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11/19/2020 0 Comments Healthcare Design During a Pandemic
A. Different guidelines that are changing all the time and keeping up with them. Knowing new codes and finish requirements based on certain types of spaces. We must keep up with how end users are utilizing certain areas, so we are very considerate of the finishes going into those spaces, to support their needs and future maintenance. We must focus on making them feel less institutional at the same time to create a more soothing environment for patients and visitors. The fact that we can make a real impact on how people feel in these spaces is truly rewarding. Q. What new material trends do you see in the healthcare segment?
Thanks to technology, design visuals are being offered in more materials, like luxury vinyl tile. Flooring manufacturers are doing a better job of offering coordinating visuals from one material to another as well. This provides designers with design and budget flexibility. If an area needs sheet vinyl, and another does not need that type of durability, or cleanability we can improve the bottom line. More manufacturers are creating PVC free flooring too, so I believe this tells us they are working on more sustainable solutions to help with LEED, or be on the RED list.
Q. What impact is COVID 19 having on your projects? What about how you engage clients? A. We have been doing virtual client presentations due to restrictions. Thanks to video conferencing, it has been working well. Video platforms enable us to still discuss the items we need to and make it more of a visual presentation. We are working with our clients in thinking more about the design of their waiting room spaces. We are looking at how we can distance seating and incorporate screening solutions while still providing an inviting environment for patients to be in. Finish materials and their cleaning solutions must be considered as well.
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10/12/2020 0 Comments Community Spotlight: Hospitality
Q. What new material trends do you see in the theater/ hospitality segment?A: Before the virus we were seeing more experiential design and using the materials to define the spaces; i.e. arcades, bars, restaurants. The actual materials became more woods, stones, and other textures. Due to the pandemic, we will start to see the change of social distancing in public. How do we use materials as semi-natural barriers to create that separation of space?
Q. What impact is COVID-19 having on your projects? What about how you engage clients?A. I don’t believe we have been in this “new normal” long enough to see an impact on materials yet. However, our clients have started getting creative in how they operate. One client started hanging screens on their building exterior to turn their parking lot into a drive-in. Likewise, contactless delivery is changing how to food has handled. More and more apps for ordering are being used instead of a traditional concessions counter. Within our office, we are doing a lot more Zoom/MS Team calls, while still continuing to use our phone to communicate with our clients.
A. We are fighting the battle of how do we get families out of their homes and back into the theatres. With so many on demand services, theatres are having to try and reinvent the movie going experience. And maybe it’s not for movies. It might now be E-gaming events, concerts, or TV series finales instead. There are many opportunities for expansion when it comes to big screen theatres. Q. What impacts have you seen on material selections?A. We are going to see a turn towards anti-microbial. The materials still have to be aesthetically pleasing, but also very cleanable in order to make the customer more comfortable. Q. Anything else you would like to add or want people to know?A. The biggest thing is that a lot of theaters are starting to turn into family entertainment centers, to make them an experience, instead of a two hour event. We are also working very hard to accommodate the “new normal” and bring the movie industry back. Theaters are not spaces where people think of social distancing.
Therefore, our challenge is how to make semi-natural barriers that allow customers to enjoy their visit without feeling uncomfortable or crowded.
OHDS was working with an Architect and General Contractor on their building renovations but had not selected finishes. Their priorities on the project included:
7/27/2020 0 Comments Community Spotlight: EducationWe are excited to present a series of interviews with persons of interest in the Kansas City construction community. This series is going to discuss changes in materials, trends, and challenges that 2020 has presented in their market segment of KC Construction.
Q: What new color trends are you seeing? A: I really like that some flooring mills are coming out with more bold and bright colors. That is great for elementary school design. Dull colors just feel dated, going bold is definitely better. The high contrast between darks and lights are great, too. Glad that is taking hold in the commercial market.
Q: Are there any new types of materials now being avoided? A: LVT is really popular, and I don't avoid it; however, I am nervous that it won't hold up over time, at least in commercial environments, due to the heavy furniture being moved around. I prefer a polished concrete or resilient; although, they also have drawbacks, like higher pricing. Personally, I would like to see linoleum used more again.
A: It's had a really big impact. We were at the tail end of design development on my project, and had to immediately stop having on-site meetings, and then moved to zoom calls. Half of us were presenting and half were watching the client's facial expressions. It is much harder to read clients in virtual meetings, which makes it difficult, too. Also, instead of having normal meetings every two weeks that lasted a few hours, we started having them a couple of times a week, and they were shorter. Therefore, it took up more of our time. Collaboration is harder, as well, even though technology has come so far. We are now using MS Teams a lot and I feel it will be used from now on. Q: Is there an impact on material selections? A: Not yet. At least not on my current project. I started using Material Bank (MB) a lot more because it was easier. I can also easily send back to MB versus the reps. We do like made in the USA now more than ever because of COVID issues and delays. Q: What is the most difficult thing about designing for schools today?  My current client seems to be working to make sure school can resume “normally” in the Fall; however, I think there are a lot of behind-the-scenes discussions taking place about the reality of our current situation, and how to keep our kids and teachers safe as school resumes. Likewise, we don’t have as much access to the facilities due to COVID, and there are additional hoops to go through to get on site. Add it all together and it becomes a more challenging process.
1/9/2020 0 Comments 2020 Book DriveIn Kansas CIty's lowest income neighborhoods, research estimates only one book is owned, in the home, per 300 children. Reach Out and Read Kansas City is doing all they can to bridge this gap so that all children in the Kansas City area have books to call their own. At Lucas Commercial Flooring, we wanted to find a way to help Reach Out and Read accomplish their book goals. What a better way than hosting a book drive and collect as many new and gently-used books as we can!
10/7/2019 0 Comments No Job Too SmallWhen most people hear that we specialize in commercial flooring, they think of large-scale projects. However, if you have a patch or a small replacement, Lucas Commercial Flooring is here for your service projects, as well. Here Is just one example of a completed service project. A local hospital needed to reduce an entryway to connect two corridors with hard surface. We provided a rendering of the new layout with the quote. Before installation, we mocked it up with a chalk plan to finalize and perfect the layout. Installers worked after hours, and since hospitals are open 24 hours, the crew kept a portion of the corridor accessible throughout the installation to make sure the entry and corridor were available for use. The result was so beautiful we had to highlight the project! Whether it is replacing one office or repairing a few planks, think of Lucas Commercial Flooring Group for your next service project!
 7/12/2019 0 Comments Youthfront HeadquartersSometimes a project comes along that when you meet the people involved you know it is going to be a special project. Youthfront's new corporate office buildings was one of those special projects. Natasha Nikkel cam into Lucas Commercial Flooring's office in 2016 looking for a little help with the finish selections on their new office building. Immediately, we could tell Natasha was a stylish person with an idea of what she wanted to see reflected in the office building.
We were pleased to see the outcome of the project at Youthfront's open house on June 20, 2019, and we congratulate them on a successful project that will give them a long-lasting home in the 47!
6/3/2019 0 Comments Columbia SDA ChurchColumbia SDA Church was in the process of selecting a new carpet for several areas in their building, including the sanctuary, classrooms, and lobby, when Lucas Commercial Flooring Group connected with one of the committee members. The committee had been working on making a carpet selection for the church, but the quotes they had received didn’t give the committee much information on what to expect from the materials quoted.
The church didn’t want to replace their flooring with just anything, they wanted to find a product that, with proper maintenance, would last 10-15+ years without blowing their budget. Reviewing samples for styles and colors that worked with the facility, Dana explained how the carpet backing, type and shape of the fibers, ounce weight and height of the loops, and dying process of the fibers all went into the longevity of the product. She then worked with the committee to rank the samples on value, considering both quality and pricing in the ranking. The final selection was a carpet tile with a rubber backing, type 6,6 nylon fibers, 22 oz. level loop, a mix of solution and space dyed fibers, and a gorgeous pattern that will provide the Columbia SDA Church a flooring solution that will be beautiful for many years!
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