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By AMBER CLORE
When it comes to healthcare design, technology in all aspects of the industry tend to be top of conversation. The interior design, decoration and overall appearance plays an important role in the branding of a healthcare facility. Close second are the materials that licensed interior designers specify for use in these spaces. As research and development in the textile world shows, coverings and fabrics are becoming more resilient and inherently sound. Companies that service the commercial and healthcare industries are thinking and creating of innovative ideas and applications at a very quick rate.
Let's take the performance fabrics being produced by companies like ArCom, Siltech and Sileather, for example. Their fabrics have scratch and tear resistance along with incredible stain resistance and ease of cleaning. Sileather has 100 percent silicone textiles that are eco-friendly, sustainable, easy to clean, weatherproof, and highly durable performance fabrics. There are endless applications for these fabrics such as interior and exterior design, public transportation, outdoor furniture, healthcare and hospitality. As a designer concerned with wellness, it is perfect these fabrics also meet all the safety standards that focus on health.
Let's talk about silicon...
Did you know that silicon is the most abundant element on Earth after oxygen? It's true! In fact, when you realize that we encounter silicon products in our everyday lives a whole new world of discovery is revealed. One should be familiar with such uses of silicon like computer chips and some forms of breast implants, but there is vast research and development on the use of silicon in everyday products like the textiles we touch and wear.
Getting technical... So, what do we know about silicone?
We know they are a diverse family of specialty, high-performance materials.
We know they are widely used in a variety of consumer and industrial products.
And we know these materials provide essential benefits in key segments of our economy; including health care, aerospace, personal care, electronics, transportation and construction. But how do we use silicon in design?
We consider silicon to be part of the rubber family. But, if you define plastics widely, silicone is something of a hybrid between a synthetic rubber and a synthetic plastic polymer. Due to these characteristics, it can be used to make malleable rubber-like items, hard resins, and spreadable fluids. Given it's many plastic-like properties (flexibility, malleability, clarity, temperature resistance, water resistance) we still treat silicone as a plastic. Like plastic, it can be shaped or formed and softened or hardened into practically anything. However, silicon is much more temperature resistant and durable than most plastics and has a low reactivity with chemicals. It is water resistant and highly gas permeable, making it useful for medical or industrial applications. As advancements in technology increase, so do the uses of silicone.
By now, you may have detected that silicon is a human-made material. It is created by combining the same proportion of elements of different molecular weights, better known as a synthetic polymer. The prefix comes from the base element of the polymer: sand (silica). Sand is mixed with oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen to create a pliable, rubber-like material which is able to withstand extreme temperatures and heavy use.
In Interior Design, silicone is being used to create high-performance textiles, particularly useful in healthcare environments. Some advantages are:
- It's pure "green", meaning it's made from natural elements
- Does not degrade over time or from hydrolysis (when a compound is broken down via reaction with water into smaller compounds)
- No stains or ink marks can stick to the surface
- Inherently flame retardant
- Does not support microbiological growth
In particular, silicone provides advantages for the healthcare sector since it doesn't need additives to deter microbiological growth, can withstand heavy wear-and-tear, and hold up against cleaning products. As finishes, they help fabrics retain shape, texture and resistance to abrasion and they are used to help achieve uniformity and brilliance of color. Its treatment makes the materials more durable and repels dirt and moisture. In addition to the properties it provides to textiles, paints made with silicones offer exceptional adhesion, pigment dispersion and chemical, weather and stain resistance.
It is wonderful to see companies creating products for their versatility and convenience and I believe we have already revolutionized fabrics and coverings of all kinds. It's for sure, silicone products can be used to create an interior that inspire, support well-being, and exceed expectations. All great things!
Amber Clore, ASID, is a Florida Registered Interior Designer (#ID6200) and owner of A.Clore Interiors located in downtown Sanford. The firm specializes in designing healthy spaces in Commercial and Residential environments. She is currently the President for the Florida North Chapter of The American Society of Interior Designers. Amber can be reached at amber@acloreinteriors.com or www.acloreinteiors.com
