Shackerley Helps To Protect Floorcoverings

Heavy duty Sentinel entrance matting has been supplied to a bespoke design by Shackerley Holdings Group Limited for the iconic London headquarters of the global reinsurance company, Swiss Re.

The exterior entrances to the 40-storey building at 30 St Mary Axe, known to many affectionately as 'The Gherkin' because of its distinctive shape and design, have been fitted with specially prefabricated Sentinel mats from the Lancashire manufacturer.

These will provide a first line of defence against the footborne soil that will inevitably be trafficked into the premises by the tenants of the building (expected to exceed 3000 when it is fully occupied), and the many clients and visitors crossing the threshold of the building daily from the plaza.

Brian Newell, Group Chairman of Shackerley and a founder member of the Entrance Flooring Systems Association said his company had been delighted to supply Sentinel mats for one of London's newest and most spectacular landmarks: " This project has given Shackerley an opportunity to demonstrate its ability to design and prefabricate Sentinel matting to meet demanding aesthetic and performance specifications," he explained.

"The distinctive geometric lines and radii of this stunning building were to be echoed at ground level, even within the shape and design of the exterior mats." Brian continued: "Although covered, the entrance areas are in semi-exposed positions which meant that a Gap System was required for this project.

While the construction and profiles of the specified mats were from the standard Sentinel Gap System range, complete with Shackerley's synthetic rubber inserts, they had to be cut to create a semi-circular design, radiating from a centre point.

We worked closely with the contractors responsible for installing all the floorcoverings in the busy reception area to the building.

To ensure that the aesthetic design from Foster and Partners was translated correctly, we worked to a precise template and supplied all the exterior mats in prefabricated sections for simplified installation." For further information on the full range of Sentinel matting systems and bespoke matting design services from Shackerley.

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