Recycled glass Terrazzo is an innovative flooring and countertop solution

Of all the buildings in the world, healthcare buildings should be healthy buildings -- buildings constructed to prevent illness and promote wellness. Healthy buildings not only promote the health of their patients, but also their staff and the natural environment.

Healthcare industry designers increasingly are turning to a new finishing solution for floors and countertops that handily meets the variety of high performance needs, while also providing an aesthetic that is hard to beat.  New, but also rich with tradition, recycled glass epoxy Terrazzo brings the ancient mosaic tradition into the 21st century by utilizing post-consumer and industrial glass rather than marble mined from the earth. Earth-friendly in many ways, 75% of the surface comes from recycled glass diverted from a landfill.

Air Quality / Chemical Use

Recycled glass Terrazzo provides a durable, odorless, zero VOC-producing, naturally chemical and bacteria-resistant hard surface system that requires no harsh chemicals to maintain. It contains no chlorinated compounds, and no known teratogens or carcinogens. Seamless poured in place Terrazzo has no grout and no place for allergens like mildew or mold to lurk. Because glass has no porosity, a sealer is not required, so there is no need to seal off the wing or move patients during and immediately after the application of this sustainable flooring option.

Durability and Life Expectancy

The lifecycle and replacement requirements of carpet and vinyl make them less than ideal finishes for the healthcare industry, since they typically last no more than 10 to 15 years. While ceramic, porcelain and quarry tile products offer durability and life expectancies comparable to epoxy Terrazzo – at least 40 years – maintenance is where the real difference shows up.

Maintenance, Energy/ water use intensity

Carpet shampooing, vinyl waxing and stripping, and replacement of decayed grout and chipped tile are all expensive maintenance considerations.  Non-porous recycled glass Terrazzo requires daily maintenance of only dry mop and weekly buffing, reducing noise while saving water, electricity, person-power, and all the associated costs. Maintenance of extremely high-use areas requires only neutral PH cleaners and water. It is not necessary to wax this environmentally friendly Terrazzo, and manufacturers actually discourage it, further reducing maintenance costs and air quality issues.

A comparison of the maintenance costs of various finishes by the National Mosaic and Tile Association recently revealed that when maintenance is evaluated over the life of a finish, epoxy Terrazzo has the lowest maintenance cost of all. Because maintenance costs are the most expensive factor in the life of a finish, and since Terrazzo’s maintenance costs are so low, over a 40 year period, the annual Life Cycle Cost for Terrazzo is the only major finish option under $1 per square foot, making it a wise choice for beauty, durability and fiscal responsibility for generations to come.

Safety

The main lobby at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas was renovated in the spring of 2005 by workers who safely installed colorful, seamless recycled glass Terrazzo flooring as the hospital continued its 24-hour operation. In addition to the low maintenance and durability attractions, another important safety factor in Parkland’s decision to use recycled glass Terrazzo was the smoothness of the finish. Wheelchairs and carts roll much more smoothly over the seamless flooring than they did over the previous glazed brick floor. Terrazzo also performs well with another safety issue, slippage. This environmentally friendly flooring meets an Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) non-slip co-efficient of 0.5 or higher. In case of fire, recycled glass Terrazzo floors do not burn.

The main lobby of Dallas’ Parkland Hospital glistens with recycled glass Terrazzo

Versatility

From the sophisticated ivory and brown tones of Parkland Hospital to whimsical greens, blues, purples, yellows and oranges more suitable for a pediatric setting, recycled glass epoxy Terrazzo comes in every color under the sun, and can be matched to any color swatch. The glass chips are available in clear, flint, mirror, blue, green, amber, tinted plate, and a mixture of all the varieties. The aggregate colors for this ecological floor can also be further custom blended.

Customizable epoxy color, artistic designs embedded in the floor and the wide variety of glass choices makes every floor unique. But one thing comes standard with recycled glass Terrazzo: when sunlight hits the finished floor, it recreates the experience of looking through a kaleidoscope, as the translucent glass pieces become beautiful, shimmering, tiny prisms.

Stewardship

Artificial distinctions between individual, community and environmental health are quickly fading. Landfills are one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gases, which are widely believed to be warming the earth and endangering the health of its residents in the process. 

Recycled glass Terrazzo not only provides healthcare organizations a beautiful, healthy and sustainable finish option that promotes the wellbeing of their patients and staff, it also provides them a way to connect with and promote wellbeing on the larger  community and environmental health fronts, and in the process, promote greater individual health.

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