New Cultural Transformation Supported by Vinyl Products

A brand new Adult Day Care facility has just opened in Baltimore, Md., and it is chock full of vinyl products to support the durability, maintenance, and aesthetic needs of this heavily utilized center.  The adult day care model can no longer be associated with providing services in the “old church basement,” as adult day care is an important part of the on-going continuum of care for our aging population.

The Center is licensed for 90 participants, some of who, upon arriving from their existing center, shed a few joyful tears at seeing the completed project.  The residents were moved from an older farmhouse setting which was homey but presented certain challenges that didn’t support the participant and staff needs like the new center.

The new design provides more open spaces, allowing staff to easily monitor the needs of the residents.  It has also created new areas for activities designed for different portions of the care population.  Utilizing vinyl finishes assisted in creating areas within a larger open building plan.  Vinyl plank flooring from Patcraft and vinyl backed carpet from Tandus were specified, with special care taken to provide “zero” transitions between materials to allow for ambulation and use of assistive devices.  The design reduced, and in some cases eliminated, obstacles for wheelchairs and potential tripping hazards.

The seating in the dining and activity rooms are made from extruded vinyl, manufactured by Kwalu, and the table tops are a 3D laminate utilizing a vinyl wood film provided by Leisters Contract Furniture.  In this case, the use of vinyl provides strength and durability to furniture that can last decade.  Many of the chair seats include vinyl upholstery combined with a textile to provide texture and contrast between the seats and the backs of the dining and activity chairs.  The chair seat is upholstered in a Mayer vinyl and allows staff to easily clean surfaces without the use of harsh cleaning products that impact indoor air quality.

Accent walls compliment the vinyl backed carpet and Kwalu seating within the activity space that views the adjacent computer stations.  The column trim, the computer station panels, and the handrails are all thermal-fused vinyl manufactured by Spectrim.

Vinyl products were utilized throughout the interior and exterior of the renovated industrial park building.  The finishing touches are being completed on the exterior and the garden is being installed for the official opening on September 23, 2014. The exterior cladding is a combination of vinyl and rice husks to create a synthetic wood product which makes use of an otherwise useless byproduct of rice processing.  The material is also used for the ceiling of the entry canopy.

On top of the canopy, trays and drainage have been provided to create a vegetated roofing surface.  The garden fencing is a vinyl product, and the landscaping includes rain gardens for stormwater management as part of the infrastructure.  In order to achieve a garden space, permeable paving was used to allow for water drainage to meet the additional stormwater management requirements. The completion of the Adult Day Care Center will make a substantial difference in many participants’ lives.  Vinyl products provided not only the necessary durability and long building service life, but also provides an appropriate aesthetic for those being served.