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The new BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir and Community Centre in Taylor, Canberra, used a deliberately mixed flooring scheme: DESSO Essence carpet tiles in the shrine, prayer, learning and activity areas; iD Inspiration Loose Lay vinyl in dining, lounge and upper-level open spaces; and Safetred Universal Plus R12 safety flooring in the commercial kitchen. The choices followed how each room is used—barefoot comfort and acoustics in worship areas, colour and stain tolerance in activity rooms, resilient cleanability in communal spaces, and slip-conscious performance in the kitchen.
The account comes from Tarkett’s project case study, alongside an Architecture & Design feature dated 11 September 2024. It is a manufacturer case study, not an independent product trial, so its performance descriptions should be read as supplier-reported selection reasons rather than laboratory comparisons.
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What flooring was used in the Canberra BAPS Mandir?
The centre covers a central shrine, prayer rooms, halls, learning and activity rooms, offices, dining areas, lounges and a large commercial kitchen. Rather than force one finish across all of them, the project team matched flooring to the activity taking place in each zone.
| Area | Flooring specified | Selection logic reported in the case study |
|---|---|---|
| Shrine and prayer rooms | DESSO Essence carpet tiles, arranged in single-colour fields with contrasting borders | Softness and comfort for visitors who remove shoes and may sit on the floor; strong colour definition for the religious interior |
| Learning and activity rooms | DESSO Essence Stripe carpet tiles with SoundMaster Comfort Cushion backing | Stripe pattern helps conceal marks from crafts and children’s activities; backing adds underfoot comfort and acoustic performance, according to Tarkett |
| Dining rooms, lounges and upstairs open areas | iD Inspiration Loose Lay Elegant Oak Beige vinyl planks | Oak appearance, a protective wear layer, heavy-duty commercial rating, rolling-traffic tolerance and straightforward cleaning, as described by Tarkett |
| Commercial kitchen | Safetred Universal Plus R12 | Selected for heavy use and an R12 slip rating, with the rating claim attributed to the case study |
More than 1,000 square metres of DESSO Essence carpet tiles formed part of the project’s reported 2,200 square metres of total flooring. The Essence collection was described as offering 31 colours; that is a range statement in the project material, not a guarantee of current stock.
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Why the shrine needed a different floor from the kitchen
In the shrine and prayer rooms, visitors remove their shoes and may sit directly on the floor. That changes the priorities from those of a conventional corridor or office: contact comfort matters, as does the visual character of a large uninterrupted surface. Carpet tiles give the room a softer surface than a hard plank or sheet floor, while individual tiles can be replaced if a local area is damaged.
The case study describes large single-colour expanses with contrasting borders. Tarkett’s Mark Lynch explains that colour was central to the brief: red was described as religiously and culturally significant, and the client envisaged a combination of deep red and sunflower yellow. The border treatment can define circulation or prayer zones without introducing a separate material into the shrine.
This is a design decision as much as a materials decision. A single dominant colour keeps the visual field calm when people are seated, while a contrasting edge supplies orientation and frames the room. The source does not provide an independent assessment of colour durability or tile replacement rates, so those issues would need confirmation in a project specification.
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How the activity rooms balance appearance, marks and acoustics
Essence Stripe for craft and children’s use
Learning and activity rooms experience a different kind of wear from a shrine. Paint, glue, food and tracked-in dirt can create small marks, and chairs or tables may be rearranged frequently. The project used Essence Stripe carpet tile in these areas because the linear pattern was intended to make marks less conspicuous than they would be on a flat, uniform field.
Pattern is not a substitute for cleaning, but it can extend the period between visible spot-cleaning events and make inevitable minor blemishes less prominent. It also gives activity rooms a visual identity distinct from the shrine without abandoning the comfort of carpet.
SoundMaster Comfort Cushion backing
Tarkett says SoundMaster Comfort Cushion backing was added to the carpet tiles to provide greater comfort and increase acoustic performance within each space and between adjacent spaces. That addresses two practical conditions in a community centre: people may spend long periods sitting or working on the floor, and simultaneous classes, conversations and events can create competing noise.
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The wording is supplier-attributed. The case study does not publish decibel reductions, test-room conditions, or a complete acoustic build-up, so the backing should be treated as a design feature to verify against the building’s acoustic requirements rather than as a guaranteed numeric result.
Why communal and upstairs spaces used loose-lay vinyl
Appearance that suits dining and lounge settings
Dining rooms, lounges and open spaces upstairs—including areas looking towards the domes—were specified with iD Inspiration Loose Lay Elegant Oak Beige vinyl planks. Mark Lynch says the client liked the soft, subtle oak appearance and the protection provided by the wear layer. The colour supplies a warmer, domestic visual language than a plain industrial floor while remaining a hard, wipeable surface for shared rooms.
Heavy use and rolling traffic
These spaces can host meals, meetings and events, so traffic is not limited to pedestrians. The case study says the LVT collection is rated for heavy-duty commercial use and can handle rolling traffic such as wheeled tables and screens. Those statements come from Tarkett’s account; the article does not provide a third-party abrasion test, load limit or wheel type. A facilities team should obtain the current technical sheet and confirm suitability for its own furniture and event layouts.
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Loose-lay maintenance considerations
The project account emphasizes that the selected vinyl is easy to maintain and clean. For a community centre, that can reduce disruption after meals or large gatherings because the surface can be cleaned without the drying time associated with a wet textile floor. “Easy to maintain” is not a complete maintenance schedule, however. Cleaning chemicals, frequency, entrance matting, spill response and replacement procedures should be agreed with the installer and manufacturer for the installed edition.
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Why the commercial kitchen required safety flooring
The kitchen prepared meals during an opening weekend that catered for around 12,000 visitors, according to the case study. That figure describes the catering demand reported for the opening weekend; it should not be read as an audited attendance total or as a forecast of normal daily use.
Safetred Universal Plus R12 was selected for the kitchen. The case study links the choice to heavy use and reports an R12 slip rating, which it says is important for allowing people to work safely. R12 is a classification claim in the supplier’s account, not a complete safety assessment. Actual risk also depends on drainage, falls, grease management, cleaning practices, footwear, thresholds, coving, seam treatment and staff procedures. A kitchen specification should therefore verify the current classification, installation details and cleaning instructions for the exact product version.
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A room-by-room decision method for similar community buildings
The Canberra project offers a useful specification sequence for any centre that combines worship, education, hospitality and events. Start with the activity rather than with a favourite material.
- Map the use of every room. Record whether occupants remove shoes, sit on the floor, eat, cook, move furniture, run classes or host large gatherings. Include entrances, circulation routes and service access, not just named rooms.
- Set the human-contact requirement. Barefoot or seated use raises the importance of softness and cushioning. In the BAPS shrine and prayer rooms, that requirement led to carpet tile rather than a hard communal finish.
- Separate appearance goals from concealment needs. Large single-colour fields and contrasting borders can express a sacred design concept. Activity rooms may benefit from a patterned tile such as Essence Stripe when craft and children’s marks are expected.
- Assess traffic type, not only footfall. Count pedestrians, wheeled tables, screens, trolleys and movable seating. The dining and lounge areas were specified with a commercial LVT whose reported advantages include heavy-duty use and rolling traffic.
- Define cleaning and interruption limits. Food service and frequent events favour a surface with a clear cleaning regime and rapid return to use. Obtain chemical compatibility and spot-replacement instructions before committing.
- Identify wet, greasy or service zones. Kitchens need a documented slip strategy, drainage plan and seam detail. Treat an R12 designation as one input to that strategy, not as proof that every operating condition is safe.
- Coordinate acoustics and structure. Where rooms are adjacent or classes run simultaneously, ask for acoustic test data for the complete floor assembly. The BAPS project used SoundMaster Comfort Cushion backing, but the case study does not quantify its effect.
- Check lifecycle cost. Compare supply, subfloor preparation, installation, cleaning, replacement and downtime. The project account gives no full installation cost or maintenance budget, so those figures must come from a project-specific tender.
What the project scale tells facilities teams
The reported quantities—over 1,000 square metres of DESSO Essence carpet tiles and 2,200 square metres of flooring overall—show why consistency and stock planning matter. A large installation should reserve replacement tiles from the same dye lot where possible, document plank orientation and keep product references with the facilities records. If a future repair uses a different colour or batch, even a small patch may be noticeable in a single-colour shrine field.
The 31-colour Essence range described in the case study gives a designer room to coordinate borders, prayer areas and activity zones. It does not establish that every colour is available in every market or at the time of a later refurbishment. Confirm lead times, minimum order quantities and current technical data before finalising a palette.
What is established—and what still needs verification
The supplier case study clearly identifies the three flooring families and the room-by-room rationale. It also records the project quantities, the reported opening-weekend catering demand and the design emphasis on deep red and sunflower yellow. Architecture & Design provides the associated publication date of 11 September 2024 and a summary of the Mandir and Community Centre.
It does not provide independent side-by-side testing, a complete installation specification, total installed cost, a maintenance timetable, warranty terms or current product availability. Nor does it establish that the reported R12 rating alone satisfies every kitchen safety obligation. For a new project, request current technical datasheets, slip and wear classifications for the exact editions, acoustic test reports for the proposed build-up, substrate requirements, cleaning chemicals, warranty conditions and installer references.
The practical lesson for a total flooring plan
A “total flooring solution” does not have to mean one product everywhere. In this Mandir and community centre, the coherent plan came from assigning each finish a job: carpet tile for barefoot comfort, seated worship and acoustic support; patterned carpet for busy learning rooms; loose-lay vinyl for attractive, heavily used communal areas with rolling furniture; and kitchen safety flooring for a high-demand service environment. That division makes the building easier to use and gives the facilities team clearer criteria for future repairs and replacements.
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