Recycled carpet tiles from GH Commercial’s ‘Loop Program’ were installed at the Sub Base Platypus site in Sydney as part of a refurbishment project to create a new workplace for world leading environmental and advisory solutions provider, SLR Consulting.
GH Commercial was engaged by acclaimed global architecture and design firm, Woods Bagot to provide recycled, sustainable and stylish flooring for the workplace project.
A part of Cammeraygal country in Sydney’s North Shore, the Sub Base Platypus site speaks to a divergent past. Originally operating as a gasworks from 1876, the Federal Government took possession of the ageing facility in 1942 and converted it into a torpedo factory.
By 1967 the site had been commissioned by the Royal Australian Navy to serve as a base for its Oberon-class submarines. Dubbed HMAS Platypus, and acting as operational headquarters for the Australian Submarine Squadron, it was eventually deemed unsuitable for the newer Collins Class Subs and officially closed in the 1990s.
Recently rechristened Sub Base Platypus, the area has now been transformed into a premier destination for community recreation, local engagement and commercial use, boasting historical and cultural walking tours, a pop-up bar and café, children’s playground and waterfront BBQ facilities.
The recycled materials brief
SLR Consulting delivers advice from acoustics to waste management across a broad client base. Woods Bagot, which was enlisted to design an appropriate office fitout in the refurbished Sub Base Platypus Submarine School for their Asia Pacific Head office, was given a brief to source and utilise as many recycled materials as possible.
Enter the GH Commercial ‘Loop Program’. A key component of our sustainability mission and commitment to our circular economy model initiative, the Loop Program was developed to reduce the potential environmental impacts of our products’ end-of-life disposal.
Alongside the GH Commercial Product Recovery Program, an Australian carpet manufacturing company first that serves to divert carpet from landfill, our Loop Program gives carpet tiles a second lease on life. Offered on a project-by-project basis, collecting, grading and reusing tiles for their original purpose is equally appealing to price-dependent buyers, schools and charities, as it is to environmentally aware corporate clients.
Everything old is new again
Two exceptional ranges were recycled to stunning effect, complementing the Woods Bagot ethical design vision in both function and form. Godfrey Hirst Ingrain, featured in colour 760 Shadow, is a textured carpet plank with an etched, linear, contrasting pattern influenced by millennia of ancient art techniques and relief printing methods.
Also used were three patterns from the popular Mohawk Group Lichen Collection – Macro Bloom, Micro Bloom and Ground Cover, in colours 937 Frosted Shield, 956 Iceland Moss, 945 Silva and 949 Rockface, each featuring textured, multi-hued lichen inspired designs.
Both ranges incorporate elements of the natural world, their biophilic principles echoing the cultural and natural history anchored in the origin story of Sub Base Platypus.
High performance flooring that’s better for the planet
Both our Lichen Collection and Ingrain carpet planks are proudly Australian made and certified Declare Red List Free. Meeting exacting sustainability and toxic-free chemical standards, they deliver a safer and more sustainable working environment. The Lichen Collection is made with Duracolor Tricor yarn comprising 30% recycled content and can be cleaned using just water, while each high performance range offers excellent noise insulating properties, in-built stain resistance, and the resilience necessary to combat heavy foot traffic.
The entire project team, from design to build and fitout, were aligned with a common ethos in a collaboration that actively encapsulated a core sustainability pillar for GH Commercial – Believe in Better.
Contact your local GH Commercial consultant to learn more about our Loop Program or sustainable flooring solutions for your next project.
Photography: Nicholas Smith
