Step change: Ruckstuhl

We walk across the floor of our office almost daily, perceive colour and pattern, feel how the carpet yields underfoot. While we do all of this unconsciously, the material qualities of an interior influence its overall effect on us, and thus how we feel in it. A natural and high-quality floor covering produces a comfortable indoor climate and stands up to heavy wear over a long time. The Swiss manufacturer Ruckstuhl has firmly established itself as an expert in this area and makes products that are striking for both their design and their sustainability. Its new Rollerwool Collection and the associated Rollerwool Trigon carpet tile offer a current demonstration of this.

The company began in 1881 in Langenthal, Switzerland, originally producing doormats out of coco yarn. Founder Moritz Ruckstuhl had discovered the material just a few years previously on a sailing ship while travelling in South America, and recognised the potential of the natural fibre. The firm still uses coco, and over the years has added other natural materials like sisal, linen and wool to the production of quality carpets and professional acoustic panels. In doing so, it has upheld its commitment to sustainability from the beginning and, in its use of renewable resources, stayed true to its credo “nature becomes culture”.

Launched in 1985, the Rollerwool series was a further development of airplane carpets being produced at that time. These had to be extremely durable, flat, hard, flame-retardant and made of wool. The company used the technical knowledge of the manufacturing of this heavy-duty floor covering to develop a product suited to public spaces. It has been found in, above all, offices, meeting rooms and libraries ever since. A blend of 80% virgin wool, 19.7% polyamide and 0.3% antistatic agent, Rollerwool is exceedingly tough and wear-resistant, and therefore also well-suited for use under chair casters. In addition, wool is naturally flame-resistant and its natural oil content allows especially easy and environmentally friendly cleaning.

Individuality is in growing demand in interior finishing today. In response, Ruckstuhl has augmented its Rollerwool series, which was previously available as wall-to-wall carpeting and rectangular carpet tiles, with the new product Rollerwool Trigon. The name gives it away – this carpet tile is triangular in form. Trigon was developed in collaboration with the Zurich architect and designer Stephan Hürlemann, who immediately conceived a large number of sample patterns. Because Trigon has the form of an equilateral triangle, there is almost no limit to its combination possibilities. The elements can be set together in diamonds, trapezoids, hexagons or arrows. They can be laid in understated or offbeat patterns, in arrangements that are symmetrical or consciously “broken”.

The carpet tile, like the whole Rollerwool range, is newly available in 25 subdued, coordinated colours. The colour palette was designed by the textile expert Prof. Angelika Rösner of Krefeld, Germany. While it was expanded from the original eight to 62 colours in 1995 (and briefly sold under the name Rollercolor), the company in recent years has narrowed its focus again to a smaller selection, in accordance with the motto “quality, not quantity”. The very high proportion of wool, especially, contributes to the colour quality: the fibres of the natural product fully absorb the dye, resulting in consistent, rich hues. The updated colour range runs from classic anthracite, beige and brown tones to various reds, blues and greens.

With the new, additional form and its reworked colour palette, Rollerwool offers a natural floor covering that combines timeless design with a high degree of functionality and sustainability. The triangular Rollerwool Trigon allows daring compositions, complementing the traditional reserved colour and pattern combinations of the Rollerwool series. One thing is certain: going forward, we will be happy to pay a bit more attention to the floor under our feet.

© Architonic