Flooring A Perfect Fit for Versatile Spaces

Kinetex textile composite flooring

Kinetex textile composite flooring easily met every requirement of Georgia College's Bell Hall, a prominent 100-year-old building.

When Bell Hall, a prominent 100-year-old building at Georgia College in Milledgeville, GA, needed renovating, the school took great consideration into the flooring required for the space.

The Colonial-style building serves multiple functions. It is the primary residence for nearly 200 students, via 125 two-person suites. It also houses a classroom and a spacious lounge area for casual gatherings and activities.

Dr. Larry C. Christenson, executive director of university housing, along with his staff, required flooring that could meet all the functions of the facility. At the top of the priority list, Dr. Christenson desired a floor covering that would answer both acoustic and safety concerns. “We looked at hard-surface options but knew this would mean stripping and waxing over the summers. We also had concerns with the rooms being louder and possible slip and falls,” says Christenson.

Secondly, the flooring needed to be forgiving in regards to substrate issues, such as high moisture, which is often common with older buildings. Finding a “breathable” flooring product was important to address the minor moisture concerns on the ground floor. Finally, the school desired a product that could convey a residential feel while also matching the historic aesthetic of the building.

Dr. Christenson selected Kinetex from J+J Flooring Group. Kinetex is an innovative textile composite flooring that offers a superior alternative to hard surfaces. “Kinetex resolved all of these concerns while giving us the ‘softness of carpet,’” notes Christenson. Constructed of knitted polyester fabric and cushioned polyester felt backing, it combines the comfort and warmth of a soft-surface flooring with the long-wearing performance characteristics of a hard-surface flooring. Moreover, the product’s contemporary design, which features pleasant earth tones and lighter patterns, was the perfect answer to meeting the residential feel required of the space.

By meeting all of Bell Hall’s requirements and more, Dr. Christenson says Kinetex is now being considered for other facilities at the school.

www.jj-kinetex.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • LSU Breaks Ground on $200M Residential Project

    Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., recently broke ground on a new residential complex, according to university news. The South Quad residential project will consist of two buildings and add a total of 1,266 beds for freshmen students. The development comes with a price tag of $200 million, and it’s scheduled to open to students in fall 2027.

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.

  • Little Grand Market

    Designing for Belonging: Why Student Wellness Starts with Space

    From walkable site planning to flexible interiors, intentional design choices play a critical role in how students experience comfort, connection, and community.