Hospitals & Clinics

Hospital fit-out specifications almost always require window coverings to pass NFPA 701 for flame propagation, and the Bureau of Fire Protection inspection that precedes occupancy asks for the paperwork, not the claim. We supply the test certificate for the specific fabric and dye lot, referenced to the room schedule, so it drops straight into the as-built submittal. Fabrics that only carry a generic "flame retardant" line on a supplier brochure are not accepted and we do not offer them for clinical areas.

The second constraint is cleaning. Ward and treatment-room shades are wiped with 1:10 sodium hypochlorite or 70% isopropyl on the housekeeping round, which rules out woven fabrics that absorb and mark. We specify PVC-coated fibreglass or a coated polyester that can be wiped daily without the coating chalking, and we do not put honeycomb or pleated shades into clinical spaces at all: the cells trap dust, cannot be wiped through, and become an infection-control finding.

Cords come out entirely in paediatrics, behavioural health and any room where a patient may be unattended — cordless spring-assist or motorised only, with no loop, no tensioner cord and no accessible bead chain. Consulting rooms on lower floors need daytime privacy at eye level without losing the daylight the rest of the room depends on, which is where a dark sunscreen below and a light one above earns its cost.

Working in a live hospital sets the sequence. We move room by room behind infection-control barriers with dust containment at each opening, take the imaging suites and clinics at night when the schedule allows, and stop entirely near theatres during procedures. Every unit is measured on site rather than from the drawings, because a 340-opening building will always have a dozen reveals that changed during construction.