Living on campus during college becomes as much a part of any students’ academic growth as attending classes. In the race to attract the best and brightest minds, universities are focusing on creating spaces of comfort and productivity. Residential spaces that need to meet high traffic demands while accommodating an ever-changing populace creates a unique set of obstacles for any educational institution’s housing. Additionally, demonstrating leading environmental thoughts by constructing with green building initiatives top the priority list.
For the University of Kentucky Residential Revival project, expanding student living quarters to include seven buildings and 3000 additional beds tasked contractors Messer and Quality Interiors with maintaining a hypo-allergenic environment that withstands extensive use, while installing with ease. Upon completion of the five-year project, campus housing will seek LEED Silver certification, so Messer and Quality Interiors sought out environmentally conscious products.
Between the high volume construction, varied hypo-allergenic needs of the students, green initiatives, and the desire to create a lasting professional finish, Messer and Quality Interiors searched for durable products with environmentally-friendly manufacturing. Using shower bead constructed from vinyl rather than metal became an obvious choice. Vinyl bead prevents rust, kinks, dents, and maintains a professional look for longer due to its flexible and durable nature. For finishing shower surrounds, they chose Trim-Tex’s Shower Bead.
Step 1 Shower Bead is installed around the surround, Step 2 finish with mud compound, Step 3 remove the tear off strip and caulk the gap for a clean finish.
The unique vinyl construction of Trim-Tex Shower Bead replaces paper tape, thereby eliminating the food source for mold and maintaining a hypo-allergenic environment long-term. Shower Bead also features an extra-long 2¼" mud leg that requires less mud to span the gap between the drywall and flange. A tear away strip protects the shower enclosure from mud and leaves a crisp, finished edge with no mess. Using staples instead of screws, Trim-Tex Shower Beads save time on labor while guaranteeing a professional finish.
Trim-Tex manufactures all of its products in the USA using 70% recycled material. This helps keep millions of pounds of plastic out of landfills each year and contributes to an overall green construction initiative. By selecting Trim-Tex Shower Bead for the University of Kentucky Residential Revival project, Messer and Quality Interiors provided a long-lasting, hypo-allergenic, environmentally-conscious solution that will withstand the rigors of university residential life for decades to come.
For more information visit Trim-Tex.com.
Related Stories
| Jul 9, 2014
Harvard Business School to build large-scale conference center
Expected to open in 2018, the facility will combine the elements of a large-scale conference center, a performance space, and an intimate community forum. The new building will be designed by Boston-based William Rawn and Associates.
| Jul 7, 2014
7 emerging design trends in brick buildings
From wild architectural shapes to unique color blends and pattern arrangements, these projects demonstrate the design possibilities of brick.
Sponsored | | Jul 7, 2014
Channel glass illuminates science at the University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco’s new John Lo Schiavo Center for Science and Innovation brings science to the forefront of academic life. Its glossy, three-story exterior invites students into the facility, and then flows sleekly down into the hillside where below-grade laboratories and classrooms make efficient use of space on the landlocked campus.
| Jul 2, 2014
Emerging trends in commercial flooring
Rectangular tiles, digital graphic applications, the resurgence of terrazzo, and product transparency headline today’s commercial flooring trends.
| Jun 30, 2014
Research finds continued growth of design-build throughout United States
New research findings indicate that for the first time more than half of projects above $10 million are being completed through design-build project delivery.
| Jun 18, 2014
Arup uses 3D printing to fabricate one-of-a-kind structural steel components
The firm's research shows that 3D printing has the potential to reduce costs, cut waste, and slash the carbon footprint of the construction sector.
| Jun 16, 2014
6 U.S. cities at the forefront of innovation districts
A new Brookings Institution study records the emergence of “competitive places that are also cool spaces.”
| Jun 12, 2014
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects' design selected for new UCSC facility
The planned site is a natural landscape among redwood trees with views over Monterey Bay, a site that the architects have called “one of the most beautiful they have ever worked on.”
| Jun 12, 2014
Austrian university develops 'inflatable' concrete dome method
Constructing a concrete dome is a costly process, but this may change soon. A team from the Vienna University of Technology has developed a method that allows concrete domes to form with the use of air and steel cables instead of expensive, timber supporting structures.
| Jun 11, 2014
5 ways Herman Miller's new office concept rethinks the traditional workplace
Today's technologies allow us to work anywhere. So why come to an office at all? Herman Miller has an answer.
