The Continuing Positive Development of Sensory Environments

Sensory environments are becoming more available and widely appreciated for the huge features and benefits that they provide. In a recent study by the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, sensory gardens have been proven to give a positive effect on people who suffer from dementia. Apollo Creative has worked on numerous projects installing sensory products such as bubble tubes into gardens for a relaxing, peaceful experience.  

Sensory products can also be utilised in the retail sector, showcasing products and creating eye catching displays, it is a simple way to entice customers and get excited about a product. Retailers are starting to see the benefits of utilising all five senses of their customers to sell not just a product, but an experience.

A sensory room is one of the most popular ways of using the products that Apollo Creative provide. Utilising a space to install bubble tubes, fibre optic lights, projection screens or bubble walls creates the ultimate sensory environment. A simple web-search highlights the positive effects they have on people from children to the elderly. Sensory environments really are developing to become essential in the therapeutic treatment of patients with mental illness.

Sensory environments are helping us to bring calm to the fast-paced world we live in. Being able to provide a relaxing, therapeutic and exciting experience really is at the heart of our business. We can't wait to see how use of sensory products benefits your life.

  

Bubble tubes light up Nina's at Alton Towers

Technology designed and created in Knaresborough will form part of a top new attraction at the UK’s most popular theme park.

Apollo Creative has supplied four bubble tubes – colour changing bubbling columns of water – to Alton Towers Resort for the new CBeebies Land, which opened on May 24.

Ben Johnson, a product specialist at Apollo Creative, said: “We were first contacted by Alton Towers Resort in mid-January when they were looking to source some bespoke bubble tubes for the Nina’s Science Lab area, both inside and out.

“Being a UK manufacturer, we were able to deliver exactly what they were after, well before the launch.”

Although Apollo Creative has extensive experience in creating bubble tubes, they are traditionally used in environments such as sensory rooms. Recently, there has been increasing demand for them to create exciting and enticing displays.

Ben added: “We’re seeing a growing interest from retail display and exhibition markets as companies look to draw more attention to their products and company by standing out from the crowd.

“One of our recent projects was to create an interesting display for Clarins to use on its display in Selfridges on Oxford Street in London. This work with Alton Towers Resort reinforces that there are many new and exciting ways the technology can be used – whatever our customers imagine, we can find a way to create.”

The contract with Alton Towers Resort allowed Ben and his team to further develop the technology for outdoor use, such as making them waterproof and including much brighter LEDs.

Dave Reynolds, entertainments assistant technical manager at Alton Towers Resort, said: “It has been great working with Apollo Creative – we were kept informed of their progress throughout the order.

“This meant that when our order arrived we were confident that there would be no surprises. We were also able to connect it to our existing lighting system, meaning we could control the colours to match all our other lights.

“We’re very happy with the finished product and love how the display looks”. 

Apollo Creative products for retail display

While our standard products are designed for multi sensory rooms to enhance the lives of those using them, the same ideas can be transferred to retail display and exhibitions. The two areas have a surprising amount of overlap, for example both are trying to encourage a response from those that they come across, and so with a few modifications our products can be ideal for retail.

Products can be suspended in our bubble tubes, stickers can display a company or product logo, and colour schemes can be made to match.

Get in touch with your requirements and we'll work together to help promote your brand.

News: London calls for Apollo Creative team

A set of bespoke bubble tubes designed and built at a Knaresborough technology park have been on display in one of the world’s most famous department stores.

They were created by the team of just three specialists at Apollo Creative, based on Manse Lane in Knaresborough, for the launch of a new Clarins product at Selfridges on Oxford Street in London.

Ben Johnson, product specialist at Apollo, said: “The bubble tubes are generally for sensory rooms, but we have also worked with shops and exhibition installations in the past.

“It was great to be invited to work with a prestigious brand like Clarins, especially in such an iconic department store.”

Apollo Creative was approached by design4retail on behalf of Clarins at the end of 2012, when the project was being planned. The design of the display area meant the bubble tubes needed to be twice as large as the standard design made by Apollo Creative and the related equipment, such as the lighting and the air pump, also had to be adapted to work properly with a larger installation.

“By the time the order came through, we only had about ten days to get everything ready to go,” said Ben. “Luckily, they had given us some of the fittings from the display so we could see how the tubes and all the related equipment could go together and make sure everything was perfect before it was sent down to London.”

The Clarins display has just been taken down after being in place for seven weeks, which Ben said was an unusually long time for a promotional installation. He hopes the work being on show in such a high-profile position for a long period will lead to similar projects in the future for the small but ambitious team at Apollo Creative.

Bespoke bubble tubes used for retail display in London

Bubble tubes used as a podium for product launch

Earlier this year, retail design specialists design4retail approached Apollo Creative hoping to incorporate extra wide bubble tubes for a retail display in Selfridges, London. The 400mm diameter bubble tubes were over twice as large as standard bubble tubes so certain modifications were needed, such as brighter LEDs and a more powerful air pump.

We worked closely with their design team, providing drawings and modifying the bubble tubes to accommodate the wishes of their client. The bubble tubes were used as a display podium, and a sticker was placed around the outside of the tube to fit the branding of the products.

News: Bubble stream bursts onto gym scene

Yorkshire’s newest sport and fitness centre could be setting a trend when the state-of-the-art premises open next week.

Bubble tubes supplied by Knaresborough-based Apollo Creative have been incorporated into the cycling area at the £9m York Sport Village, designed by The Ideas Group of York, called in to develop innovative concepts inside the new building.

An artist's impression of the cycling area

The company has already used Apollo Creative’s interactive water features in other projects around the UK, including retail environments and exhibitions.

However, the floor-to-ceiling bubble tubes in the new sport village are thought to be a first in the region’s gyms, giving users of the cycling machines something inspiring to look at as they try to emulate the feats of Britain’s world-beating cycling greats.

“We thought bubble tubes would work well in this case – and we will be developing the idea further by connecting them to technology which will reward users of the cycling machines by changing the bubbles’ behaviour to reflect their level of effort,” said The Ideas Group MD, Nick Townend.

“If that works well, who knows; we could be onto a concept which other fitness centres would like to consider.”

Apollo Creative’s Mark Hildred added: “Bubble tubes are mainly seen in sensory settings, but they always prove a popular attraction to people of all ages.

“We were really excited when Nick first approached us about the Sports Village concept, especially as I've spent many an hour pedalling away on a bike in the gym. I can see this being a popular feature and can't wait to work on developing it further."

The York Sport Village has been developed in partnership between the University of York, Sport England and the City of York Council with the stated aim of inspiring everyone to embrace active lifestyles and encourage exercise and participation in sport at every level by providing first-class facilities, services and development programmes designed to aid improvement.

Corner of the World wins Silver!

I'm just back from RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, where Corner of the World won a Silver Medal. Congratulations to Nick, Clare and all the rest of the team.

News: Apollo Mission Inspires Gardening Gurus

Thousands of visitors at one of the nation’s best-known flower shows will be able to enjoy innovative products made by a Knaresborough firm – although not in their usual environment.

Apollo Creative designs and manufactures equipment for use by organisations which work with youngsters with special educational needs – and bubble tubes are often used for mental and visual stimulation.

However, from July 3, some of the company’s products will be an integral part of one of the garden designs on show at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

A Corner of the World

The display - A Corner of the World - has been designed with the needs of an autistic child in mind and incorporates ten Apollo bubble tubes.

“Our garden design is primarily aimed for use by autistic children, providing them with an escape from the outside world or a quiet corner where they can take the time out they need,” said gold-medal-winning co-designer of the garden, Nick Buss.

“The key elements include a hollow oak tree, bubble tubes and other sensory equipment, while plants in the garden have been chosen for their subtle colours and scents.”

He added: “With stimulation at the forefront of our design aims, we really wanted to find some bubble tubes for outdoor use but they were proving so difficult to source – until we spoke to another designer who’d been helped by Apollo Creative.

“Apollo’s bubble tubes helped us achieve the garden we wanted to make. We really couldn’t have done it without them.”

Apollo Creative designs and manufactures a range of bubble tubes for use in a wide variety of environments, from traditional areas such as sensory rooms through to point-of-sale (POS) applications and exhibitions, providing a unique focal point.

All the company’s tubes are based on high-brightness, low-maintenance LEDs. Pumps are designed to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week so they can be used for displays as well as in sensory environments.

Tubes are built to order at the company’s Knaresborough base so custom sizes and specifications are available on request.

Lindsay's garden at Malvern

And it’s not the first time Apollo has found its products used for garden design. In 2011, graduate landscape designer Lindsay Warwick used bubble tubes to represent test tubes in her design Chemistry – All That Matters to celebrate the UNESCO Year of Chemistry, which won bronze at the Malvern Spring Gardening Show.

Managing director, Mark Hildred said: “We're always looking for new ways to develop our products and couldn't resist the fantastic design put forward by Nick for the garden at RHS Hampton Court.

“Following on from the Bronze Award garden by Lindsay Warwick at last years RHS Malvern, this year we're hoping for a gold!”

“The sensory garden can stimulate so many different senses and we hope it will have a life after the show as inspiration for a new generation of outdoor spaces.”