Stonhard Provides Quick, Cost-Effective Flooring for Coppins' Physical Education Complex

Coppin State UniversityCoppin State University is a modern urban learning environment nestled in western Baltimore. Each year thousands of students cultivate their skills and knowledge on the 52-acre campus. The university thrives on the motto “Nurturing Potential… Transforming Lives.”

After several years of planning and construction, Coppin State unveiled its brand new 246,000-square-foot Physical Education Complex. The $136 million facility includes a 4,100- seat basketball arena, a NCAA regulation pool, a fitness center, an auxiliary gymnasium, a dance studio, racquetball courts, and classrooms, as well as many outdoor fields and recreation areas. When plans were drawn up for the design of the basketball arena, polished concrete floors were specified for corridors, lobbies, and locker rooms. However, as work began, project managers were extremely unhappy with the unsatisfactory appearance of the first applications in the locker rooms and put a halt to the entire installation.

Finding themselves in an unexpected situation and drawing from numerous previous positive experiences with Stonhard, the project superintendent reached out to Stonhard’s local territory manager for guidance. Stonhard guaranteed a long-lasting, decorative floor system that could be installed quickly and at a fraction of the cost of the originally specified polished concrete.

Coppin State UniversityStonhard recommended Stonproof ME7 as a crack-bridging agent on the surface of the concrete substrate, followed by Stonhard’s TecTop UF system. The Stonproof ME7 filled all cracks in the floor surface, creating a smooth surface for the next steps in the installation process. TecTop UF creates a seamless, stain-resistant floor surface that is durable and requires little maintenance. A colored epoxy undercoat and a layer of colorful, broadcasted flakes, finished off with a clear urethane sealer, resulted in decorative, eye-catching floors in the complex’s new lobbies, concourses, walkways, restrooms, locker rooms, and pool observation deck. Facility planners and project managers were impressed by Stonhard’s quick and cost-effective remediation of the situation.

Nearly a century in business, Stonhard is the unprecedented world leader in manufacturing and installing high-performance polymer floor, wall, and lining systems. Stonhard maintains 300 product engineers and 200 application crews worldwide who work with you on design specifications, project management, final walk-through, and service after sale. And, Stonhard’s single-source warranty covers both products and installation.

Sponsored by Stonhard

Featured

  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Launches New Emergency Communications System

    The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) recently deployed a new emergency notification and incident management system for its campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with 911Cellular to launch Safe@UTC, a smartphone app allowing university officials to communicate and respond during emergency situations.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part II

    As education leaders look toward 2026, the design of K–12 and higher education facilities is being reshaped by powerful, converging forces. Survey respondents point to the rapid growth of Career and Technical Education, deeper alignment with workforce and industry needs, and the accelerating influence of AI and emerging technologies.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • 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.