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Some Projects Stay with You — Newspaper Office and Production Facility Converted to Hospital in Days — Schőnox HPS North America
5COVID-19
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Newspaper Office and Production Facility Converted to Hospital in Days
Four months ago, the February 22nd edition of The Economist magazine reported 99% of COVID-19 cases to that date were in China with 1,000 of those outside of the country and only 29 cases in the U.S. Current numbers show roughly two million cases of the disease in the United States, a transmission rate that has gotten everyone’s attention.
In April, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency took proactive steps to ready additional hospital space in Memphis, TN. They selected a 140,000 square foot former newspaper office and production facility for conversion to accommodate hundreds of hospital beds. The project came with its challenges. The timeframe being one of them. Floors that were not in any condition for healthcare use being another. A team of contractors and professionals was assembled for the project which encompassed days, not months.
AECOM, one of the world’s largest engineering firms, and Yates Construction, a top construction services firm in the US, led the overall project effort. The Ransomed Group out of Memphis and Carpet Contractors based in Southhaven, Mississippi handled the flooring components of the project. Schönox HPS North America’s technical staff consulted on all facets of the subfloor planning and were onsite assisting contractor teams throughout the extensive project.
The 140,000 square foot newspaper production facility at 495 Union Avenue was converted to hospital space for use with COVID-19 patients.
“When we walked the site during the planning phase, we found many subfloor issues including concrete with extensive residual adhesive in place, VCT tile suspected to contain asbestos, ceramic tile in various conditions, and still other issues,” explained Marcus Dahl, Technical Project Manager, Schönox HPS North America. “We knew the project window for flooring was just four days, so we specified a unified set of subfloor product solutions.”
The 495 Union Avenue project site has an extensive history that witnessed the production of three Memphis newspapers for 86 years in various buildings that stood on the property. In 1933 the first newspaper moved into an existing building which was previously a Ford assembly plant for Model T’s. The Commercial Appeal newspaper, which began in 1841, vacated the most current building on the property in 2019 to move to downtown Memphis.
In what is an incredibly historic time in our 21st Century lives, 495 Union Avenue will serve as an important address for treating COVID-19 patients. “The overwhelming significance of this and our other healthcare projects is not lost on all of us at Schönox,” commented Doug Young, Executive Vice President, Schönox HPS North America. “Some projects stay with you — what an opportunity this has been for all of us at Schönox!” The new healthcare facility will be equipped to serve hundreds of patients from nearby Methodist University, Regional One Health, and other health systems. ❚
Flooring teams from Carpet Contractors renovated the existing subfloor without demolition moving the project forward quickly and finishing well before the deadline.
A narrow project window required the strength and speed characteristics offered by an engineered combination of Schönox primers and self-leveling compounds.
contractors know who to call.
Every time we help installers to fi nish a project with a tough timeframe using Schönox solutions, it’s a shared win we celebrate together. Schönox Need for Speed™ touches every part of what we do. Fast service, quick project consults, timely support in the fi eld, and fast product solutions, of course. Every day, the proof of our word is demonstrated in the performance of our products and the actions of our team. Call us fi rst and raise your expectations. We’re ÖN IT and coming fast.
