Construction World June 2017

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Collaboration with ACCLAIMED ARCHITECT unveiled Swedish woven vinyl flooring designer and manufacturer, Bolon – represented in South Africa by KBAC Flooring – has launched a new ‘architect-driven’ range of flooring designed by acclaimed French architect, Jean Nouvel.

The ‘Bolon by Jean Nouvel Design’ flooring concept was first unveiled at the architect’s retrospective exhibition in Paris in October last year, and then introduced to the European design fraternity at Bolon’s ‘Innovators at Heart’ exhibition in Stockholm in February this year. Jean Nouvel came to prominence in the 1980s, with groundbreaking projects like the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art in Paris and the Cultural and Conference Center in Lucerne, Switzerland. World-class projects followed, establishing Nouvel as one of the great architects of the century. In 2008, he was awarded the Pritzker Prize, awarded annually “to honour a living architect whose built work demonstrates consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture”. Bolon’s collaboration with Nouvel marks the Swedish manufacturer and designer’s a combination of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced

first architect-driven flooring concept and directly addresses the concerns of architects in its concept and execution. The Bolon by Jean Nouvel Design collection features six signature colours. A departure from Bolon’s typically designer- driven flooring, the flooring was conceived with spatiality in mind and has a textural, hand-woven effect in combinations of black, grey, red and blue. The colour panes make it possible to have complete control and flexibility within the interior. The flooring amplifies the interior geometry, making it possible to experiment with the layout and natural circulation in an interior space. “The freedom is yours to use the flooring to play with colour and light, and engage the windows of the space,” says Jean Nouvel. “It is not a decorative carpet, but an architectural floor. Using Bolon is a bit like choosing the fabric for a suit: it makes you want to look closely and to touch. I designed the striped pattern so that it could be arranged at a diagonal from a

window to appear as sunlight coming through glass. I’m a bit of a minimalist, so I enjoy it when the figurative theme disappears and one goes towards the most essential thing: the basis of the texture.” Bolon by Jean Nouvel Design woven vinyl rolls are available in six colours: Black Warp with red, blue or grey weft; and Grey Warp with red, blue or dark grey weft. The new collection is also available in 50 cm by 50 cm tiles in Black Warp with blue weft, or Grey Warp with dark grey weft. Bolon is a 70-year-old Swedish company that makes innovative flooring solutions for public spaces with a list of clientele that includes Armani, Google, Volvo Cars, Adidas, Skype, Missoni and Radisson Red. KBAC Flooring was appointed as sole Bolon distributor in South Africa last year.  “Using Bolon is a bit like choosing the fabric for a suit: it makes you want to look closely and to touch.”

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD JUNE 2017