We are all increasingly aware of the on-going supply issues with many building materials and trades. The combined challenges of the on-going Covid-19 pandemic and global supply chain issues have created somewhat of a perfect storm for builders. As these continue to grow, we must think ahead and respond promptly to limit the impact these issues present.

When considering low maintenance and durability for washroom and shower partitions, Compact Laminate is high impact and durable to high traffic areas and is cost-effective for the long-term benefits.

Financial Savings

One of the greatest advantages of pre-finished compact laminate DIY partitions is financial. Prefabrication manufacturers often receive bulk discounts from material suppliers which then trickles down to the cost of a project. This method also negates the possibility of unreliable contractors and unproductive staff. Additionally, the reduction in construction time can significantly save on costs.

Quick Turnover

Pre-finished partitions take significantly less time to manufacture than on-site construction. This is due to better upfront planning, elimination of on-site weather factors, subcontractor scheduling delays and quicker fabrication allowing for quick, seamless installation and project completion.

At Compax we aim to provide our clients with only the best product and service.

Have a question? We are here to help! Call us on 1300 489 885 or email us sales@compax.com.au

MasterPatio has been developed to combine comfort on every level, clean aesthetics down to the details, sustainable efforts, and unlimited design freedom.

The system is suitable for low energy or passive buildings, and its robustness makes it the perfect choice for high-rise buildings. Reynaers aluminium is already recycled or produced by low carbon energy sources, but for MasterPatio, sustainable efforts have increased by introducing recycled materials and more efficient production methods. MasterPatio is designed to be more than a sliding door, and can be combined effortlessly with MasterLine 8, and can also be motorised to meet any project requirement.

Standard high-insulating system with high-rise ready performances

The system is able to reach a passive house level thermal performance and best-in-class water performance of
up to 1200Pa for ultimate comfort. MasterPatio is also one of Reynaers acoustically best performing sliding doors, which further serves developments within an urban environment.

Increased sustainability through material choice and production efficiency

There have been huge strides forward to making these systems more sustainable, with the introduction of recycled insulation bars and reduced waste during production. The strong aluminium and high quality finishes will maintain their sharp appearance for decades with minimal maintenance.

Combine with MasterLine 8 for ultimate design freedom

The built-in compatibility with MasterLine 8 transforms MasterPatio from a sliding system to a complete floor-to-ceiling facade system, allowing you to build your home or high-rise apartment exactly as you want it to be. Combinations with fixed panels, corners, doors and ventilation vents are all possible.

At over 100 years old and requiring renovation, the Stadthaus Switzerland,underwent comprehensive renovation and additional stories were added in 2018/2019. This height extension rises dramatically above the existing building, enabling a new project to rise from the old. The new façade clad with brown aluminum profiles does not project into the foreground, but rather allows the contrast between old and new to unfold quietly. The balconies at the rear of the building are integrated into this horizontal slat construction and, when the shutters are closed, they disappear nearly completely into the façade. The folding sliding shutters with Hawa Frontfold 20 fittings which are used on the exterior divide the exterior building volume into two clearly distinguishable areas.  When the folding sliding shutters are closed, the height addition appears as a homogeneous volume on top of the existing structure.

The shutters have been harmoniously integrated into the façade elevation.  Guide and running tracks, as well as the slats of the shutters blend into the structure of the façade. Conversely, no separation between the old and new constructions is evident in the interior, where the existing structure and the height addition meld into a unitary interior.

Reflective Blinds^® are suitable in All Applications – Commercial, Residential, Marine & Aviation.

Whether you want to Save Energy in Heating, Stop Glare, Protect against UV Fading

Reflective Blinds^® are Tough, Durable and Sun Rot Resistant

As COVID-19 continues to surge, it really highlights the importance of health and safety measures in our buildings, and more so in aged care buildings. The demand for antimicrobial finishes has never been higher. With resistant bacteria on the rise, we need to protect residents against the threat of infection and one way is with antimicrobial surfaces that work by preventing microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses) from adhering to a surface and destroying the microorganisms they come into contact with.

Surfaces serve as a reservoir for potential pathogens, which are able to survive for weeks in temperate surroundings. Pathogens may be controlled by cleaning and decontamination practices, but these practices do not necessarily eliminate all risk. It is fair to say that replacing surfaces with antimicrobial products might offer an additional safeguard when there are cleaning deficits. Such coatings provide an alternative to the daily rigors of cleaning and could even temper the debate over how cleaning should be done.

In Australia, the death rate attributed to infectious diseases has increased, prompting design professionals to consider how building design can deliver enhanced levels of health and hygiene. In aged-care facilities, the use of antimicrobial surfaces inhibits bacterial growth and addresses one of most common ways infection is spread-via surfaces.

Laminates and surfaces are a great example of interior materials and fixtures that have been refined over time to prevent the spread of disease in healthcare and aged care environments.

Antimicrobial surfaces which are solvent free, are extremely low in VOC’s and odourless, are the best option for residential care facilities. The benefits of specifying a material that is antimicrobial at the manufacturing stage, rather than treated in situ is important because down time is kept to a minimum. This is particularly important in residential care settings, where disruption and confusion can be detrimental to the well-being of the resident.

The importance of adequate lighting and shade cannot be underestimated in aged care settings. With age, the pupil becomes smaller thus reducing the amount of light that can enter the eye, the lens becomes yellowed thereby scattering light, reducing contrast and reducing the ability to focus. All these factors contribute to the special lighting needs of the senior population. Further to this, many residents also experience difficulty with sudden light changes or glare.

Visual performance and safety can go hand-in-hand. Residents in senior care facilities need to feel independent when undertaking everyday tasks. They want to move through the hallways without assistance, and go about their day independently. In order for them to do this, they need proper light levels around the facility to increase their visual performance. Poor visual performance can lead to falls and accidents, which could have a more serious impact on their long-term health. With improper lighting, shadows and glares can be created, also negatively impacting visual performance.

Circadian rhythm plays a significant role in senior care lighting. Some studies have shown that proper lighting can have positive impacts on residents with dementia. Dementia is a progressive disease that causes the decline of mental abilities accompanied by changes in personality. This causes the person’s environment to become more and more confusing. Customized lighting and shading solutions can help with difficulties with recognition and perception as well as difficulties with time and place orientation.

By tuning lighting to match the natural daylighting provided by the sun, sleep-wake cycles are better regulated. A disruption in the body’s circadian rhythm can cause agitation, fatigue and even alter hormone levels. To ensure their circadian rhythms aren’t disrupted, high contents of blue light should be used during the day, and decreased at night. Numerous studies have found that there was a 41 percent reduction in yelling, agitation and crying in dementia residents when they were in facilities that ensured that levels of lighting, glare and shade were appropriate and malleable. By decreasing shadows, reflections and glare, seniors have less falls and accidents. Glare can cause the eye to not recognize obstacles such as chairs, tables and other objects. Shadows can also cause accidents and even anxiety. Shadows can sometimes be seen as a threat or mistaken for something else. Good lighting should decrease shadows, reflections and glare and create an easy-transition facility. Meaning, seniors shouldn’t have to adjust their eyes or feel discomfort when moving from room to room around the facility.

All of these aspects can then lead to overall resident psychiatric wellness. If the residents are comfortable, have a sense of independence and are safe in their facility, they will maintain a healthy psyche.

Consideration should be given to the occupants of the facility that one is designing for. This is perhaps even more important when designing for the elderly and furthermore for dementia patients. Conversations at the design table, are often focused on bed numbers and service provision rather than the broader vision or amenity of the residents.

The challenge is to find the balance between architecture and practicality. Moving forward, the design of residential care facilities should reflect warm and homely buildings, as austere and collective living environments have been shown to impact the personal identity of the residents and should be avoided.

Current approaches in residential care design are;

• to create a home-like environment,
• visual transparency allowing for visual access to the outdoors and
• utilising the interior fit out to support acoustic comfort by converting unpleasant noise into pleasant sound.

Glass curtain walls can replace your existing solid walls to make an otherwise ordinary room into something spectacular. Aluminium glazed walls effortlessly blur the divide between in-and outside, allowing your living spaces to be filled with panoramic views and natural light. Reynaers aluminium curtain walling offers a range of aesthetical solutions, such as different styles of face caps from horizontal to vertical lining, to a more minimalistic look using structural glazing or clamping technologies. Reynaers also offers tailored solutions for those projects that require a specific architectural design for their aluminium facade.

Concept Wall® 50 is a façade and roof system that offers unlimited design freedom and allows maximum transparency. As such, CW 50 is available in several design and glazing variants, but also includes different technical variants to comply with specified levels of fire-resistance and thermal insulation.

Flexible design in aged care environments should address future trends and changes in patient profile, that is, meeting the increasing demands on space and facilities because of increased patient numbers and in bariatric patients. Allowing for changes to two spaces such as interlocking rooms, for example enabling residents and couples to share spaces, with the flexibility that when the division of space is no longer required it can be reconfigured accordingly.

The flexibility that sliding solutions offer can significantly lower building costs. Space is becoming more premium and the demand to do more for less increases. Space adaptability and effective space management is therefore critical. Issues pertaining to privacy are also addressed with the used of flexible space solutions. The benefits in operable walls include;

• Various operable walls have acoustic properties thus creating excellent noise barriers, which in turn provides a temporary privacy solution when required. Consider an operable wall that maximises sound control
• By using continuous mechanical seals that exert an even upward and downward force for the life of the panel whilst compressing the carpet.
• A private space, waiting room, meeting area or consultation space can be created immediately.

Hawa sliding solutions shape space by providing flexible sight and sound separation and enable residents and caregivers to control the atmosphere and experience of their space, a critical requirement for aged care facilities.

Declining vision may cause the contrast between colours to be less noticeable, which can also impact depth perception. This is why high contrast colours can assist in helping residents to define objects and levels. Colour and depth perception become greater issues when designing spaces pa Colour and pattern should also be carefully considered when exploring flooring choices. Particular attention should be given to pattern as residents with dementia often perceive patterns and motifs as actual objects. For example, a carpet with a pattern of white specks on a dark background may be distracting to a person with dementia. They may perceive the specks to be bits of tissue and therefore try to ‘pick’ them up off the carpet. This also applies to strong contrasting bold and prominent patterns including patterns with large motifs and small patterns which are also to be avoided.

In our current state of evolution, vision is the primary source for all our experiences. (Current research has reported that approximately 80% of what we assimilate through the senses, is visual.) Our nervous system requires input and stimulation. (Consider the effects of solitary confinement in jails.) With respect to visual input, we become bored in the absence of a variety of colours and shapes. Consequently, colour addresses one of our basic neurological needs for stimulation which is a significant factor towards maintaining the health and wellbeing of residents.

Compax chemical resistant compact laminates are suitable for the most challenging environments such as medical facilities, hospitals, labs, classrooms and even nail salons. Suitable for high traffic areas that need robust solutions to withstand the exposure to acids, solvents, general reagents, oils, stains and various cleaning products.

The décor paper is treated with an advanced formulation, known as Electron Beam Curing (EBC). As an added design feature, the edge detail is the same colour as the surface, so no more black edges!

Available in: 1530mm x 3670mm x 16mm double sided chemical resistance surfaces

Colours: Pure white, Light Grey, Anthracite and Black

Application Areas

• Clinics
• Chemical, Scientific, Pathogenic Laboratories
• Labs & Pathologist’s Work Rooms
• Hospital – Counters & Table Tops
• Beauty Salons
• Product Testing Facilities
• Nurse’s Stations
• Physician & Dentist’s Examining and Treatment Rooms