CASE STUDIES: TERRAZZO IN ADAPTIVE REUSE

Photo courtesy of David Laudadio

In a former Indianapolis bottling plant, restored 1930s terrazzo in Art Deco patterns complements its transformation as Bottleworks, a boutique hotel.

Bottleworks Hotel: From Vintage to Vibrant: Restoring 1930s Terrazzo Glamour

This Art Deco gem, a former Coca-Cola bottling plant, boasts over 70,000 square feet of sand-cushion terrazzo installed by NTMA contractor Santarossa Mosaic & Tile in the 1930s and ‘50s. After decades of vacancy and a stint as a school bus station, the Indianapolis site has been transformed into an exclusive boutique hotel. The original terrazzo was seen as an asset to be leveraged to complement the new hotel’s interior design.

The terrazzo was in rough shape due to years of carpet glue, cement patching, stain removal, and damage to the historical mosaics. Terrazzo technicians collaborated with a ceramicist to replicate the original mosaics and meticulously refinished the terrazzo in the lobby, meeting rooms, guest rooms, hallways, and foyers. As the old interior walls were removed to configure the hotel, the patterns that continued from room to room had to be restored.

The restoration process included matching epoxy with cement terrazzo in 19 colors, patching, grouting, grinding, polishing, and vitrifying. Without access to the original pigment added to the cement or the aggregate chips in the old terrazzo, getting the cement color and chip ratios just right was a trial-and-error process. The artisans skillfully identified close equivalents to achieve excellent matches. Various terrazzo patterns were restored, including a bordered checkerboard in the lobby and two large terrazzo compass medallions.

Refinishing nearly 100-year-old cement terrazzo was a challenge, with no guarantees of the final appearance until grinding began. The team focused on maintaining the historical integrity of the building while carrying out the refinishing and patching. The 18-month project often required working in open-air conditions, with no walls or roof, as the building was remodeled around the crews. Crews also had to navigate restrictions while steel was installed overhead for the third floor and roof.

The redevelopment of Bottleworks District, a 2024 Americas Awards for Excellence winner with Urban Land Institute, was led by RATIO Design in Indianapolis.

Cultivating Culture: The Art of Terrazzo at Center in the Square

Photo courtesy of David Laudadio

A 1914 feed warehouse was redeveloped as Roanoke’s vibrant cultural hub, enhanced by terrazzo art floors in 70 colors.

In the early 1980s, an abandoned 1914 feed and seed warehouse in Roanoke, Virginia, was transformed into a vibrant cultural and artistic hub for the city. This adaptive reuse project of the 58,000-square-foot building preserved a piece of Roanoke’s architectural heritage and catalyzed the revitalization and development of the city’s downtown area. Center in the Square opened in 1983, providing a home under one roof for five diverse nonprofit cultural organizations and museums.

Thirty years later, the 100-year-old structure underwent significant expansion and infrastructure improvements under the direction of the local firm Spectrum Design, including installing an award-winning terrazzo floor. Terrazzo was chosen as an environmentally friendly, durable, and low-maintenance finish that enhances the functionality and aesthetic appeal of the public spaces.

The terrazzo floor, crafted by the David Allen Company of Raleigh, North Carolina, was designed to be an artistic masterpiece. Using over 70 colors and 30 different aggregates, the epoxy terrazzo was manipulated like oils on a large canvas to produce stunning artistic renderings. The floor murals blend abstract and realistic styles with varied perspectives, depicting an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly with a 66-foot wingspan perched on an iris, a railroad wheel, a series of stars, a bouquet of daisies, and a set of comedy and tragedy masks. This installation won a 2014 NTMA Honor Award, recognizing the exceptional craftsmanship and creativity involved.

Today, Center in the Square brings together a variety of museums, aquariums, and a theatre. A symbol of Roanoke’s commitment to the arts, education, and cultural diversity and expression, it is also now home to several local businesses, contributing significantly to the city’s economy annually and serving the community in multiple dimensions.

Zen and the Art of Terrazzo: Yamasaki’s Vision Revisited in Detroit’s Federal Reserve Bank

Detroit’s Federal Reserve Bank complex, designed by Minoru Yamasaki, underwent a significant transformation in 2013 after standing vacant for nearly a decade. The 176,000-square-foot property was a complex of two connected steel frame buildings in downtown Detroit’s Financial Historic District. The original marble-front Neoclassical-style bank was built in 1927, and the International-style annex in 1951. Headed into renovations, the local press dismissed Yamasaki’s eight-story International-style annex in glass and marble as “scarily drab.”

The annex was the city’s first venture into modern-era architecture and the first curtain wall structure. One of Yamasaki’s early interior/exterior designs with a plaza that became characteristic of his work, the annex was designed to be a tranquil space in the city.

Renovation plans specified a bright, open retail space on the ground floor, with eight floors of modern office space. The bank was preserved, and the International-style annex was revitalized into bright, open retail areas and contemporary office spaces. An innovative application of terrazzo plays a major part in a design that honors the architectural and historical significance of the Federal Reserve annex through the materiality and modern functionality of the present day.

Kelly Deines, IIDA LEED AP, with ROSSETTI in Detroit, led the renovation project. The design aimed to reflect Yamasaki’s ideals of surprise, serenity, and delight with a mid-century design, a rich color palette, and natural materials.

The original cement terrazzo was removed to address existing elevations in the elevator lobbies, and the substrate was leveled to install new terrazzo. Looking to expand aggregates beyond marble, Mr. Deines explored what materials could be suspended in an epoxy binder and ground down without popping out.

His innovative approach used transparent, tinted epoxy resin to allow aggregates to shine through, achieving a permanent Zen garden atmosphere that blends seamlessly with the renovated outdoor plaza. Aggregates of angular metal shavings and discs sound notes of technology and machining within natural river rock, pea gravel, and orbital marble tile. “It has a natural quality, reminiscent of Arte Povera,” he observed, literally, poor art. “Everyday materials, not necessarily rich, but when manipulated in a different context, are transformed into art. Most people don’t see it as common garden gravel and aluminum and travertine; because of the application it reaches the level of art. It’s really beautiful,” he declared.

“This experience working with terrazzo stretched our imaginations,” Mr. Deines recalled. “Terrazzo is one of many characters with so much going on in the story. It’s a great material to begin the story, to play a major role, or a stuntman. It doesn’t steal the show; it absolutely plays its role.”

The Advocate New Orleans: Car Dealership Revisioned as Newspaper Offices

Dalton Architecture created a contemporary workspace for a city newspaper while honoring the structure’s original design. With restored masonry walls and barrel-vaulted ceilings, the building was updated with sleek terrazzo floors. Originally drafted by the modernist firm Curtis & Davis (known for their design of the New Orleans Superdome), it opened in 1949 as Klein Motors’ showroom and later functioned as a Cajun dance hall.

Epoxy terrazzo sparkling with recycled crystal glass and marble aggregates is installed on a winding stairway in the renovated quarters. The lobby’s ribbon pattern in terrazzo was developed from the designer’s drawing. In the foyer, a geometric design is framed by murals of the city’s famous live oaks.

“We are very proud to restore a historic building to its splendor and make it a vibrant community center in the heart of downtown,” said John Georges, who purchased The Advocate in 2013 and dramatically expanded its New Orleans operations. “We wanted to restore the building to its mid-century era and also give the newsroom some of the character of a traditional newsroom.” The newly renovated building was the site of a New Orleans Architecture Foundation tour in 2017.

Shinola Hotel Detroit: Terrazzo in Rooftop Restaurant Honors Historic Structures

Photo courtesy of David Laudadio

Terrazzo with a retro design in a modern setting honors historic structures in Detroit’s Shinola Hotel rooftop restaurant.

This boutique resort complex in Detroit’s Woodward shopping district emerged from a complete renovation of turn-of-the-century structures—a sporting goods and hardware store and a former Singer sewing machine store—united with three new buildings modeled after the quarter’s historic architecture. The entire interior of each existing building was gutted and walls removed.

Sophisticated and elegant, a gorgeous terrazzo floor in a glass-enclosed rooftop restaurant defines the retro space without overpowering it, with its sleek zinc strip layout and winsome 1920s black-tie and top-hat vibe. Crisp and saturated, the epoxy terrazzo design is packed with narrow accent bands in varying sizes, all poured in place. Because the installation is in a solarium, enclosed with a glass ceiling and walls, the floor is sealed with an acrylic polymer sealer.

Special care was taken for the thermal expansion of the terrazzo and adequate expansion joints in collaboration with the NTMA technical director. Joints are concealed within the pattern of 3,300 linear feet of one-eighth-inch wide zinc divider strip. The NTMA acknowledged the project with a 2023 Honor Award 2023 for the Michielutti Bros. of Eastpointe, Michigan. Kraemer Design Group of Detroit and Gachot of New YorkCity designed the redevelopment.

Lexington Market Place: Urban Renewal in Manhattan with Palladiana Terrazzo Paving

Photo courtesy of Wilkstone

Manhattan's Lexington Market Place is a LEED-certified redevelopment with Scarpa-style Palladiana terrazzo, transforming a public square into a vibrant atrium.

This LEED-certified urban redevelopment project at 601 Lexington Market Place in Manhattan transformed an interior-focused public square. Adjacent to a six-story, 1970s-era office building, the light-filled atrium with its European sidewalk cafe-inspired design enlivens and updates a staid business environment.

The project’s focus is Palladiana terrazzo paving, which uses multicolor marble pieces cut by waterjet and mounted onto a mesh backing to create a stunning Scarpa-style pattern. The striking cobblestone-style installation is completed with epoxy terrazzo as mortar and zinc divider strips and polished to a muted 200-grit finish.

Meticulously planned by TPG Architecture of Manhattan, this beautifully executed design has given the plaza a charming neighborhood ambiance. It has enhanced the value of the surrounding area while expanding dining and retail options. The project contractor, Wilkstone of Paterson, New Jersey, earned a 2021 Honor Award from the NTMA for their exceptional work on this project.