Nationwide Children’s Hospital combines advanced technology and colorful design

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the largest and most comprehensive pediatric hospitals and research institutes in the United States.

Designed to address the unique needs of children and adult patients with childhood diseases, the 12-story replacement tower represents the latest advancements in family-centered care and technology-enabled medicine, with a goal of effecting evidenced-based healing design in the current expansion. The hospital’s expertise and outstanding clinical programs include: Cardiology, Neonatology, Hematology/Oncology and Gastroenterology. 

When describing the facility’s design strategy, Alisa Pinciotti, Senior Interior Designer for Nationwide Children’s Hospital, said the goal was to create an ageless and timeless look that used images from the natural environment to distract children and their families from the stress associated with being in the hospital. 

A key component of the facility’s interior design was a comprehensive and colorful flooring design, consisting of arcs and curves. Kristin Ledet, Interior Design Manager with FKP Architects in Houston, said that the complex design, developed with New York-based Ralph Applebaum Associates, required solutions that met the criteria of a large clear color palette.

To meet these needs, specifiers selected Johnsonite’s Melodia homogeneous vinyl flooring product. Melodia’s polyurethane-reinforced wear layer makes it one of the most durable in the industry, which is a requirement for installations like a hospital that will endure consistently heavy traffic. The subtle non-directional design of the sheet vinyl made it easy to incorporate complex design patterns and the range of more than 40 color choices offered great flexibility and freedom. 

This project utilized the Restart™ Reclamation Program reclaiming job site materials and saving them from the landfill.

Approximately 500,000 square feet of Melodia are installed throughout the building, as well as Granit Safe-T Safety Flooring – selected for the bathrooms due to its unique slip resistant qualities. 

Due to the intricate nature of the flooring design, a large amount of uninstalled pattern cuts were generated throughout the installation process. Not wanting to send clean uninstalled product to the landfill, Commercial Office Environments and the Construction Manager, Turner Construction Company, worked with Johnsonite to participate in the company’s ReStart™ Recycling and Reclamation program ¬– an innovative, cradle-to-cradle resilient flooring recycling program. 

The program enables commercial flooring project scrap (rubber, vinyl and linoleum tile and sheet, wall base, floor finishing accessories and tread-cuttings) to be collected and returned to Johnsonite to be repurposed or recycled for other products or uses. Additionally, excess raw material, scrap and off-spec product is captured and reused in the manufacturing process or repurposed for other uses. 

Since its inception, the ReStart program has recycled millions of pounds of material and diverted it from landfills. Through this program, the company enables the end-user to recycle product samples, project scrap and unused flooring material. Throughout the production process materials are internally recycled in a closed-loop process, and the recycling of unused flooring material into future products ensures that no material is wasted and no material is sent to the landfill.

Company Information 
Tarkett North America
16910 Munn Road
Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44023
Toll Free: 800.899.8916
Fax: 440.543.8920 or 440.543.5774
www.tarkettna.com