BrainTree Wellness Centre in Christchurch is designed to support Cantabrians living with neurological conditions. The first centre of its kind in New Zealand, BrainTree supports people to live as well as they can in their homes and within the community.

Architects Wilson Hill worked with Heritage Carpets to choose soft flooring that met both the creative and practical requirements for the spaces, for example ensuring a visual language that people living with dementia would feel confident in.

James Arps, architect from Wilson Hill, explains more about the BrainTree project:

What was the overall brief and aesthetic for BrainTree and how did the carpet choice fit within this?

The BrainTree Wellness Centre is an innovative, first-of-its-kind facility in Christchurch that supports people living with neurological conditions to live well in the community. The Centre provides public seminar, gym and studio spaces along with a café and offices for a number of charitable organisations.

These organisations had previously been operating out of dark, drab premises that did nothing to inspire their visitors’ health or well-being. The opportunity to build something fit-for-purpose also brought the opportunity to bring some light and creativity to the design.

The flooring for the project was to be attractive as well as durable and cost-effective. Orange and mid-dark grey-coloured carpet tiles (Modulyss First Forward 322, Modulyss First Decode 322, and Modulyss First Decode 995) were selected for their vibrancy and to reference the BrainTree branding. Important zones within the building were defined with large, solid areas of orange carpet tiles. Paired mixes of carpet tiles were provided elsewhere to provide some dynamism.

How did Heritage Carpets assist with the BrainTree fit-out?

The Main Contractor, Armitage Williams, provided the introduction to Heritage Carpets. Heritage Carpets were very receptive from the get-go to the ideas behind, as well as the charitable nature of, the project — providing great products at competitive prices, along with a significant donation.

A range of physical samples was provided by Heritage Carpets and as the concept progressed, they were also able to provide photo-realistic floor covering plans. These were very useful for communicating the design intent to the clients.

Heritage Carpets’ communication along the was very good and the order was provided efficiently in spite of Covid and shipping challenges.