Page 18 - School Planning & Management, February 2018

FACILITIES { LEARNING SPACES }
PHOTO © ANF ARCHITECTS
Focus on Flooring
You have to cover the floor, so why not make a statement?
By Scott Berman
spaces require floors that handle a variety of conditions.” There’s more to it: At the same time, Reusch is noting “that adminis- trators and designers often inquire about solutions that will provide a contemporary look.” He points out that the company
has a range of durable responses, includ- ing products that are poured-in-place, providing seamless flooring that is easy to clean; provide “excellent acoustical perfor- mance;” lend themselves to be “water jet cut into custom shapes and logos.”
In one instance, Cedar Springs Middle School in Michigan, Stonhard provided
an aesthetically dynamic, urethane-based flooring system for the cafeteria, replac- ing a linoleum floor—with the company noting that the new floor was installed
in 48 hours. The new system features an enormous checkerboard pattern punctu- ated with a functional yellow path leading to and from the dining area. The company provided floors in other school spaces, with key qualities reflective of the Cedar Springs way, so to speak. Those qualities, the company notes, include things like sound absorption, durability, easy maintenance, and “bright, bold colors...to help fuel
an environment that is educational and imaginative.”
It can be a complex process to find a flooring solution that exemplifies what an institution is about while meeting everyday needs. Asking the right questions helps, and a key question is “what are we trying to achieve for students?” says Tarkett’s Jona- than Stanley, vice president, education. Answering that question should be part of the conversation “before the budget is set” for a new flooring system, he argues. Initial cost is inevitably part of that conversation, but he stresses that it should not just stop there. In Stanley’s view, that conversa-
tion should also be about performance, acoustics, longevity, ease, and affordability of maintenance, and providing a healthy environment in which to learn—as in products that fight asthma and allergies.
Another complexity is that “schools are seeking materials as permanent as
HOW WELL A SCHOOL educates is at the core of its brand, how that school should be thought of and
perceived. Other factors also impact that brand, including school buildings them- selves, and particularly how buildings, their systems and technologies help educa- tors teach and students achieve. Interior spaces are part of the equation as well.
Floors, as a fundamental finish of an in- terior, are a direct point of contact that can impact a school’s reputation by sending messages about how a school does things, for instance, as soon as students, staff, educators, and visitors enter the building.
Exemplars abound of attractive flooring systems and their evident maintenance that send good signals about a school. They include new terrazzo floors at Medicine Crow Middle School in Montana, in colors and looks that subtly suggest natural stream beds; carpet tile with a contempo-
rary look and sound absorption qualities
at Ballou High School in Washington, D.C.; vinyl composition tile with a pristine glossy finish at Triton Regional High School in New Jersey; cove base terrazzo and spotless vestibule carpet at Rapid City High School in South Dakota. The list goes on.
A district or school may be seeking to denote and connote what its programs and results prove: that it is an efficient, pragmatic, contemporary, and up-to-date institution, for example, or that it keeps pace with or leads change. Today, that no- tion of change may mean flexible teaching and learning across flexible spaces.
A floor supplier offers related insights: “We understand that today’s educational settings require more flexibility as spaces are often asked to allow for different uses during any given day,” explains Kevin Reusch, architectural/engineering sales manager at Stonhard. “These multi-use
18 SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / FEBRUARY 2018
WEBSPM.COM