Ecosure was developed in conjunction with leading independent experts Forum for the Future, and helps specifiers meet their environmental objectives. The water-based paints in the range deliver genuine sustainability improvements, while maintaining the highest performance standards. Ecosure Matt, for example, not only has 35 per cent less embodied carbon than standard Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt but it is also VOC (volatile organic compounds) and solvent free.* What's more, all Ecosure paint cans are made of a minimum of 25 per cent recycled material.
It was Morgan Ashurst, together with the chosen painting contractor, Ambrose Ellis, that introduced the Ecosure concept to Patrick Lai of Capita Symonds Sefton, the principal architect for Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council. Morgan Ashurst then facilitated a meeting for the architect and site manager with a Dulux Trade Specifier Account Manager to find suitable sustainable painting solutions for the school's interior, including the rooms subject to higher levels of humidity, such as the bathrooms and kitchens. Dulux Trade recommended a durable eggshell coating that can stand up to changing atmospheric humidity, and was also quick-drying and sustainable: the new to market Ecosure Quick-Drying Eggshell, which has 10 per cent less embodied carbon and up to 40 per cent fewer VOCs than Dulux Trade Diamond Eggshell. This was used in a warm, creamy colour - ‘Buttermilk' - in the school's shower rooms and toilets.
A £6.5 million, two storey development, Rimrose Hope CE Primary School has eleven bright and airy classrooms that hold 315 pupils. The school also boasts a self-contained nursery, a base for pupils with medium learning difficulties, a practical room for food technology, a library, an IT suite and a large assembly hall with separate activity studio. As well as encompassing sustainable materials throughout, the whole building is wheelchair friendly with a lift giving access to the first floor.
Principal architect, Patrick Lai, said: "Our aim was to incorporate as many sustainable products as possible into the construction and interior of the new school, and we specified Ecosure Matt and Ecosure Quick Drying Eggshell from Dulux Trade because of their unrivalled environmental credentials, which helped us meet our green objectives without compromising on performance and cost."
Eric Fairfield, Painting Foreman at Ambrose Ellis Painting Contractors, concludes: "Perhaps surprisingly for an eco-friendly paint, Ecosure Quick Drying Eggshell is an excellent product to apply - even better than conventional eggshell - and the flow and the finish are extremely good."
