ARCHITECT@WORK took place again in Berlin on 19 and 20 October 2022. emco Bau was there as an exhibitor and looks back on a successful participation. First of all, it is very pleasing that visitor numbers were again at the pre-pandemic level with just under 3,300. The fair’s supporters have obviously remained loyal to it over the difficult period, and new architecture and design fans have joined in.
The demand for news from the areas of materials, products and projects is great, which also became clear in the top-class guest lectures by architects and experts, who shared their experiences with the numerous audience members. Not only the great variety of perspectives and ways of thinking, but also the opportunity for intensive personal exchange determined the trade fair events and brought many new impulses and ideas. There was also a lively exchange at the exhibition stands – no wonder that the exhibitors were also more than satisfied. This was also the case for emco Bau …
Great success for emco Bau
Andreas Oellrich (Architectural Consultant, Field Service Region West, in the picture on the left) and Andreas Plonka (Architectural Consultant, Field Service Region East, in the picture on the right) were part of the emco team on site and give a brief insight into their impressions of the fair.
What was your experience at this year’s architect@work – what kind of feedback did you get from the visitors?
Andreas Oellrich: Once again, we found that emco is very well known as a brand in the area of commercial entrance mats and commercial entrance carpets, which became clear in the discussions.
Andreas Plonka: The guests we spoke to at the stand were all enthusiastic about the trade fair – a great event for everyone involved.
What were the main topics discussed at the stand?
Oellrich: Our main topic was accessibility and especially our tactile guidance systems …
Plonka: … the products presented in this regard included the SpinSafe and TLS systems, in combination with our premium collection.
The focus was therefore on tactile guidance systems and thus on the topic of accessibility. What does emco offer architects in this regard?
Oellrich: In addition to the optimally matched products, we offer architects professional needs assessment and advice as well as extensive information material: via brochures and samples as well as on our website and social media channels, for example LinkedIn.
Plonka: What is particularly convincing is the high degree of design freedom we offer – with two variants and our services, such as planning support and on-site measurement and fitting.
What is particularly important to the target group?
Plonka: In the discussions at the stand, it became clear that architects particularly appreciate emco-specific tender texts …
Oellrich: … in addition, they would like to be able to try out the product for themselves using a blind long stick.
What core messages did emco Bau convey at the trade fair?
Plonka: With our two variants, we demonstrated that accessibility for visually impaired people can also be achieved with our Commercial entrance mats without interruption.
Oellrich: In addition, we underlined our expertise in the area of needs assessment and consulting and were thus able to show once again that we are the professionals in the area of commercial entrance mats and commercial entrance carpets systems.
The tactile guidance systems from emco
Commercial entrance carpets systeme can meet the requirements of wayfinding. Since every guest enters a building through an entrance, it is important that no barriers are created here. emco Bau has developed excellent innovations for this challenge with three sophisticated Tactile Guidance Systems that close the tactile gap in the vestibule and entrance area to the inside of the building in the indoor and covered outdoor area and function excellently as a guidance system in the building. Different inlays, profile heights and thicknesses offer many design options here
In vestibules and entrance areas, a gap in the guidance system for the blind quickly becomes a dangerous tripping hazard for blind and visually impaired people. SpinSafe solves the problem as a seamless guidance system in entrances with an integrated dirt trap system. The Commercial entrance mats innovation with integrated stainless steel elements enables good orientation, directions and changes of direction can be easily and clearly felt with the feet or a cane for the blind. The tactile floor information complies with the standards of DIN 32984. In addition to the tactile floor indicators, the auditory impression also changes significantly when a blind person’s cane is used. This also makes it easier to find doors, stairs and lifts. Different inlays, material heights and profile thicknesses make SpinSafe a high-quality solution for architects, because it can be used to create visually harmonious pathways.
The emco TLS entrance mat ensures that the typical tripping hazards at the transitions to the interior no longer exist. A guidance system with different heights is integrated into the flexibly layable Commercial entrance carpets zone, which can be easily felt with the sole of the foot or with a cane for the blind. The high-contrast colour scheme provides additional assistance. For example, doors, stairs or lifts can be found more easily and attention can be drawn to dangers and obstacles. Additional plus: The tactile guidance system can be embedded in existing recesses. A reliable continuation of already existing floor guidance systems is possible.
Maximus Assistance is the solution for entrances where a guidance system is to be added later. It can also be used to reliably continue existing floor guidance systems – for example in the form of a transition from a SpinSafe or TLS variant to important orientation points inside the building. The innovative product made of high-contrast colours with different, tactile height differences was developed in cooperation with the German Association for the Blind and received the “Floor of the Year 2019” award.