using Milliken’s patented digital dye technology) was printed in the UK in 1986, which makes 2021 the 35^th year Milliken has made carpet tiles in the UK. The last UK site Milliken purchased was the Middleton Plant in 1997 where protective flooring and entryway products are now produced. 

In December 2020 Milliken was proud celebrate our 100th year of manufacturing in the UK. The company was first registered in 1920 at the Waterside Mill in Bury in the North West of England, when it became one of the earliest textile manufacturers in the UK. It manufactured cotton shirtings and in later years industrial fabrics.

Meet The Maker: Steve Ainscough 

Job title: Millitron® Design Technician – AKA The Pattern Pro 

Having spent time operating in and leading the print department, Steve now heads up technical support for Milliken’s Millitron patterning technology. 

Time at Milliken: 24 years 

Meet The Maker: Mark Brixton 

Time at Milliken: 13 months.

Meet The Maker: Lee Riley 

Time at Milliken: 15 years

Meet The Maker: Martin Topping

Time at Milliken: 5 and a half years. I’ve just reached the 5 year achievement award, when you get a certificate and vouchers.

Meet The Maker: Lucinda Bamford 

Job title:  Warping Operator, aka The Warping Wizard  

Time at Milliken: 4 years

Reading time: 6 mins

Part 2: Communal Spaces

In our last blog post we discussed lecture theatres and the need to rethink the spatial design of campuses to provide settings suited to student needs, but also to evolving pedagogy and teaching delivery. But it is not just the constraint caused by lecture theatres that might impact student learning and wellbeing on campus. The topic we turn to today is the design of communal spaces to host a variety of student activities.