By Bates Surfaces
The new $215 million Burwood Hospital in Christchurch features a state of the art commercial kitchen.
Fenta Ceiling Tiles by Bates Surfaces were selected as part of the high quality and durable material palette. Designed to provide meals for over 280 patients a day, the Burwood Hospital catering kitchen had to be robust, easy to clean, low maintenance and highly efficient. Fenta ceiling tiles perform on all fronts due to their unique UV-cured painted surface and strong substrate.
The Fenta tile’s hard-wearing surface provides the longevity required in a busy hospital environment. And the specialist paint system – developed by Bates Surfaces – means excellent light reflectance for the window-less kitchen spaces.
Ingredients for optimal light reflectance
The project brief required a high gloss level on the walls and kitchen ceiling, both for easy-clean and a high light reflectance value.
The glazed Fenta tiles are about the best option on the market for these requirements because of their non-scratchable surface and unique paint finish.
The UV-cured polyurethane provides a luminous surface. Lighting is amplified in the space, making the artificial lighting more efficient. This leads to improved working conditions and lower energy costs. ‘We have no natural light,’ says food service manager Hellen Donnithorne, ‘so they help make the kitchen light and bright and easy on the eye.’
A durable surface and a flexible solution
The James Hardie compressed sheet substrate makes the Fenta tiles incredibly tough, while the UV-cured high-gloss paint surface is smooth and hygienic.
This makes them very easy to wipe down and maintain in this busy commercial kitchen.
Sheppard and Rout architect, Tim Dagg, describes them as ‘one of the better options for durability and flexibility, where you can pop out the tiles from the ceiling grid to access and maintain services concealed above.’
In addition to hygiene and light-reflectance, the other key feature required for a kitchen environment is fire safety. The fire rated ceiling tiles achieve the maximum New Zealand Building Code Fire Safety Standard – Code 1-S – and also meet the New Zealand requirements for non-sprinkler environments, making them an ideal choice for food prep and commercial kitchen areas.
Bates Surfaces has been a leader in surface-coating building products since 1953, utilising the best UV-coatings technology in the world.
As New Zealand’s largest applicator of UV coatings, we have been a trusted supply partner to the local industry for over 25 years.
We transform products, such as raw fibre cement panels, into pre-finished, factory-coated products – working with manufacturers as they make them part of their product catalogue.
In addition to fulfilling OSM orders for customers such as James Hardie and Laminex, we market our own brands – PureCoat™ kitchen and bathroom panels, PlyPlay™ pre-finished plywood wall and ceiling panels, and hygienic Fenta™ Ceiling Tiles.