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

  • Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

    Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Washington State District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Cheney School District No. 360 in Spokane County, Wash., recently announced that construction has begun on a new elementary school, according to local news. The district held a groundbreaking ceremony on May 18 in Airway Heights for the yet-to-be-named school, which is scheduled to open in fall 2027.

  • University of Pittsburgh to Build New Residence Hall

    The Board of Trustees from the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently approved the construction of a new residence hall for first-year students, according to university news.

  • Johns Hopkins Starts Construction on New Residence Hall, Dining Facility

    The Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., recently began construction on a new residence hall and dining facility, according to university news. The work involves demolishing the existing Alumni Memorial Residence Hall I, which was built in 1923, to make room for the new facility.