Laura Light, the concept design team leader at Interface, discusses the merits of using rubber flooring for office spaces. With properties such as ease of cleaning and high longevity, it’s time to consider why rubber flooring deserves a seat at the (work) table.

Rubber flooring may not currently be the go-to choice for office designers, but as demands on workplace interiors evolve to prioritise sustainability, acoustic comfort and wellness, rubber is quickly gaining a reputation for both its practicality and unexpected versatility.

While the material has long been associated with healthcare and education environments, rubber’s resilient properties make it a natural choice for commercial spaces. Its durability reduces the need for frequent replacement, keeping costs to businesses low, and limiting the climate impact of waste. This renewed interest has also led to a wider variety of finishes and colours across the market, offering designers greater creative freedom when specifying for different environments.

This increase in popularity is leading to greater colourways being made available, with a variety of finishes and designs becoming available in the industry. Thanks to these developments in design, finding the perfect rubber flooring solution couldn’t be smoother.

With its resilience, design flexibility, and sustainability credentials, rubber offers an unconventional and fresh opportunity to create interiors that are as practical as they are progressive.

Rubber has a reputation for being one of the most durable materials for flooring, guaranteeing more than ten years of function thanks to its flexible nature allowing it to withstand wear-and-tear. Additionally, rubber flooring is easy to clean, making it convenient to maintain even in high footfall areas, like receptions and office kitchen areas.

In recent years, rubber has grown in popularity with interior designers thanks to both its longevity and accessibility. Natural rubber in particular is an appealing choice for designers, due to the ways in which it can aid businesses in achieving environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.

Prioritising sustainability from the get-go by fitting out durable flooring that was manufactured in an environmentally responsible way can set the standard to motivate further action to combat the climate crisis.

Rubber, if responsibly sourced, can have impressive sustainability credentials, as it is a bio-based material. Interface is the first manufacturer to be awarded the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), ensuring that its rubber is harvested without causing harm to people or the environment.

Innovations in rubber flooring to create highly durable, sustainable flooring builds upon decades of expertise in material science and low-carbon design, demonstrating a commitment to investing in product development that drives real carbon reduction and storage – without relying on offsets.

Beyond its sustainability benefits, rubber flooring can have a measurable impact on employee wellbeing and productivity. Its natural sound-absorption qualities make it an excellent choice for reducing background noise in open-plan environments, supporting focus and inclusivity.

The sound-absorption properties of rubber make it an excellent choice for reducing noise in the workplace, aiding productivity as well as creating a more inclusive environment with less risk of overstimulation or distraction. Some rubber floor coverings can even reduce noise by up to 20 decibels, absorbing distracting sounds such as chatter or music.

Recent studies reveal that noise pollution can reduce productivity by up to 66% as employees become distracted, making noise absorbing flooring a must-have choice for offices. In addition to impacting the quality of work, noise pollution can also increase stress and irritability, reducing employee wellbeing and engagement.

Selecting rubber flooring can boost the productivity of a workplace, not only through mitigating noise pollution, but also through creating a tranquil environment with harmonious aesthetics. Manufacturers have responded to the demand for more rubber flooring options, with new colourways such as those as part of the noravant timber collection from Interface, which mimics the appearance of wooden flooring and works across sectors including healthcare and education too.

Rubber flooring is fast emerging as a modern solution for workplaces that value sustainability, longevity, and wellbeing in equal measure. Once seen as purely functional, it’s now recognised as a material that can deliver both environmental and aesthetic value, while also being easy to both install and maintain.

As design priorities continue to evolve, rubber’s ability to combine durability with responsible sourcing and acoustic interface makes it a natural choice for the future of office interiors.

Further information about Interface’s new collection is available at https://shop.interface.com/GB/en-GB/resilient/nora-rubber/noravant-timber/N0044N.html