By Emily Hooper
Despite a report from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) showing the first slowdown in billings in April since October 2010, business is markedly improving in the corporate sector. Though conditions at architectural firms have been improving slowly but steadily for the last six months, the April dip may have been caused by the threatened government shutdown, tornadoes through the Southeast or wind down of the federal stimulus.
However, the same report goes on to find an increase in inquiries for new construction. Combine that information with a study conducted by Cleveland-based research firm Freedonia Group, which forecasts demand for green floor coverings — including Green Label Plus-certified carpets and products made from fast-growing natural resources such as bamboo and cork — to grow by nearly 12% annually through 2015, and the state of corporate building and remodel is a step toward an improving sector and a healthy economy.
Positive predictions are reinforcing these numbers with many firms and manufacturers reporting interest in corporate projects on the rise, if not an increase in the single digits. “We are seeing a slight increase in all of our work, including corporate and institutional work, albeit cautious and intermittent,” reported Scott Knudson, AIA and LEED AP, vice president of design, Wiencek + Associates, Architects + Planners based in Washington, D.C.
Interest was echoed in New York at FXFOWLE. “In the last four months, things have picked up as far as interest is concerned,” said Erica Godun, AIA, LEED, an associate and project manager at the firm. “Usually the projects are for renovations but occasionally are larger.” Several projects fell under the long-term umbrella, contracted a few years ago, but were unable to start construction until the end of 2010 due to economic constraints. RFPs have been for large projects but as a larger firm, FXFOWLE is known for taking on larger projects, like a current gut of a 55,000-square-foot building in Manhattan.
Manufacturers are also seeing an increase in business. “Our overall commercial business has stabilized and we have seen improvements for the first quarter of 2011,” said
Mike Zoellner, vice president of marketing,
Mohawk Industries. “This improvement has been seen in our corporate and healthcare market segment customers, and we anticipate this slight upward trend to continue through the summer.”
Beaulieu Commercial’s carpet tile business has experienced growth in the double digits for the first quarter, said Glenn King, vice president of marketing. “With the announcement of the evolution of our Nexterra carpet tile backing system, we have continued to be a leader in the environmentally friendly, LEED-contributing field of modular carpet. He said product sales in 2010 were on pace to be over an estimation of approximately $100 million for the year.
Soft surface was not only the floor covering to experience a growth last year:
Armstrong Commercial has found a special niche in the corporate realm. “While the overwhelming majority of floor covering inside office spaces are not intended for long-term use, building managers may benefit from thinking about both common areas and office flooring from this perspective. No one wants to micro-manage office tenants on flooring selection but green guidelines could be a selling point,” said Julia Pierce, director of marketing. An accent to granite or a signature inlay in varying species, tones or finishes are unique ways to add warmth and comfort to an office space. “There is a general move away form the institutional and toward the warmer feel of natural colors and finishes of a well designed, welcoming work environment. The design of lobbies, conference rooms and other common spaces in office building are being influenced by this broader trend currently impacting the healthcare sectors.”
WHAT ARE CLIENTS LOOKING FOR?Though it is not uncommon for a specifier to want the look of hardwood, budgetary constraints can sometimes affect that. A 9/16-inch engineered floor is a more cost-effective alternative to the traditional 3/4-inch solid flooring, and for lighter-duty areas, there is also 5/16-inch engineered hardwood flooring as well.
“Wide planks, combined with details like handscraping or beveled edges, can add a distinctive natural feel that meshes well with a variety of design styles,” said Pierce. Pre-finished floors now feature distressed surface treatments with defined grain are common on species ranging from oak to maple, hickory to pecan with a slight interest in exotics.
While flooring like wood is an obviously sustainable building material, carpet tile has also come to be known for its green attributes. In addition to replacement and repairs by section, rather than an entire sheet of broadloom, the materials in the tiles are more sustainable. “As the architect, we first seek materials that contribute to a healthy environment, which often means when we do use carpet, we test our budget to try to use carpet tile for reduced long-term waste due to replacements,” Knudson said.
For example, the evolution of Beaulieu’s Nexterra backing system resulted in:
• A more flexible product
• 40% lighter weight than conventional carpet tile
• lower energy costs in the production of Nexterra
• 100% manufacturing facility offset in energy consumption with use of wind energy
• 40% post-consumer recycled content based on the total weight of the finished product
• inclusion of rapidly renewable materials
• 100% recyclable at the end of its useful life.
“The manufacturers of these materials have become fluent with the tenets of sustainability that I would consider now mainstream in comparison to what it was several years ago,” said Chicago-based Lira Luis, AIA, RIBA, NCARB, UAP, CeMA, LEED AP and principal architect at Atelier Lira Luis. “I find that architects now have to conduct counterculture research about products, verifying its sustainable integrity or if its greenwashing. I see the trend as more about policing and less about promoting green products.”
Visuals are still an appeal of using tiles. “In a majority of offices, carpet tiles are standard,” Godun said, “but we’re using rectangular carpet tiles to get a different look.”
Knudson found whatever the material used, it had to have an intrinsic richness and warmth, as interiors are simplifying in terms of the number of colors and complexity of patterns in a space. “We are increasingly apt to extend a single material and color such as a large format ceramic tile, and add rugs on top to articulate gathering areas, rather than creating carpeted inlays, changing the color of a tile or using dynamic color to define sections of a space.”
Raised flooring is still gaining favor in new construction and full guts. No longer necessary for offices with newer technological operating systems, and therefore fewer chords to conceal, it appeals for air circulation enhancement. Studies show a raised floor in an office space can reduce heating and cooling costs for the space by 10% to 15%, as well as provide foundation for air ducts and tracts.
Wiecek + Associates cited a raised floor installed in a library, covered with a combination of carpet tile and wood flooring. “Although the cost of this solution is not typical of our work and is specific to some of the design concepts in that particular building, we are electing to use the structural slab as an expired ceiling and hide the ductwork in the floor,” Knudson said.
FXFOWLE recently specified Hayworth Techcrete raised flooring for a project. “Techcrete doesn’t put a top on it and doesn’t use a finish, so it eliminated the need for any other resilient flooring,” Godun said. “It’s sustainable because we don’t need another floor on top and therefore use fewer materials.”
“Specifiers are looking for certifications that can be documented in writing and where the testing is done by an independent lab, rather than the manufacturer’s lab, Mohawk’s Zoellner said. “Simply put, its clients want documented, standardized processes performed by independent, certified labs.”
