Howe Manning Elementary School

“Building a new school was about bringing the school into the 21st century design-wise and delivering educational services in a modern facility that offers central air conditioning, wiring for today’s technology and larger classroom square footage,” says Steve Clifford, director of facilities.

Floors in the original school were predominantly VCT, a material the facilities staff hoped to move away from. “I was interested in the longevity and lower maintenance life-cycle costs of a rubber floor,” says Clifford. Ultimately, administrators chose norament^® grano to cover the majority of the school, including entryways, corridors, classrooms, cafeteria and stairwells. “We clean the floors with basically ionized water,” says Clifford. “There are no chemicals, detergents or soap used. So that adds to the lower cost footprint.” The school also appreciates the time savings associated with reduced maintenance. “We're reallocating our labor force to various things, including glass, vacuuming, and other maintenance activities,” shared Clifford.

Clifford was already familiar with nora’s stairtread product, and was confident that the sustainable and green aspects of rubber would support the building’s Massachusetts Community Health Information Profile (MassCHIP) certification, which evaluates community health status indicators in relation to town assets.