Page 20 - School Planning & Management, March 2019

FACILITIES “BOTH/AND” { CONT. FROM PAGE 16 }
Hughes adds, “flooring in schools should be viewed as a vehicle for creative expression and inspiration.”
time when, in Hughes’ view, “school administrators are beginning to embrace the concept of evidence-based design (EBD), which involves making decisions about the built environment based
on credible research and operational outcomes. This human-centered approach focuses on how specification of materials has a direct impact on students.”
Flooring is an important part of that equation, Hughes points out. For example, if flooring contributes to IAQ, in that
it does not require waxing or cleaning chemicals, then respiratory issues among students and staff can be reduced, she says. On another tack, if flooring reduces slips, there are likely to be fewer injuries, Hughes notes.
Life-Cycle Cost Analysis
There are various rules of thumb
to consider when selecting carpet,
hard surface, rubber, or other flooring products. A key one, as Stanley and Hughes both indicate, is that decision makers explore conducting a Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA). LCCA can provide important measures of costs of flooring that as facilities professionals know can be required to last decades. As Hughes explains, an LCCA can “determine which material offers the greatest durability and resilience over the lifespan of the product. LCCA takes into consideration first cost in addition to a variety of other factors including installation, durability, sustainability, cleaning protocols, labor costs, flooring downtime, and even removal and disposal.”
Stanley describes research findings that show that the vast majority of facilities
PHOTO © SCOTT BERMAN
Paris High School, Illinois
departments, while expressing interest in LCCA, “do not understand how to run an LCCA.” Examining the process may be well worth it. As Hughes points out, an LCCA is a “holistic approach (that) provides insight into the total cost of ownership of the floor- ing product over its projected lifespan.”
Other Trends & Factors
Additionally, the experts point out how flooring is part of evolving high schools today, and by extension, how such dynam- ics also should be part of the decision- making process.
Of course, flooring must continue to meet long-standing challenges such as “foot traffic, common student spills... and...harsh cleaning,” as Stanley indi- cates. There also is a trending challenge that should be considered when deciding on a flooring system: the increasing move- ment of equipment and furniture in flexible spaces, both within rooms and across a building.
In another trend, decision makers should be cognizant that “today’s high schools look very similar to the higher
education setting,” Stanley points out, explaining there are “wider corridors for collaboration space when you exit the classroom so students do not need to go far to sit down and have a conversation about what they just discussed in the classroom.” Flooring is a key factor there as well. Floor- ing now is “used in a method of wayfinding to delineate spaces where areas of learning are flexible. These designs give students the ability to feel control and have full explora- tion of ideas.” Pattern, color, finish, and, of course, material all come into play.
Finally, as Hughes adds, “flooring
in schools should be viewed as a vehicle for creative expression and inspiration. Today’s flooring products are available in a wide range of colors to captivate students while providing a warm, secure, and wel- coming environment.”
It is all part of the expansive, changing, and “both/and” process of selecting the best possible flooring for the high school of today and tomorrow. SPM
>>Scott Berman is a freelance writer with experience in educational topics.
20 SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / MARCH 2019
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