Page 24 - College Planning & Management, February 2018

FLOORING MATTERS: FINDING WHAT WORKS
PHOTOS © NORA
large and small, that come with change.
“It is important that the brand be reflected in every building,”
argues Tim Cole, vice president of marketing at nora systems, Inc. “The floor covering can help reinforce a brand, either through color choices, designs and patterns, and/or a consistent use of wayfinding,” Cole explains. “It can also support the movement toward open, flexible classrooms, making it easy to flow from one space to another while supplying the performance requirements (e.g., good acoustics) that speak to a positive learning environment and a quality education program—part of any strong brand.”
A campus is well served to stamp its brand, figuratively speak- ing, on the floors of a crucial building type: student residences. Several years ago, New York’s Syracuse University did so in part by updating flooring in 22 residence halls with a “nora rubber floor- ing to cover dorm entrance areas, corridors, common spaces, and stairwells,” according to the company, which notes the system was easy to install and maintain—no wax or coatings are needed— and has performed well. The rubber enhances safety, while hold- ing up to trailed-in snow and salt. The flooring system provides these things while looking attractive, an attribute of another
nora floor at Syracuse: that of the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, the company says. Part of that floor “surrounds the court and provides a sophisticated contrast with the signature Syracuse orange color featured at the ends of the basketball court’s floor, producing a clean, high-tech visual attraction,” according to nora.
As David Dembowitz, Mohawk Group’s senior vice president of sales, explains, “using certain colors and motifs, flooring can enhance the collegiate student environment by promoting school spirit and pride. Beyond colorways, platforms, dimensions, finishes, and other attributes, flooring is an incredibly customiz- able surface for higher education spaces. Flooring can also help effectively communicate a school’s identity by setting a specific tone for each and every space on campus.”
There’s yet another point: Dembowitz argues that “because student satisfaction is closely linked to the appearance of their learning spaces, engaging, durable, stylish flooring that is also in line with the school’s branding could potentially be an asset to a larger portfolio that helps with student retention.”
As for durability, he adds that flooring can meet “a variety of needs as those needs continue to evolve in a higher education set- ting. Well-made, durable floor coverings will withstand the impact of high-traffic corridors, widely used lecture halls, and popular common areas.” Dembowitz adds, “Some flooring options may allow for easier updates and small-scale replacement depending on format and installation method. Ultimately, the right flooring is going to be able to help facilitate a beautiful learning environment that changes with the times.”
Put another way, what’s underfoot can exemplify an institu- tion’s positive brand in spaces with uses that may be in flux.
Power in the Floor
Flooring aside for a moment, as technological needs in campus spaces evolve, so too should efficient solutions to meet those needs. Clint Strong, CEO of Connectrac, points out that his company pro- vides an aesthetically pleasing, flexible solution that can be installed quickly—no core drilling, trenching or floor boxes are needed, the company notes—without leaving exposed cables, which are trip hazards. The approach is about getting students and faculty access
to “the power and data they need,” as Strong says. He adds that that floor-based cable management can meet the needs of today’s com- puter labs as well as spaces in graphic design and engineering depart- ments, among others. Such systems may also be needed in another
24 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / FEBRUARY 2018
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