Facility managers are seeking more durable, maintenance-free options for their buildings
By Maura Keller
Institutional and commercial facilities each have different needs for the flooring in their buildings, but all have one thing in common: Their floors experience heavy use and need to be durable to withstand the traffic.
In 2024, designers leaned into flooring trends that focused on waterproof and recycled materials, particularly with carpeting solutions, giving facility managers plenty of options for their buildings. Manufacturers are also creating materials that are easier to recycle or repurpose at the end of their life cycle, contributing to a circular economy in building design.
“We’ve also seen an increase in flooring products made in the United States, which allows for more eco-friendly transport and faster turnaround for product delivery,” says Lynae Schoen, associate at WoldArchitects and Engineers.
Facility needs
Of course, flooring trends in each building type can differ based on budget and funding available for replacement cycles. According to Schoen, in high-traffic environments like schools, healthcare and government buildings, durable and resilient flooring options are increasingly popular. Additionally, flooring materials that contribute to noise reduction are particularly important in schools and healthcare facilities. Carpet tiles are often used in educational settings, while rubber and vinyl are seen in healthcare to minimize noise transmission.
“For individual facility trends, schools tend to use a blend of flooring types that support function. Areas with high circulation and traffic typically use easy-to-clean hard surfaces with materials like terrazzo, rubber sheet goods or luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring,” Schoen says.
Materials used in classroom flooring can depend on the anticipated use of the room, with rooms that may feature the use of water tending to be a mix of hard surface solutions, while carpet would be used for rooms intended for quieter acoustics or play and learning activities on the floor.
Riley Zollars, senior designer at DesignGroup, has continued to see facilities gravitate toward using hard surface flooring. Many of DesignGroup’s clients are greatly limiting the use of carpet. Across the board, institutional facilities see this as a way to simplify and improve their cleaning programs. Also, with the rise in products designed to control acoustics, there is a little less pressure on flooring to fulfill that role.
“We are also seeing manufacturers push their portfolios to provide products that can work together to reduce floor transitions,” Zollars says. “Being able to design spaces with minimal changes in flooring thicknesses improves accessibility for those with vision and coordination loss, reduces edges for failure, and eliminates the need for transition accessories.”
Education designers may also consider how to use flooring as a teaching tool. Using an array of colors for recognition, custom designs for counting or designating a particular center or focus area can help support teachers in leveraging an additional surface for learning.
Read the full story at Facilities Net.
