Corkcomfort in South Africa’s First Green Hotel

Cape Town, South Africa – 

Hollow on the Square Hotel

Located in the beautiful city of Cape Town, Hollow on The Square is a 4 star city hotel designed by M&B Architects & Interiors offering 114 luxuriously appointed rooms and suites, all designed for comfort and tranquility.  The newly added eco-friendly rooms were conceived using nature as inspiration and incorporate materials that reflect natural comfort.

M&B chose Wicanders Corkcomfort products as an innate fit for this project.  Over 8,600 square feet of Wicanders Cork flooring cover the guest rooms, hallways and elevators, earning praise from a number of visiting guests.  Products used include Corkcomfort HPS Identity Spice, HPS Identity Chestnut and WRT Linn Sepia.  

The elegance of these materials and others used at the Hollow on The Square, M&B House, as well as the suave colors and distinctive décor, bring in a sense of total serenity, persuading visitors to enjoy an unforgettable stay.

View more projects using Wicanders Cork Flooring by visiting our Press Room.

BMW and Toyota remodel with Wicanders

With the aim of creating a sophisticated atmosphere reflecting the quality and technology of the cars they market, BMW and Toyota, in Germany, have redesigned their showrooms with the new Wicanders® Woodcomfort product line in the attractive “American Walnut” wood visual

  

BMW showroom in Germany

BMW B&K, with offices in 17 different German cities, remodeled its branch in Taunusstein, a wealthy suburb of Frankfurt, with approximately 5000 square feet of the product in its offices, reception area and lounge.

Toyota showroom in Berlin, Germany

At Toyota Weller, with 10 branches throughout Germany, a first stage saw over 5000 square feet installed in the sales offices and bar of its Berlin branch.

In both cases, the excellent technical performance of the HPS surface finish was chosen for maximum resistance to wear. 

The new Wicanders® Woodcomfort product lines offer an immense range of decorative, versatile and sophisticated options, providing distinctive and customized atmospheres in accordance with the highest standards of quality and comfort.

 

 

Amorim’s ReCORK America and SOLE Footware to Upcycle Millions of Cork Stoppers

Napa, CA– ReCORK America has added another partner to support its cork recycling program.  SOLE, the manufacturer of premium footbeds, socks and sandals, will use a blend of recycled cork wine bottle closures in its line of 2010 footwear products.

SOLE joins the many restaurants, resorts, organizations, wine retailers, and wineries who help collect and find use for used natural corks.

To read the full article on this new partnership, please follow this link

Amorim unveils whole cork that is cheaper than synthetic

Amorim has launched a new cork stopper targeting the high-volume sectors of the global wine industry.

Named Acquamark, the closure has been developed using the latest in cork production technology to provide winemakers with a clean natural cork stopper at a highly competitive price.

The product name is derived from the innovative water-based coating that is a feature of this cork.

Carlos de Jesus

“Acquamark is an environmentally friendly closure that provides enhanced performance in sealing capacity and wine preservation,” says Amorim’s director of marketing and communications, Carlos de Jesus.

“It is a welcome addition to Amorim’s product mix as it allows us to compete aggressively with producers of alternative closures, particularly in the ‘basic’ and ‘popular premium’ sectors of the wine market.

“New technology means we can produce a cost effective natural cork closure for sectors where price competition is at its fiercest.”

As with all natural cork closures, Acquamark is made from renewable resources, is recyclable and biodegradable.

“In many instances wineries are faced with a difficult choice on closures between cost effective options and those that play a strong role in protecting the environment,” Mr de Jesus said.

“With Acquamark there no longer needs to be a compromise.”  It’s price is 30-50% cheaper than synthetic closures.

Amorim has applied innovative processes to the production of the Acquamark closure, ensuring total particle retention as well as consistent visual appearance. The safe and environmentally friendly water-based coating enhances the restructuring process.

Acquamark corks are subject to Amorim’s unique CONVEX boiling system that prevents contamination as well as stringent quality control procedures.

Remodeling with Wicanders

‘Tis the season for home-improvements….
What better way to “better your home” than to use eco-efficient materials. Misty McNally gives her Best for Remodeling choices in an article published in Natural Home Magazine, including Wicanders Corkcomfort Floating Plank.  Click on the Natural Home Magazine image to access the article which explores a few of the many benefits of cork flooring.

Wicanders Corkcomfort Floating Plank, Traces Spice

 

Aveda Frederic’s Institute chooses Wicanders

Aveda Fredric's Institute

The design of Aveda Fredric’s Institute Indianapolis began and ended with the environment and its inhabitants in mind. The design teams were given the task throughout the entire design process of seeking out materials that are eco-friendly and friendly to the end-user of the space. Whether their selections were made from recycled materials, or are recyclable or manufactured in an environmental way with environmentally friendly, sustainable materials, they were challenged to create a difference. Taking the selections one step further, much thought has been given to the psychology of color and the way it can enhance the space for the guests, students and instructors alike. Color was added through the use of varying materials, textures and applications though the flooring, paint, cabinetry, wall materials and fixtures.

Aveda Retail

A natural choice for flooring was Wicanders Corkcomfort Glue-down HPS, which was used in the retail space, the cosmetology clinic and in the hallway.  Wicanders offers a flooring solution that is environmentally friendly, aesthetically appealing, durable yet practical.  Specifically designed for high traffic areas, and with a 15 year commercial warranty, Corkcomfort Glue-down tiles have our patented HPS finish.  HPS, or High Performance Surface, works by embedding a fine shield of nano-beads atop the surface layer of the flooring, protecting it from scratches, scuff marks, stains and abrasions.  The unique strength of this finish is that it also protects the natural properties of cork flooring. 

Guest Care and Gifting Center

Wicanders cork floors with HPS are giving and resilient underfoot, are hygenic and easily cleaned.  Wicanders Corkcomfort Glue down HPS tiles are a perfect choice for salons where students and employees are on their feet all day using chemicals and dyes. 

 

Amorim to help in development of Eco-Airplane

The use of composite cork materials in ultra-light civilian airplanes is under development and testing through the AEROCORK project. A sum of approximately 1.65 million dollars will be invested in this project with approx. 50% of that amount being funded by the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF).

The group responsible for the management of this investment is made up of Dyn’Aero Ibérica, Corticeira Amorim through Amorim Cork Composites, PIEP (Innovation in Polymer Engineering – University of Minho) and AST (Active Space Technologies).

AEROCORK is producing, testing and certifying cork composites with the intention of replacing synthetic materials with cork composites in airplanes of Dyn’Aero Ibérica. The first flying tests are scheduled for the second half of 2010.

Amorim, the world’s leading producer and developer of cork composites, and the manufacturer of Wicanders Cork Flooring, will be responsible for providing know-how about agglomerated cork that is the most appropriate to the aeronautical applications in question. Amorim is already involved in the US Space Shuttle project, providing cork composites to NASA, and sees this new initiative as an “opening door” for other high technology industries, such as the railroad system.

In addition to its unique structural characteristics, cork offers undeniable environmental advantages – it is a sustainable, ecological, natural and recyclable material – and will reduce the impact of the aviation industry on the environment. 

We are proud that our parent company is part of this project.

Happy Earth Day to all!

Team Wicanders

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::