Vance Clinic

A specialist clinic where the surface specification was led by the cleaning regime. Counters, reception and every treatment room are M01 Bianco: a flat warm white, super-matt, non-porous through the body and therefore requiring no sealing at any point in its life.

The matt surface is not an aesthetic preference here. A polished white counter in a treatment room reflects the ceiling, and the ceiling is a grid of luminaires; matt removes the reflection without giving up the cleanability, because the stain resistance comes from the body rather than from a polish that can be worn through.

Corridor walls and the waiting area are V01 Carrara at 6 mm, bonded to a substrate. The small amount of vein movement was a deliberate relief from the flat white of the clinical rooms — the waiting area is the one place in the building where a patient sits still for twenty minutes.

All joints in the wet areas are 2 mm, grouted with an epoxy grout selected by the contractor. The material specification and the grout specification were issued together, which is not always the case and is the reason this detail is worth mentioning.