[Clemson, S.C.] Thursday, February 23 marked the first-ever National Tile Day, and the staff of Anderson, S.C.-based Tile Council of North America (TCNA) celebrated the occasion with a tour of Clemson's new 140,000 square-foot Football Operations Building. The $55-million building is currently pending LEED Silver Certification, thanks in part to its ubiquitous use of tile.
"As the trade association representing North American manufacturers of ceramic tile, tile installation materials, tile equipment, raw materials, and other tile-related products, we're of course always excited to get a first-hand look at innovative uses of our members' products," said Eric Astrachan, executive director, TCNA. "As it happens, we also have very close ties with Clemson University, and not only does our lab --- home to the most experienced tile-and-stone-specific team in North America --- draw a lot of in-house lab and engineering talent from Clemson, but we also work closely in concert with the materials and science engineering department there when we need outside assistance on different facets of projects."
The tour will be a treat for reasons beyond TCNA's professional affiliation with the University, Astrachan noted. "To say that we're all Clemson fans would be a vast understatement, and the day after the Tigers' National Championship win this year was very nearly a national holiday at TCNA," he added. "Since we were 'All In' with the Tigers on their big day, there's no place we would rather be on tile's big day --- National Tile Day."
The Clemson Football Operations Complex encompasses 30,000 square feet of tile, along with 4,000 square feet of thin brick. Jeff Thomas, Senior Account Executive, DCO Commercial Floors, says that both the expanse of the project as well as the wide variety of styles used --- including stone- and wood-look tiles and glass tiles, just to name a few, contributed to the complexity of the install. Thomas adds that the TCNA Handbook was instrumental in the team's success, especially considering they had a firm due date: ESPN's live broadcast on National Signing Day.
"I was fortunate to have the use of the TCNA Handbook to pass along our reasoning on why we recommended certain methods of installation. For example, this project covered numerous types of installation methods --- showers, pools, steam rooms, and thin brick veneer were all present, and in many cases, focal points of the project. With the TCNA Handbook, I was able to easily illustrate to the design team our preferred method of installation while explaining the reasoning behind it. This allowed any RFIs and clarifications to be expedited and continue to meet the fast-paced schedule."
"We're proud that our research, industry standards, and reference materials have been of service to the companies who worked on the Clemson Football Operations Complex project. Seeing tile playing a key role towards the building attaining LEED Silver certification is even more rewarding," says Bill Griese, Director, Standards Development and Sustainability Initiatives (Clemson '06). "Further, we fully anticipate that the energy, environmental, health, and lifecycle benefits resulting from the project's extensive use of tile will serve Clemson and its athletes well, long into the future. It's neat to see firsthand the beauty and limitless design potential of tile on full display in any high-profile LEED project, but when 'Clemson orange' and waterjet-cut 'tiger paws' are involved, it's that much more fulfilling."
Clemson aims to achieve at least a LEED Silver rating for all newly constructed buildings and large renovations. The LEED green building certification program is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of green buildings. It contains prerequisites and credits in five categories: sustainable site planning, improving energy efficiency, conserving materials and resources, embracing indoor environmental quality and safeguarding water.