Harlequin Floors Solves Problems for UArts

Harlequin Floors

Harlequin Floors provide students at the UArts School of Dance In Philadelphia with a shock-absorbing vinyl surface that is ideal for a wide variety of dance contexts including jazz, contemporary and tap.

Donna Faye Burchfield, director of the School of Dance at University of the Arts in Philadelphia, worked closely with a team of decision makers at the highly-regarded performing arts institution to find the best flooring for their busy dance studios. With more than 300 undergrads in the BFA program in the School of Dance dancing on the UArts floors from 8 A.M. until 11 P.M. nearly seven days every week, they needed floors suitable for many types of dance.

Durability, hassle-free maintenance and safety for their dancers were key factors in replacing their previous flooring, which had become extremely slippery, resulting in complaints from faculty and students. The dean, director, faculty and facilities manager knew Harlequin Floors by reputation and reached out to many other university dance departments for recommendations. Donna Faye Burchfield says, “The decision was a clear one. Upon investigation, all recommendations and research pointed us to Harlequin Floors.”

University of the Arts decided Harlequin’s WoodSpring sprung floors with the Harlequin Cascade vinyl surface was the best flooring solution for their needs. The “spring” in the WoodSpring construction comes from the natural flexing and recovery of the triple layer of battens, which is enhanced by shock-absorbent elastomer pads.

The surface is well suited as a portable or permanent dance floor and is extremely resistant to wear, but provides a perfect “feel” — silky soft without any hint of being slippery. Ms. Burchfield enthusiastically explains, “We would highly recommend Harlequin Floors for their consistent and thorough customer service. UArts School of Dance is thrilled with the new floors, which have made a huge difference in the quality of the dance experience for the entire faculty and the students.”

www.harlequinfloors.com

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management November 2013 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Acquires VPS Architecture

    Full-service planning, architecture, and engineering firm Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has acquired VPS Architecture, according to a news release. The move will help strengthen Wold’s education and public-sector design expertise, industries in which both companies have strong pre-existing ties and relationships.

  • A digital silhouette works at a computer, immersed in a glowing, interconnected world

    How Will AI Transform Learning Space Design?

    For years, higher education has designed learning spaces around technology as a tool for display, capture, collaboration, and connectivity. AI changes that equation.

  • Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, OR

    Preserving Legacy, Designing for the Future

    As historic academic buildings age, institutions face a difficult decision: preserve and adapt or demolish and rebuild. How do we honor the legacy of these spaces while adapting them to meet the needs of modern learners?

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.