Nicklaus Childrens Hospital

Sustainable Flooring Put to the Test at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital

Flooring was only a s mall percentage of the hospital’s construction budget, but it became the central design element because it would greatly influence the outcome. The team agreed that they would choose a wood look to fit the warm and inviting aesthetic they were seeking. Deciding on the type of floor covering would become their next obstacle. Alison brought wineo PURLINE flooring to the stakeholders for consideration. She learned about the bio-based polyurethane product from a wineo sales representative several weeks prior, and as an easy to clean floor covering with a wide range of attractive and authentic looking wood tones, the design team thought this would be a great choice. While stakeholders admired the look of PURLINE and that it had no odor or added VOCs, the environmental services (EVS) team expressed concern about cleanability of the unfamiliar flooring. 

EVS had experience maintaining rubber flooring and sheet vinyl that was installed in other areas of the hospital and urged the designers to select one of those products instead.
The design team proposed a test installation with 8’ x 8’ sections of each of the three flooring types in the well-traveled maintenance corridors. After two months of use and standard maintenance, PURLINE outperformed the other materials, and the test convinced the EVS crew that it was the best choice.
All stakeholders were pleased with the installation of PURLINE Pacific Oak with White Stars accents throughout the specialized delivery unit, which included five labor and delivery rooms, five antepartum rooms, and two operating rooms. In addition to its high-performance, ease of maintenance, and beautiful aesthetics, PURLINE is truly sustainable.