publication

Learning legacy
Lessons learned from the London
2012 Games construction project
Carpet tiles
An estimated 39,000 metres squared (m2) of carpet was installed at the Media
Centre. This is a significant area and was identified as a potential candidate to
realise embodied carbon savings.
Interface, a worldwide leader in the design and production of modular flooring,
uses life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess and continuously improve the impact of
every product. The LCA on its product range found that most of the impacts were
related to the production of the yarn. Indeed, carpet tiles have an embodied
carbon (based on Inventory of Carbon and Energy) between 7.75 kilogrammes
of carbon dioxide per kilogramme (kg CO2/kg) and 19.7kg CO2/kg depending
on its yarn content.
Therefore, our main focus at the Media Centre was to find a way to minimise the
environmental impacts associated with the yarn.
Specifying the carpet
When specifying the carpet, we
followed two simple steps:
– Investigate carpet with a lower yarn
content. As a rule of thumb, loop
pile tiles usually contain less yarn
than their cut pile counterpart.
– Choose a carpet with high recycled
content. It was important to ensure
that the recycled components were
made from post consumer waste
and the recycled content was
expressed as a percentage of the
total weight of the tile. According
to Waste and Resources Action
Programme (WRAP), a good
recycled content for carpet is
25 per cent. In comparison,
InterfaceFLOR Heuga 727 with
Econyl 70 is 52 per cent.
InterfaceFLOR recently launched
Biosfera I: a carpet containing
100 per cent recycled yarn.
The designers on the project had
originally specified a bond cut
pile tile with a yarn content of
950 grams/m2.
BioRegional challenged the architects
to contemplate a loop pile alternative
from InterfaceFLOR, with the added
advantage of installing the carpet
without liquid adhesive. The architects
initially rejected the carpet samples
produced by InterfaceFLOR because
the tiles did not meet their aesthetic
requirements. However, InterfaceFLOR
worked tirelessly to achieve the
distinctive greenish grey colour and
the appearance the architects had
in mind for the Media Centre floors.
Eventually they succeeded.
Heuga 727, the carpet installed at the
Media Centre is 28 per cent lighter
than Heuga 725 (cut pile). Compared
to the carpet originally specified, the
yarn content was reduced by 45 per
cent.
InterfaceFLOR, a Carillion agreed
supplier, offers an holistic approach
to sustainability. A pledge made by
the company in the mid-nineties
to eliminate its impact on the
environment by 2020, known
as Mission Zero, underpins all
dimensions of the company from
product to processes.
Interface Heuga Carpet 1
Interface Heuga
Carpet 2 (Loop Pile)
Interface Heuga
Carpet 2 (Cut Pile)
Building Research Establishment
Environmental Assessment Method
and the Code for Sustainable Homes
Heuga 727 is rated A+ under the
Green Guide and three points were
awarded under Building Research
Establishment Environmental
Assessment Method (BREEAM)
Olympic Bespoke – MW1 Materials
Specification for the internal floor
finishes category.
Under the latest BREEAM 2011 New
Construction (for non-domestic),
Heuga 727 would:
–– get three points under BREEAM
Mat 1 – Life Cycle Impact –
Flooring category; and
–– help towards getting one credit
under HEA 2 Indoor Air (because
the carpet is laid without adhesive).
No credits are available under the
Code for Sustainable Home for
procuring sustainable carpets.
Lessons learned
Technical
In high traffic areas, the loop pile
offers better appearance retention
than a cut pile.
Cost
The cost of Heuga 727 was within
the budget allocated.
Material minimisation
17.74 tonnes of material, which
corresponds to 234 tonnes of CO2.
WRAP Net Waste Tool
The use of Heuga 727 added an
increment of 0.57 per cent to the
recycled content by value.
Project
Media Centre
Contractor
Carillion
Supplier
Interface
Author
Chloe Souque, KLH Sustainability –
Senior Consultant (former Bioregional
Sustainability Advisor)
End of life
InterfaceFLOR’s Tile Take Back service,
ReEntry®, reclaims carpet at the end
of its useful life and ReEntry 2.0 is their
latest industry breakthrough.
Company ethos
Seven fronts is InterfaceFLOR’s
comprehensive sustainability strategy.
Interface Heuga Interface Heuga Recycled content
727 loop pile
727 cut pile
(%)
Yarn type
solution dyed
nylon
solution dyed
nylon
n/a
Yarn weight (g/m²)
520
720
70%
Primary weight (g/m²)
100
100
0%
Precoat weight (g/m²)
800
730
0%
Fibre Glass & Secondary weight 70
(g/m²)
80
0%
Bitumen compound weight (g/m²) 2,700
2,700
67%
Total end weight (g/m²)
4,190
4,330
n/a
Recycled content
52%
53%
n/a
© 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority. The official Emblems of the London 2012 Games are © London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and
Paralympic Games Limited (LOCOG) 2007. All rights reserved.
The construction of the venues and infrastructure of the London 2012 Games is funded by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor, the
Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency.
For more information visit: london2012.com/learninglegacy
Published March 2012
ODA 2012/374