According to designer Aimee Davies, associate with the architectural firm RTKL Associates Inc., “We looked at nora rubber flooring because rubber flooring was performing so well in St. Luke's c-section operating rooms. It was even resisting betadine, which is unheard of.”

Designers specified 50,000 square feet of nora rubber flooring for the Cooley Building. In addition to stain resistance, the flooring offered slip resistance, important to physicians and nurses who wear shoe coverings in the operating room.

According to nora sales representative Olga Faour, nora flooring also provided comfort underfoot. “The three millimeter mega product is specifically designed for operating rooms, offering an extra millimeter that holds up to movable operating tables and equipment carts and provides comfort underfoot to staff during long surgeries.”

The flooring also brings style to the surgical suite, introducing soft color and a pair of large, stylized hearts to each operating room. “The blue in the hearts and accent wall is a calming color for physicians and nurses who work for long periods of time,” explained Davies. “The flooring also enabled us to design way finding into the project. Numbers in floors outside operating room doors help ensure that patients get to the right operating rooms. In the end, everything worked together, performance features and design elements, to produce a nice look.”

Added Faour, “Serious work is performed here with demands for comfort, stain resistance, cleanability and durability. nora products were able to meet each demand practically and with style.”