Healthcare Design - April 2019 - 28

fied and installed in healthcare facilities has evolved
in many ways, as product options available from
manufacturers grow to answer healthcare's complex needs. "When you go into a meeting with a hospital system, there are different people who have
different priorities," says Tiana Lemons, healthcare
studio leader at Orcutt|Winslow (Nashville, Tenn.).
"The environmental services person is concerned
about how easy it is to clean, how durable it is. The CEO cares about the visual effect and how beautiful the space is going to look. So what our challenge is as the designer is to meet both of those requirements and give them
a product that meets desires for beauty and durability."
With more options in flooring than ever before, it's important for interior
designers to keep up on the latest trends, initiatives, and materials to provide their clients with the best products for the project at hand. Here's a look
at some of the shifts designers are seeing in demands for hard surface flooring, in particular, and the products available to support them.

A B OV E : For Children's
Hospitals and Clinics
of Minnesota, HDR
created a decorative effect by adding
a graphic in the
linoleum flooring. The
use of linoleum also
contributes to sustainability certifications,
such as LEED v.4.
RI GH T: At Children's
Clinic STL, Spellman
Brady & Co. broke up
the natural-looking
flooring tiles with
pops of color.

M AT E R I A L P R E F E R E N C E S

One big change in the last five years has been a move away from highgloss wax finishes on resilient flooring to more no-wax, matte options,
as facilities try to save time and cost on upkeep with products that don't
require frequent waxing, says Jennifer Kenson, principal, healthcare interior designer at FCA (Philadelphia). While high gloss was considered
the hallmark of clean floors for decades, Kenson says that facilities staff
are recognizing the importance of nixing floor sheen in favor of products that will offer the same durability, cleanability, and aesthetic without requiring re-waxing-a process that takes time to complete and dry,
which impacts hospitals' ability to turn over rooms quickly. "It all comes
down to cost and operational times. The no-wax flooring is a great lowermaintenance option," Kenson says. "In the marketplace, there are more
options that people like the aesthetics of, so it helps push the pendulum in
that way, as well."

APRIL 2019

Part of the move away from high-gloss flooring
is also a better understanding of materials by the
end user, including the environmental services
department, says Lemons. "It's a lot different than
it was 10 or 15 years ago," Lemons says. "They're
concerned about no-wax flooring and they understand what goes into it. And they're educating the
CEOs above them." There's also more awareness
of the effects of glare on staff and patients, especially older patients, whose eyes may have trouble
adjusting to bright spots.

HCDMAGAZINE.COM

COREY GAFFER (MINNESOTA); CHRISTA BARR, SPELLMAN BRADY & CO. (ST. LOUIS)

VER THE LAST few years, the types of flooring speci-

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Healthcare Design - April 2019

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