Sustainable Facility - February 2009 - (Page 24) spotlight PERFECT POLISH Berkley Library Showcases Sustainable Floors. UC Berkeley, an already recognized world leader for educational excellence, also leads the country in environmental stewardship for campus design. Since 2002 the campus has aimed to make its buildings as “green” and environmentally conservative as possible. The institution set a lofty goal of reaching a minimum LEED Silver Certification on all new construction projects, which requires a building to gain between 33 and 38 LEED points. In the heart of the 68,000-square-foot building lays over 25,000 square feet of polished concrete. The use of polished concrete maintains the traditional exposed concrete aesthetic that is used throughout the campus and provides a sustainable flooring alternative. “Using polished concrete on the floor eliminates the need for additional coating or covering for the floor,” explains Erin O’Brien, senior sales consultant for Perfect Polish. “It will reduce the impact on the environment that harvesting and transporting would require to bring in carpet or tile, making it an intrinsically green flooring option.” 24 S U S TA I N A B L E F A C I L I T Y F E B R UARY 200 9 Constructing the concrete floor did not come without its challenges, but Perfect Polish, one of the largest polishing firms in the nation, sent out experienced crews capable of handling such challenges. The concrete floor of the library had special dips poured into the concrete to accommodate moveable bookcases. This required the Perfect Polish crew to hand tool all of the linear footage in that area. With numerous bookcases, metal structures, and other essential fixtures, the floor plan was not wide open, and this slowed production but did not stop Perfect Polish from providing a beautiful end result. “Our crews are IPC-certified and highly trained to be able to adapt to any construction environment,” elaborates O’Brien. “Our goal was to provide the sustainable flooring vision of the architect, regardless of what we encountered.” And meet that vision they did. The C.V. Starr East Asian Library combines both aesthetic and sustainable design. The final floor exposed large black stone throughout the building, and the matte sheen left a subtle, but remarkable flooring element that will be appreciated by scholars throughout the years. ABOUT PERFECT POLISH Perfect Polish is the leading polished concrete floor company in the nation, offering quality services from polished concrete and terrazzo installation to decorative designs. Utilizing dry-polish technology, Perfect Polish installations provide flooring solutions that reduce waste, minimize and eliminate VOCs, and contribute to sustainable design. Perfect Polish has completed numerous LEED and environmental projects, including the Academy of Sciences (Platinum), the JRC Synagogue (Gold) and the San Francisco Federal Building (Silver). Perfect Polish is a member of the USGBC and the International Polished Concrete Institute, under which Perfect Polish crews attend training to achieve IPCI certification. For more information on how Perfect Polish can help to dematerialize your project, contact 1-877-91-SHINE. Perfect Polish (865) 494-7257 info@perfectpolishonline.com www.perfectpolishonline.com http://www.perfectpolishonline.com
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