Components and Materials


Campus Cleanliness Emerges as Top Factor in College Selection

The results of a new survey from JLL have revealed that campus cleanliness and indoor air quality now rank among the top factors in college selection. JLL, a Fortune 200 commercial real estate and professional services firm, surveyed about 500 parents of tenth- through twelfth-grade students about their priorities while considering higher education destinations.

Tarkett, Summit Flooring Supply Announce Partnership

Flooring and sports surface solutions provider Tarkett announced this week that it has formed a distribution partnership with Summit Flooring Supply.

Shannon Cochran, brand leader of Patcraft

Flooring Company Appoints New Commercial Brand Leader

Flooring solutions provider Shaw Industries Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., has tapped Shannon Cochran to be the new brand leader of Patcraft.

Visioneering LRTH-DFX luminaire lighting unit featuring 365DisInFx UVA technology

Leviton Lighting Brand Launches First Unit with 365DisInFx UVA Capability

Viscor, a brand of Leviton Lighting, has announced that it is launching the Visioneering LRTH-DFX luminaire lighting unit featuring 365DisInFx UVA technology.

Schools In Focus: Talking Campus Security with Mitch McKinley

Schools In Focus: Flooring Design Solutions in the Era of COVID-19

Interior design plays a fundamental role in not only making education spaces functional, but also in creating a calm, soothing environment for students and faculty alike. Aesthetics—from color selection to layout—are crucial in helping schools re-emerge from the pandemic as safe spaces that promote emotional and psychological well-being. This episode is sponsored by Mohawk Group.

Schools In Focus: Talking Campus Security with Mitch McKinley

Schools In Focus: Safe Air in Schools

Maintaining indoor air quality has gained renewed importance as K–12 students around the country prepare to return to in-person learning full time. It’s one of the timeliest, most important methods of keeping learning environments safe as the COVID pandemic winds down. And the more we learn, the more we refine and revise what we thought we knew. Our guest is Scott Huffmaster, the commercial HVAC leader for indoor air quality for North America for Trane Technologies, Inc. This episode is sponsored by Trane.

U Arkansas Cross-Laminated Timber Pavilions

Additional Energy-Saving Upgrades Planned for U Arkansas

The University of Arkansas is about to embark on a new round of energy-saving upgrades for its campus. The improvements will include the addition of LED lighting; fault detection diagnostics; upgrades to HVAC; and examination of building envelope systems and other retro-commissioning work. In total, the latest project will encompass some six million square feet of facilities.

LynTec Power Control System

Campbellsville University Broadcast Studio Gets LynTec Power Control System

Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Ky., has partnered with JCA Media to select LynTec, an electrical power control solutions manufacturer for professional audio, video and lighting (AVL) systems, to supply products for the university’s broadcast studios. Integration firm JCA Media has already installed LynTec’s lighting control panels in other buildings around campus.

Expanded Technologies Launches Antimicrobial Felt for Floor Protectors

Floor, furniture and surface protection solutions provider Expanded Technologies recently launched a line of antimicrobial felt for floor protectors. The felt—available as a premium upgrade across its Floor Savers, Floor Protectors, Formed Felt, replacement chair tips, and heavy duty felt pad products—was designed to prevent the spread of germs on surfaces like vinyl, LVT, tile, wood and marble.

Schools In Focus: Talking Campus Security with Mitch McKinley

Schools In Focus: Best Practices for ID Card Issuance

K–12 schools and colleges issue ID cards to students, faculty, staff, and sometimes even visitors to campus. The logistics of creating and printing these cards—especially Smart Cards with technical capabilities—are more complicated than you might think. Sponsored by HID Global.

FlatMax LED Flat Panels

MaxLite Releases LED Flat Panels Featuring Customization Options

This week, lighting solutions company MaxLite announced the launch of its FlatMax LED Flat Panels featuring field-installable controls as well as field-selectable CCT (color-correlated temperatures) and wattages. The panels serve as a flexible, future-ready product for schools, offices, healthcare facilities, and more.

Voltek Featured on “The Build Show” Video Series

Low voltage power solutions company Voltek Systems Inc. was featured in a recent episode of the popular home remodeling YouTube series "The Build Show." Host Matt Risinger discussed the installation of low-voltage wired and powered USB outlets that can power devices like smartphones and laptops without the use of a bulky charging brick.

Kenall’s Indigo-Clean Technology Proven to Kill SARS-CoV-2

Industrial light fixture solutions company Kenall has announced that its Indigo-Clean technology has been proven in independent lab testing to safely kill 94 percent of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza-A.

EXTECH skylight system

EXTECH Provides Skylight System to Calif. Middle School

EXTECH/Exterior Technologies, Inc. has provided skylight systems for the new Spring Hill School middle school campus in Sonoma County, Petaluma, Calif. The campus opened its doors to students for the first time for the 2019-20 school year.

SUNY Cortland to Replace All Lampposts on Campus

The State University of New York College at Cortland (SUNY Cortland) in Cortland, N.Y., is in the process of replacing decades-old outdoor lampposts around campus. Phase I of the three-phase project is scheduled for completion by the end of the summer, and the entire project should be done by fall 2022.

Mohawk Group Data Tide Collection

Mohawk Group Debuts Data Tide Carpet Collection

Commercial flooring solutions company Mohawk Group has announced the release of its Data Tide collection, a variety of modular carpet planks with a design evoking the visualization of water.

Energy Harness Active Airflow

Energy Harness Releases Ceiling-Mounted UV-C Light Fixture

LED manufacturing and distribution solutions provider Energy Harness recently released a new product to help schools combat COVID-19.

Techport at the Airport

Unique Ceiling Hatches Creativity at University Incubator

The University of Maryland is a strategic partner of the Techport @ The Airport, a business incubator designed to encourage transfer of technologies developed by the military into the commercial sector. The Incubator provides opportunities for students to gain real world experience and supports programs of the University’s Division of Research and James Clark School of Engineering.

A Rational Approach to Ceiling Product Evaluation

A Rational Approach to Ceiling Product Evaluation

Despite widespread perception that architects and designers are fearless innovators, many, in the author’s opinion, are quite resistant to change. When a product works reasonably well, building professionals tend to stick with it until strong evidence justifies a change.

Mount Holyoke College Student Dining Commons

An Intimate Feeling Includes the Ceiling

A student cafeteria doesn’t have to feel like a student cafeteria. The new Student Dining Commons at Mount Holyoke College – a 1,000-seat, state of the art, anytime dining center created by Boston design firm Bergmeyer – is intended to offer an inviting, personal experience that evokes some of the school’s long tradition of intimate dining rooms. An important element of that effect is an unusual ceiling.

NJ County Prep High School Recording Equipment

NJ High School Adds New Recording Studio to Learning Spaces

A career and technical high school in New Jersey has added new professional recording gear to one of its teaching spaces. County Prep High School, part of Hudson County Schools of Technology, added hardware from Solid State Logic (SSL), a UK-based company that manufactures analog and digital audio consoles for music and audio production. Students in the music and audio technology program learn how to write their own songs and produce their own music.

Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC2) system

USF Tackles Classroom HyFlex Learning Work

An effort at the University of South Florida has resulted in nearly a hundred classrooms being readied for simultaneous remote and in-person learning. The updates included installation of touchless sound systems and dual cameras.

Nureva HDL300 audio conferencing system

Athens State University Adds Nureva Audio Systems to Classrooms

Athens State University, located in Athens, Ga., recently installed Nureva HDL300 audio conferencing systems in almost 30 classrooms on campus.

In Prep for Re-Entry, Boston Schools Invest in Window Repair, Replacements

Throughout the month of March, Boston Public Schools is expanding the number of students it brings back into classrooms for in-person instruction.

Ann Arbor Schools to See $63M in AC, Lighting Upgrades

The Ann Arbor School Board in Ann Arbor, Mich., approved $63 million in funding for air conditioning and lighting renovations at 13 schools in the district, as well as contracts for future architectural and engineering projects.

Mohawk Chromascope design

Mohawk Adds Four Designs to LVT Collection

The Mohawk Group has announced the expansion of its Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) line, Living Local, with four new styles.