From state-of-the-art healthcare facilities to stadiums worthy of hosting the Super Bowl, commercial spaces leading in architecture and design are topping the lists of their respective categories. In this issue, we look at the role flooring has played in creating noteworthy public spaces.

Anderson University G. Ross Anderson Jr. Student Center
Anderson, S.C.

Anderson University aims to be an innovative and entrepreneurial liberal arts university, and its 3,400  students need a centralized place to gather. With the addition of the G. Ross Anderson Jr. Student Center, the university’s community gained that gathering space. The facility, which is devoted to student recreation and socialization, now serves as a hub for dining, student organizations, study, gaming and recreation.

Students are welcomed into a two-story lobby and lounge area, and from there, the facility offers a host of student-centric amenities including a fitness center, a multimedia game room with pool and ping pong tables, a 400-seat banquet facility, a 400-seat auditorium that can be used as a movie theater or lecture hall, a book store and dining.

The buzzing 86,000-square-foot facility is filled with a variety of heavily trafficked areas, calling for flooring that will provide durability, ease of maintenance and timeless design for years to come.

Commercial contractor Bonitz, alongside Rodgers Builders and DP3 Architects of Greenville, S.C., selected flooring that met the space’s durability and aesthetic needs. The flooring landscape included more than 2,700 square yards of custom Milliken cushion back carpet tile, 150 yards of custom Bentley broadloom, 6,000 square feet of Tandus-Centiva luxury vinyl tile [LVT], 1,800 square feet of Johnsonite rubber tile, 5,600 lineal feet of rubber millwork wall base, 22,000 square feet of Gerflor cushion sheet vinyl and LVT, and 8,000 square feet of slip-resistant Protect-All vinyl.

“It is one of the best and most attractive student centers in the South,” said Anderson University’s President Dr. Evans Whitaker. “Students now have a centralized place to stay fueled and fit, giving them the energy to make the most out of campus life, whether planning for a student organization event, making lasting friendships over a game of pool, or studying for the upcoming economics exam.”

Fox Theatre – Marquee Club
Atlanta

Recognized as a historic gem, the “Fabulous” Fox Theatre brings musical greats, the arts and a rich history to the city of Atlanta. Since its opening in 1929, the theatre has seen the likes of The Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley and played host to countless Broadway shows and the Atlanta Ballet. 

Each year, the award-winning theatre hosts more than 250 shows and half a million visitors. When it was time to renovate the theater’s iconic Marquee Club, DCO Commercial Floors (DCOCF) of Gainesville, Ga., was selected to supply and install carpet that would not only stand up to heavy foot traffic, but blend seamlessly with the theatre’s elaborate and intensely ornate design, which is heavily influenced by architectural gems like the Alhambra in Spain and Egypt’s Temple of Kharnak.

The 10,000-square-foot Moroccan-style club space features multiple bars and lounges, which are complimented by picturesque rooftop views of Atlanta’s iconic Peachtree Street. DCOCF worked with designer Lord Aeck Sargent to supply and install 4,230 square feet of custom high-end Arabesque-patterned blue, gold and orange Axminster carpet that enhance the club’s intricate Moorish grillwork, plush fabrics and color palette of muted gold and earth tones.

Located in Atlanta’s bustling downtown, the show must go on, meaning renovations for the high-profile building had to be completed on a compressed schedule and out of sight of theatre-goers. For DCOCF this meant working afterhours and during the weekend in order to meet the opening day deadline. This schedule also had to intertwine with other trades working on the renovation, so it was crucial to coordinate with the general contractor Garbutt Construction of Dubin, Ga., so the installers were not in the way of other elements and vice versa.

The end result of the $10 million club renovation is a fashionable space that allows guests to mix and mingle before and after shows and during intermission in comfort and style.

Arizona Cardinals State Farm Stadium
Glendale, Ariz.

In preparation of the Super Bowl returning to the Arizona Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium (formerly called the University of Phoenix Stadium) for the third time in 2023, the stadium will see roughly $100 million in upgrades and renovations over the next five years. A starting point of the renovations has been the facility’s 72,290-square-foot Club Level, which has been transformed in part by ReSource Arizona and design firm Bar Napkin Productions.

Club Level in an NFL stadium is a segment that requires special care when balancing the design atmosphere with performance. ReSource Arizona and Bar Napkin Productions partnered to create a space that is more balanced, sophisticated and entertainment-charged, evoking luxury and team spirit from the floor up, all while still performing to the high demands of stadium traffic.

“At ReSource Arizona we appreciate the opportunity and work hard to maintain the trust given to us by our customers to execute on high profile projects like the University of Phoenix Stadium,” said Pete Weidner, president of ReSource Arizona. “Immense gratitude to Bar Napkin Productions and Aecom Hunt for bringing ReSource Arizona into the project.”

Finishes were selected that will perform and exceed expectations, and Mohawk loose lay LVT allowed for clean transitions from LVT to carpet, eliminating the need for a transition strips. The wood visual provides the design aesthetic while the product provides long lasting durability. Additionally, the loose lay format leads to increased benefits for noise transmission and increased ergonomics for patrons and workers. Bentley Mills manufactured the modular carpet selections completing Bar Napkin Productions’ vision. The modular option provides the opportunity for quick replacement while the textured design naturally diminishes the visual of traffic and debris. The products are tufted with Antron Nylon and provide an excellent product for performance and longevity.

“Bar Napkin Production’s visionary design demonstrates the future of flooring,” Weidner added. “Mohawk’s LVT and Bentley carpet tiles features top tier design with extreme durability.”

Yale New Haven Hospital — Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
New Haven, Conn.

When creating a space of healing, safety and comfort are paramount. This is especially true for healthcare facilities dedicated to healing little ones who are fighting their toughest and most heroic fight. The new Yale New Haven Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is an 85,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility applying developments and best practices in neonatology.

Located in the Yale New Haven Hospital Children’s Hospital, the expansive NICU offers in-patient intensive care, consultative support and neonatal transport services for critically ill newborns.

Featuring a variety of patient rooms, some of which are couplets, specifically designed to house mothers and babies alongside each other during care, procedure rooms and respite rooms, and accommodations for both short and long-term stay, the facility is outfitted with everything needed to promote wellness and comfort for staff, family and most importantly, its tiny patients.

Thoughtful detail and meticulous design went into every aspect of the design plan, right down to the floors. Under the direction of Steve Cloud, project manager and vice president of Newington, Conn.-based M. Frank Higgins & Co., the company worked with Turner Construction to provide and install flooring that fit the needs of each of the NICU’s spaces. M. Frank Higgins & Co. has worked with Yale University for several years, but this project was a special one.

“What really stood out to us were these wonderful patient rooms that were large enough so that the mothers and fathers could stay with the babies and really make it more of a family room,” said Kathy Cloud, president of M. Frank Higgins & Co. “They are nice colors, warm with wood tones and have a really homey feel.”

To encourage this comfortable, calming and homey feel, M. Frank Higgins & Co. turned to Tandus Centiva patterned loop in Topia, Mannington Realities and Tarkett Acczent vinyl flooring. Also used throughout the unit’s hallways, sitting areas, nurse’s stations and bathrooms were a combination of Forbo Marmoleum, Daltile Continental Slate and Unity mosaic, and Crossville Color By Numbers on the walls.

Making a comforting first impression, Tandus’ Topia can also be found along the unit’s Wall of Hope, which is a hallway decorated with inspiring photos of healthy and growing children that welcomes families and visitors when they first enter the NICU. 

“The Wall of Hope is really cool,” Cloud said. “It’s very inspiring to all that go down it.”

And in five procedure rooms, M. Frank Higgins & Co. installed Nora’s Norament xp, which is a seamless option that provides doctors and staff with comfort underfoot during procedures, easy rolling for carts and resistance to harsh chemicals and cleaning agents.