As we begin the year 2023, we’re taking a look at what trends and styles are taking centre stage. From sustainable solutions, through to which colours are becoming increasingly popular across the locker and cubicle industry.

Sustainable Solutions

Sustainability is moving higher on the list of importance in many company operations. This is reflected not only in production or manufacturing but also through commercial property and office design. We aren’t just talking about how many recycling bins you have in the office but starting to think about your company’s entire carbon footprint and making moves towards being carbon neutral. A great way to improve your space is by thinking about the carbon journey of the products you purchase.

At Helmsman, we promote the sustainable manufacture of lockers and cubicles through our chain of suppliers. We aim to work with companies that care as much as we do to ensure projects have as little of a negative impact as possible. Therefore, we try to use sustainable and recyclable materials whenever we can. Plus, as an FSC-certified company, we share their commitment to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests and can uphold the chain of custody for our responsibly sourced laminates to you and your project.

A great example is our partnership with BioCarbon Laminates to provide sustainable laminate solutions including carbon-neutral laminates. Read more about the partnership here.

Another way in which offices are helping to improve the carbon footprint of their employees is by promoting the cycle-to-work scheme. A great way to increase the uptake of this scheme is to provide high-quality facilities such as lockers and cubicles for the office space.

Helmsman Heated lockers are ideal for commuters and staff who require their damp clothes to dry before the end of the working day. Heated lockers are available in standard locker sizes and options, as well as Z shaped lockers. Or we can help design any bespoke projects too.

Technology and Flexible Working

As we continue to develop our working lives after the covid-19 pandemic, flexible working is still increasingly important for many employees. With both personal and flexible work desk spaces becoming more popular, many employers are designing their office space with options such as hot desking and shared technology. In this office set up, security and efficiency becomes ever more significant.

We have a range of locker options at Helmsman, with charging lockers in a range of sizes, perfect for safely charging a laptop during downtime, or a place to keep your phone safe during office working hours. We also have a range of locks, with electronic locks, combination locks, coin return locks, simple cam locks with keys or hasp locks to provide the flexibility of a user using their own padlock.

Inclusive Design

A trend we have already found here at Helmsman at the beginning of 2023, is the rise in enquiries for accessible washroom facilities in leisure centres. It’s increasingly important to understand what people want and how facilities can be designed to encourage more people in, rather than only serving existing customers. Particularly with leisure centres set to experience high costs in 2023, expanding a client base is ever more important.

People in the UK with learning and physical disabilities can still face a frustrating range of barriers which prevent them from participating in leisure activities. People with disabilities are less than half as likely to engage in most leisure activities as their able-bodied peers. It appears that leisure centres in the UK are looking to update their facilities to be more inclusive in 2023. And with Helmsman’s wheelchair-accessible lockers and disabled access cubicles designed specifically with accessibility in mind, they’re a great choice.

The way in which people use leisure centres is constantly evolving. In more recent times, it seems the traditional design of formal sporting spaces is being phased out in favour of more flexible zones.  A great way to break up an open area into split zones is visually. By placing lower-height lockers, we can form a barrier and create a zone within a larger area without completely cutting off the space. This could work within an office space too, particularly if you’re promoting flexible working.

Style

Going into 2023, curvy, rounded and slope-armed furniture is very much still as popular as 2022. The seamless feel of the curve is featured in our Leisure Lockers. The curved single-piece body and the rounded-edged doors create a smooth look whilst also being practical, easy to clean and hygienic.

However, some designers are keen to move away from soft curves and rounded finishes, and are promoting a more streamlined, classic, silhouette style, which we can offer with our Laminate Lockers.

During 2022, the style and finishes chosen for furniture were often light wood such as Oak and Maple, another trend continuing into this year. However, in 2023 we’re also expecting to see the return of bigger, bolder colours. Our range at Helmsman can offer a variety of different powder-coated metal colours, laminates from a range of suppliers, and even coloured glass for both lockers and cubicles. Our laminate range can include wood effect finishes through to bright colours such as Crimson red and Lime green.

As with many things, styles and trends are ever changing. At Helmsman we have a variety of lockers, cubicles and other product options available. We specialise in bespoke products too, so even the most unique design and style ideas can often be created.

Take a read through our 2023 Brochures below:

Leisure Brochure

Education Brochure

Office Brochure

Z Locker Brochure

Where and how are your lockers used?

Depending on how and where your lockers are used will affect the design features and materials that you’ll need to use. If they are designed for short term use, for example in a swimming pool or gym setting, perhaps with a coin return lock so members only use for 1-2 hours at a time, the need for locker vents or perforations is minimal. Bacteria is possible from food or drink left in a locker, or sweaty clothes from a user’s gym bag, however for short term use lockers, a good regular clean is enough to keep them fresh. It is important to remember that swimming pool lockers will be exposed to more humidity and therefore should be made of the appropriate materials, see our blog post on wet vs dry spec lockers.

If your lockers are for a golf club or member-based sports club, where members hire or are given an allocated locker, items may be left inside for extended periods of time. Without immediate daily access for cleaning, these could do with having locker vents or perforations included in their design.

What other design features do your lockers have?

Heated lockers are a fast-developing technology, now widely requested across many areas, from spa and swimming pool changing rooms through to offices and workplaces. Whether you want to dry your wet swimming costume, warm your towels, or make sure your cycling clothes are dry for your journey home from work, Heated lockers are a great addition.

Charging lockers are also becoming a highly requested product in the storage industry. The ability to safely store phones, tablets, laptops or even power tools, whilst simultaneously charging them is a great benefit. Take a look at our case study for Leicestershire Police.

What do these lockers have in common? The need for ventilation or perforations. Whether this be a vent in the front of the locker to maximise airflow and minimize bacteria, perforations in the doors and side panels to aid ventilation and reduce heat build up in a charging locker, or a perforated base to circulate warm air and perforated slats at the top for damp air to escape in heated lockers, vents are vital in many locker designs.

Do all designs need locker vents?

Short answer would be no, it all depends on the type and length of usage they receive. Whilst ventilation may not be of high importance for short term use lockers, remember that many designs won’t have airtight seal anyway, so this will provide the ability for air to get in and out of the locker.

In order to protect and extend the lifespan of your products, it’s important to consider the materials and options that are suitable for the particular project. The environment that lockers, cubicles and bench seating are kept in, as well as their use and intended purpose is extremely important when deciding on design and materials.

At Helmsman we provide a variety of products, as well as offering bespoke options too. So, whether your project be a swimming pool changing room, heated Z Lockers, or outdoor school lockers, we can cover it, and help you to choose the most suitable materials and layout.

Dry Area Lockers

For a material to be suitable for creating a locker body, it needs to be robust, strong, bendable by machine and cost effective. Helmsman pride ourselves on providing a high-quality product, which is why we use Heavy Gauge Mild Steel for our locker bodies. This material is designed to provide years of use and can be painted in a range of RAL colours in our Gema Powder Coating System, though in general the locker body is in colour “Ice.”

You can pair these tough locker bodies with a range of doors, from a variety of compartment sizes and shapes, through to a range of materials.

For a dry area, our metal locker doors are manufactured in the same material as the body, this Mild Steel material can be powder coated in our RAL colour options, either the same colour as the body or a different one.

You could also choose laminate doors for your project. The Solid Grade Laminate that Helmsman use comes in many different colour and finish options, from bright orange or classic grey, through to a wood affect finish. We also work with a selection of suppliers, including BioCarbon’s Carbon Neutral Laminates, providing you with high quality, sustainable materials for your project. Laminate is a great choice to manufacture a more Heavy-Duty locker, as this material is less likely to scratch, dent or damage.

Of course, whilst mild steel has its benefits, it can rust and damage with moisture or humidity, so is only suited to lockers manufactured for dry areas.

Wet Area Lockers

A wet area will require materials that don’t rust, warp, peel or crack under humidity or moisture. At Helmsman we use a stainless-steel frame, with an aluminium body. These materials are designed to work within a wet environment and won’t damage due to moisture.

Should you require a metal locker door, we use a zinc plated metal. This material is a cost-effective way to provide metal lockers in a wet environment. Suited to lockers such as garment dispensers or collectors within staff washrooms, or metal lockers for swimming pool changing rooms.

Laminate doors are also available for a wet spec locker design. The colour and finish options look great within a luxury hotel, leisure centre or spa changing rooms. Plus, with options such as antibacterial coatings, laminate doors can be an easy to clean, hygienic, yet stylish choice for your project.

Another option for a wet spec locker project would be glass lockers. With a standard aluminium locker body, there are two possible options for glass doors. We can provide a laminate door over-clad with tempered glass, or an RAL coloured glass door. This really does provide a luxurious feel to the project, and pairing glass doors with laminate doors can provide a stunning contrast too. With glass being a non-porous material, the material doesn’t absorb or allow the ingress of particles, making them a perfect choice for a wet spec project.

However, whilst the wet spec lockers are designed for a wet environment, there is no stopping you using them in whatever project you like. Glass lockers for example are becoming more and more popular with city offices and promote a high-end luxury feel. Take a look at our project with EOS Interiors here.

Customer Focused Design

Whilst your vision for your changing rooms might be modern, slick and imaginative, its important to also think about the Customer Experience when creating your design. How many lockers and cubicles will fit in the area you have allocated for your changing rooms? Is this enough for the number of users you expect to have? Too many lockers or cubicles and you’ll have no room to get into them, too little and you’ll have some frustrated customers on your hands.

Cater For Everyone

According to research done by GT3 Architects “85% of caregivers surveyed find it incredibly difficult to deal with the challenges of a leisure centre – such as where to put a child while you get changed or how to get into the pool safely if your child cannot stand by themselves – particularly when alone.” Leisure centres currently only cater for 16% of the population, so make sure your design your changing rooms to cater for as many people as possible.

Customer Journey

An important aspect of the design of your changing rooms is the customer journey. Think about everything the user will see when they arrive, how can you make their lives easier in the changing rooms. For instance, you don’t want to have wet areas as an access point to dry areas in the changing rooms, make sure the flow of your design fits within your customer’s journey.

Materials for your Lockers and Cubicles

A variety of materials could be used within your changing room design, but its important to think about their versatility as well as their look. For example, metal lockers probably wouldn’t be the ideal choice for a changing room due to the materials potential to change under humidity.

Laminate lockers and cubicles are ideally suited for schools, commercial projects as well as leisure centres and can be used for both wet and dry areas with a variety of locking systems.

Another great choice for your changing rooms would be Glass Lockers. Providing a clean-cut contemporary look, either laminate doors are over-clad with tempered glass or RAL coloured glass is used for the doors. Using a mix of laminate and glass doors can create a striking contrast, or you could complement your lockers with Glass Cubicles. The non-porous nature of the materials means the surface doesn’t absorb or allow the ingress or particles, creating a fresh, sanitary solution for your changing rooms project

The great thing is both laminate and glass lockers can be manufactured in a variety of colours too.

Technology

Modern solutions for changing rooms now include a range of technology. The most frequently used within a changing room is heated lockers.

Whether it be coming out of the pool and wanting warm clothes to change into, or somewhere to dry damp clothes, heated lockers are a great addition to a leisure centre, spa or swimming pool changing room. Available with metal or laminate doors, a perforated base allows the circulation of warm air inside the locker, with perforated slots at the top allowing the damp air to flow out, keeping the inside of the locker nice and toasty.

Lighting and Circulation

As changing rooms tend to be areas of high humidity, its important to consider the ventilation and circulation of air throughout the changing rooms to stop the spread of bacteria and bad smells! If you keep the room well circulated, this will minimize the humidity and smell.

Keep the lighting open and welcoming, you don’t want lights too bright that blind your customers as they’re getting ready, but you also want them to be able to see what they’re getting out of their locker.

Think logically, having no light at a mirror is not helpful. Also noting that side lighting creates fewer shadows can help make your changing rooms an ambient yet practical space.

Other Amenities to consider

You’ll also want to consider the other amenities you will be providing in your changing room.

• How many bins are appropriate for the space and usage?
• Do you need a designated family changing room?
• Where will you be positioning bench seating?
• Do you want to provide vanity areas with mirrors and hairdryers?

You might not need all of the extras in your changing room, if its not something you think your users are going to need, then don’t worry about including them!

Source: PBJS Magazine

Minimize water and electricity use

There are several ways you can minimize water and electricity use throughout your changing rooms. With solutions such as automatic taps and LED lighting, you can help improve your sustainability throughout the project.

Use more “Green” products throughout the changing rooms

You could provide hand sanitisers at the vanity units, reducing the use of water and paper towels. Or green shower products, minimizing the chemicals going down the drains. Not only will these options improve your sustainability, but they could also be a selling point for a consumer. Using sustainable products throughout can help customers and potential customers form an idea of your brand. If they’re putting down a significant amount of money for your leisure centre, they may well want your brand’s values to align with their own.

Eco friendly / recycled materials

It used to be that choosing the “Green” option for materials in projects like changing rooms would cost a significant amount more than the “non-green” options. As sustainability becomes more and more important, and in the forefront of people’s minds, the cost difference has been getting smaller and is no longer a huge reach. Materials that come from renewable sources are also important for sustainability. Looking out for suppliers who are certified by organisations such as The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) will ensure the materials used in your project are 100% recyclable and have a long-lasting shelf life.

Carbon-neutral materials are also a great option for your changing room project. BioCarbon Laminates are a great example that provide a carbon neutral material for your lockers, cubicles, vanity units are more. BioCarbon Laminates calculate the carbon emissions and take the responsibility to manage carbon by controlling, monitoring and balancing carbon emitted development practices, reducing them to zero.

The process is important too

Whilst the importance of sustainable materials is key, you should choose suppliers that use sustainable manufacturing methods too. An example is Helmsman’s new Automatic Powder Coating system. Installed in 2021, the Gema Automatic Powder Coating System is a faster, more efficient and more sustainable technology for metallic powders.

Choose products that will stand the test of time!

The best way to be sustainable in your changing rooms project would be to choose products that will last and will not need to be replaced over and over. Finding a supplier who use Solid Grade Laminate, Glass, Timber and Metal, as well as industry leading manufacturing methods will improve the lifetime of your changing room project.

BREEAM accreditation

BREEAM stands for the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method. It is the worlds longest approved method of assessing, rating and certifying the sustainability of a building. BREEAM has a credit system, which is ranked by different sustainability requirements. If the requirements are fulfilled by architects, builders, and developers, then they will be awarded the credits depending on how they respond to the criteria.

Helmsman uses sustainable, long-lasting, recyclable and environmentally friendly materials to manufacture lockers and cubicles. We are always trying to improve and help the environment locally and globally. Read more in our blog here.

With Helmsman Lockers and Cubicles, you can be sure that our products will stand the test of time. With sustainable manufacturing processes and materials, your leisure centre changing rooms project will be in great hands.

Gone are the days where you arrive at work, school or university soaking wet from your cycle journey, or a with a flat mobile phone battery. With technology across the globe soaring above everyone’s expectations, lockers are no different. Helmsman’s smart storage solutions can offer a range of technology within our lockers, making everyone’s lives easier.

Charging Lockers:

The ability to securely store phones, laptops, or even power tools whilst charging them at the same time is a great benefit. Helmsman charging lockers are suitable for schools, universities, as well as retail and industrial environments, and we’re seeing demand increase for this particular product in recent years.

Helmsman charging lockers are available in a variety of door configurations, i.e., 5, 10, 12, 15, 20, 28, 30 and 40, and available with or without the charging capability, with additional ventilation to reduce the risk of heat build-up.

Want to know more? Take a look at our charging lockers here.

 Heated Lockers:

With sustainability in the forefront of a lot of people’s minds, cycling to work has become the norm for many of us, and with many companies offering a cycle to work scheme, this trend is set to rise. Helmsman Heated lockers are ideal for commuters and staff who require their damp clothes to dry before the end of the working day. Helmsman Heated lockers are also ideal for leisure centres, swimming pool, or spa changing rooms, giving your members an additional benefit of drying their damp belongings too.

Heated lockers are available in standard locker sizes and options, as well as Z shaped lockers. Or we can help design any bespoke projects too.

Interested in our Heated Lockers? Find out more here.

Digital Locks

Another place to find technology in our lockers is the locks. With a range of digital locks available, your lockers could have access with a pin code, card, bracelet or key. Our selection of lock options can provide your project with a safe, secure and modern look.

Take a look at our lock options here.

Manufacturing bespoke lockers:

Our design, manufacturing and installation team can offer the full package when it comes to your project, and “bespoke lockers” aren’t as daunting or expensive as they sound. We have the ability to customise our products to meet your requirements and space, providing solutions for awkward corners, uneven floors or even curved walls.

We also offer a variety of colours, materials and technologies, so your bespoke project can be designed with your project’s specific needs in mind.

Need to know more about our bespoke service? Click here or contact us today for a quote.

Plus – don’t forget, all Helmsman’s Products are Made in Britain. So you can be sure you’re buying from a trusted company that values transparency, sustainability and ethical business practices.

A question many people may ask when starting a new job is “does my employer have to provide lockers?” The short answer would be no. However, there are many situations where lockers are imperative for people to complete their jobs successfully.

For example, should staff members be required to get changed on site, lockers are a necessary requirement for an employer. According to the HSE, “If the work activity requires your employees to change into and wear specialist clothing (overalls, a uniform, thermal clothing etc) then you must provide enough changing rooms for the people expected to use them.” This includes the necessity to “contain, or lead directly to, clothing storage and washing facilities.”

In order to prevent employees’ own clothes becoming contaminated, or mixed with their work clothes, it is advisable to provide separate storage for clean and contaminated clothing. These should “allow wet clothing to be hung up to dry during the course of the day” and be “well ventilated”

What type of lockers could an employer provide?

A great option for lockers in the workplace are staff lockers. With bespoke solutions available, these can be manufactured from a range of materials and can be designed to suit each application and use. If you are required to wear safety clothing or use safety equipment, or perhaps PPE for the role, then a locker may also be required.

Metal lockers can be fitted with a steel sheet divider to keep personal clothing separate from soiled workwear, and shelves can be included for PPE, bags and personal belongings.

Should you need to provide clean garments for staff, whilst providing a drop off point for soiled clothing, Garment Dispenser and Collector lockers are a perfect option too. Garment Dispensers and Collectors are lockers designed to allow employees to collect clean garments while soiled clothing is collected centrally through another locker into a serviced laundry bag.

If you have introduced a “cycle to work” scheme, or you are required to provide an area for workers clothes to dry, heated lockers could be a great addition to the workplace. These lockers can come with metal or laminate doors depending on your aesthetic needs. A perforated base allows the warm air to circulate inside the locker and perforated slots at the top allow the damp air to flow out.

Should you require lockers for your workplace, contact us today or request a quote here.