Hopes are rising with news of a vaccine, but Covid-19 is still here. PiP’s latest selection of products includes a range of safer surfaces and some touchless controls
Semblance tile range
Lapicida
The problem with nice stone is that people always want to feel it – just look at the walls in the Holy Sepulchre church in Jerusalem. But in these Covid days, you might be wanting a little more hygiene after the human touch. Tile and stone firm Lapicida have launched Semblance – a new range of antibacterial porcelain that looks like marble. It states that an antibacterial ‘shield’ has been infused onto the surface ‘creating a permanent layer that eliminates up to 99.9% of bacteria.’ Available in tile and slab formats, it is suitable for floors, walls and work surfaces.
Kydex thermoplastics
Latham
Material supplier James Latham has produced a handy materials guide to help navigate the brave new world of surface specification. With anti-microbial judged ‘significantly better for high-use surfaces’ than antibacterial, thermoplastic Kydex is praised – heavily used in healthcare because it’s mouldable, robust and hygienic and withstands tough cleaning products without staining, fading or surface damage. It contains Microban, for anti-microbial protection, and damage to the top layer will not negatively affect its anti-microbial properties or visual impact.
Fenix kitchen range
Rotpunkt
The German kitchen manufacturer has been one of the first out of the spatio-culinary-contagion blocks with an antimicrobial variant of its Zerox kitchen range, Fenix, featuring its supermatt doors in either black or grey. The surface is, the PR claims, a ‘high pressure laminate solution which is soft to the touch and extremely resilient, providing enhanced antibacterial properties’. As well as inhibiting the growth of micro-organisms, it adds, it’s resistant to scratches and abrasions, solvents and cleaning agents. Low reflectivity accounts for its sultry super-matt finish.
Touchless elevator controls
Thyssenkrupp
Two elevator management systems being launched by the German lift company apply QR technology to allow users to control elevators via smartphones, lanyard ID tags or wearables. Touchless call uses QR codes placed at each landing and inside the cabin. Passengers can use these to operate the elevator via a virtual control panel on their smartphone. Meanwhile, with Elevator pass the QR codes can be generated via app, email, text message, or in paper form. The user scans this code at a landing reader and elevator calls are generated automatically.