Morgan State University

The Challenge:

Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland is an urban public institution founded in 1886. Most of the more than 6,000 undergraduates are housed in one of the 35 buildings on the 143-acre campus. Montebello Hall was built in 1924, although at the time, it operated as Montebello Rehabilitation Hospital. The hospital and property did not become available to Morgan until 1996. There have been modest renovations to the 135,000 square foot building, although the condition of the flooring was particularly troubling.Gregory Evans, AIA, project manager at Morgan, referenced research by the National Institute of Building Sciences and then uncovered alternatives to remediation. Designs to avoid and minimize disturbance of asbestos through encapsulation or enclosure are preferred over wholesale removal, according to the National Institute of Building Sciences. Asbestos is harmful only when it is friable, meaning easily pulverized or ground into a powder form.

The Solution

Evans installed Powerbond hybrid resilient sheet flooring, a heterogeneous construction of nylon and closed-cell cushion. The cushion and nylon are fused together through heat and pressure creating a floor covering that is integral and inseparable. Closed-cell cushion ensures that seams can be fused, which provides a waterproof barrier. It’s “peel & stick” installation method does not require adhesives, which enhances indoor air quality within the learning environment. Equally important, it is warranted as an enclosure to asbestos. “VAT is not an enviable product to have on campus and neither are costs to abate. Powerbond Cushion RS is a safe and equitable solution,” Evans said. “It’s installed directly over the existing carpet, so that the VAT underneath is not disturbed. It’s like a second roof, and both will provide the university with twenty years of performance.”

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