Press Release
The pastille: A timeless design classic
The successful journey of the innovative rubber floor covering made in Germany
began more than four decades ago – up to this day, more than 30 million square
metres have been installed.
Weinheim, December 2012 – Just as many global brand names have become synonymous
with a product, a classic is also to be found among floor coverings: the norament pastille
flooring. Many people stand on it without being aware of the fact – over the past four
decades the rubber floor covering has made its way into airports, sports arenas, lifts and
office buildings, and even into the home. There’s no question about it, the round pastille floor
covering has been a cult product for many years. A quality product made in Germany, it is
manufactured by the traditional company nora systems from Weinheim in BadenWurttemberg, which is renowned and respected worldwide for its innovative floor covering
designs.
Breakthrough at Germany’s largest airport
The history of the norament pastille floor covering begins in the same year as man first set
foot on the moon: 1969. A year later, Germany’s largest airport became the showpiece
which helped the floor covering to make its breakthrough. Since then, millions of people have
walked on the 80,000 square metres of pastille flooring that was installed at Frankfurt airport.
Its quality and appearance have not diminished to this day. Even stamped out cigarettes or
heavy luggage trolleys have no effect on the rubber covering, it is so hard-wearing and
resistant. These characteristics also make the pastille floor covering ideal for sports arenas,
and consequently it is to be found in the Allianz Arena in Munich as well as in Mannheim’s
SAP Arena and the Rand Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the mid-1970s, a green
pastille floor covering was also laid in the popular state gallery in Stuttgart which has seen
millions of museum visitors through the decades.
Even companies like BMW have decided to fit out their production plants with the black
round pastille covering, scoring points due to both its resilient surface, which is resistant to oil
and grease, as well as its slip resistance. Walking on the round pastille flooring is like
treading on firm ground. The rubber pastilles are also frequently utilised for ramps, for
example in DIY stores, because it offers especially good grip for shoe soles on slopes
compared to smooth covering surfaces. These qualities are also held in high esteem by the
operators of harbours and oil platforms. The pastille floor covering is to be found in the
harbour building in Helsinki as well as on the Norwegian Nationwide Oilwell BIS oil rig.
The pastille surface is expanding; namely all around the globe. To this day, around 30 million
square metres of norament pastille floor coverings have been sold and installed since the
Press Release
end of the 1960s. Why is this rubber flooring such a popular choice? The robust, 0.5
millimetre high pastille is a true all-rounder. The product represents the optimum
cost/performance ratio, for longevity without lengthy and costly cleaning, joint sealing or
coatings. The pastille floor covering is also a versatile and attractive design element.
Broad range of colours from Stone Grey to Ipswich Green
Lord Norman Foster once recognised this fact. When he was seeking a suitable floor
covering for an office building in Ipswich in the mid-1970s, he found what he was looking for
in Weinheim. The challenge faced by the German rubber specialists was to fulfil Lord
Foster’s wish to bring nature indoors. The result was a shade of green which even today
makes the building in Ipswich an extremely popular reference for architecture students from
far and wide.
The famous Ipswich Green still belongs to the nora colour range. Although the colour
spectrum has been repeatedly extended over the past two decades, customer preferences
have scarcely changed at all. “Nothing is more timeless than dark grey shades or a clear-cut
black,” says product manager Jürgen Karger. The best seller is Stone Grey, followed by
Platinum Grey and Black. If a customer wants a special colour, nora systems experts can
provide a composition and samples within two to three days. To answer the questions on
environmental issues and healthy living, norament pastille floor coverings meet the most
stringent demands regarding emission levels, which is why they also bear the well-known
“Blue Angel … for low emissions” eco-label.
*This text can be copied free of charge. Please send us a specimen copy.
2
Press Release
About nora systems
nora systems develops, manufactures and markets high-quality resilient floor coverings and
shoe components under the nora® brand name. The Weinheim-based company was formed
from Freudenberg Bausysteme KG in 2007, and as a global market leader has been shaping
the development of rubber floor coverings for many years. In 2011, more than 1100
employees generated a turnover of 196.7 million euros.
Press contact:
nora systems GmbH
Martin Koch
Head of Communication
Höhnerweg 2-4
69469 Weinheim
Tel.: +49 (0)6201/80-5629
Mail : presse@nora.com
Internet: www.nora.com/de
3