Georgetown University
Project Snapshot
PROJECT: Asset Management
INSTITUTION: Georgetown University
LOCATION: Washington, DC
COMPANY NAME: The Refinishing Touch
WEBSITE: www.therefinishingtouch.com
When it comes to dormitory renovations, a higher education facilities manager has the ever-increasing responsibility to take cost-efficiency, downtime, resident disruption and sustainability into consideration. With The Refinishing Touch’s award-winning furniture asset management services, Georgetown University was able to check all four of these requirements, and then some, off of the to-do list.
THE CHALLENGE
The university sought to update its popular building, Harbin Hall, by upcycling various assets including love seats, armchairs, lounge chairs and sofas. Specifically, the scope of work included the refinishing and re-upholstery of these pieces, using fabrics from The Refinishing Touch’s exclusive Touch Textiles division. Most importantly, the desired project needed to fulfill several objectives including budget, project deadlines and building upon Georgetown University’s focus on sustainability.
THE SOLUTION
The process of transporting furniture in and out of the facility is not only a waste of both parties’ time and money but also creates unnecessary carbon emissions. With that in mind, our experienced production crew went to Washington, DC to implement our ISO 9001:2008-compliant furniture asset management solution. The project was completed on-site using non-toxic lacquers with low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), maintaining indoor air quality and ensuring safety. This solution allowed the project to be completed well before the deadline while also minimizing disruption to students.
By investing in The Refinishing Touch’s furniture asset management services, Georgetown University reduced its total expenditure an estimated 55 percent — lowering the cost for the project from $36,526 to $16,241 — and completed the project on site in less than a week and a half.
IMPACT ON LEARNING
Through the work of The Refinishing Touch, Georgetown University was able to successfully extend their sustainability initiatives quickly and cost effectively. Recent research by The Princeton Review found that two-thirds of students and parents said that a university’s commitment to the environment would make a difference in application and attendance. With that in mind, Georgetown University is actively promoting a healthy learning environment, while simultaneously reducing their environmental impact — Mission Accomplished!
Editor’s Review
Studies show that students who live on campus earn better grades. But students also expect all the comforts of home in their residence halls. If universities can’t offer housing that lives up to student expectations they may look for off-campus housing that does, and see their GPA suffer accordingly. By upcycling residence hall furnishings Georgetown University has shown their commitment to student success by offering them updated residence facilities, while also displaying attention to both sustainability and budgets.
This article originally appeared in the issue of .