Specifying Flooring for High-Traffic Public Buildings: Insights from Rijeka City Library

When a public building receives over 100,000 visitors within its first six months, early design decisions are tested quickly and visibly. The Rijeka City Library offers a useful case study in how material specification—particularly flooring—can support both architectural intent and long-term performance.

Located within a converted factory, the project combines adaptive reuse with a contemporary civic programme. The library serves as a central cultural hub, hosting reading spaces, events, workshops, and community activities across a wide demographic. This creates a complex environment: varied occupancy, continuous footfall, and a need for durability without compromising spatial quality.

The challenge here is performance across time and in UK terms, this type of project sits across several familiar categories—education, civic, and public spaces—each with its own performance expectations. However, a common thread runs through all: materials must perform consistently over time, not just at handover.

Traditionally, flooring was often finalised during later design stages under programme and cost pressure but we are now seeing a clear shift. Poorly selected floor coverings have implications that extend well beyond installation, particularly when considered against:

• Embodied carbon targets (increasingly focused on A1–A3 stages)
• Maintenance and lifecycle costs
• User experience, including acoustics and comfort

As standards evolve—through initiatives such as the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge and increasing use of EPD data in specifications—these factors are becoming more closely scrutinised.

For Rijeka City Library, Artigo’s Screed rubber flooring was selected across key areas.

Several factors are worth noting here:

First, seam minimisation. Artigo Rubber flooring is available in wider roll formats, reducing the number of joints required. In busy public environments, seams are often the most vulnerable points over time, so reducing them can contribute to long-term durability.

Second, material consistency: rubber surfaces tend to wear more evenly compared to PVC based alternatives. This can help maintain appearance and performance across heavily used areas.

Third, maintenance requirements. Rubber flooring typically avoids the need for polishes or coatings, relying instead on routine cleaning. Over time, this can simplify facilities management and reduce disruption in occupied buildings.

Finally, acoustic performance. In a library setting, underfoot sound and general noise levels are not incidental—they directly affect how the space is used. Rubber’s inherent resilience supports quieter environments.

While the Rijeka project sits outside the UK, the underlying considerations align closely with current UK specification approaches, particularly within NBS M50 Resilient Flooring.

For architects and specifiers, this case highlights a few consistent themes:

• The importance of verifiable environmental data, such as EPDs, when assessing material options
• The need to consider joint detailing and installation format as part of durability strategy
• A shift toward evaluating whole-life performance, rather than initial cost alone

In practice, this means engaging with flooring choices earlier in the design process, rather than treating them as a finishing decision.

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For high-traffic public environments, flooring plays a quiet but critical role. When it performs well, it often goes unnoticed. When it doesn’t, the consequences are immediate and ongoing.

Approaching specification through the lens of lifecycle performance, rather than short-term requirements, is increasingly consistent with both RIBA guidance and broader industry direction.

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We feel that each and every project is unique; we value conversations and if you would like to explore an idea or discuss a live project, please do get in touch with our UK team. This blog is intended for information only.

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