Author: DCO Marketing, November 12, 2021

Starnet Design Awards Ceremony hosted by DCO Commercial Floors honors 5 Projects

Introduction: 

On Tuesday, November 9th, DCO Commercial Floors hosted their first-ever Starnet Design Awards ceremony, honoring the projects winning awards this year. DCO had a record-breaking year of 5 awards for their projects, with Silverspot Cinema taking home the gold Starnet Design Award in the hospitality category. The awards ceremony was held at Silverspot Cinema, in Truist Park.  The guests were seated in the theater, including representatives from all of the design teams, and general contractors who worked on the project. DCO was grateful to have Azar+ Walsh Architects, Perkins + Will, HKS, INC., and Collins | Webb Architecture there from the design teams, as well as Choate Construction, Parrish Construction, Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC., and Carroll Daniel Construction from the award-winning projects there.   

What is Starnet, and How are the Starnet Design Awards Judged?

Starnet is the world’s largest network of full-service independent flooring contractors, committed to the highest standards of excellence in the industry. Through partnerships with the most skilled commercial flooring professionals and highest quality flooring manufacturers, we help deliver successful project outcomes serving the client’s vision. For quality, reliability, and outstanding results on all your flooring projects, trust Starnet.

Starnet Commercial is comprised of more than 171 locally owned independent full-service commercial flooring contractors, servicing more than 360 locations throughout North America. With $3.5 Billion in annual sales, Starnet is the most influential force in the contract flooring industry. Its members represent the best of the best and the highest standards of excellence within the industry. Each member has a reputation you can trust, built on quality, reliability, and service. DCO Commercial Floors has been affiliated with Starnet since 2017.

The Starnet Design Awards are judged by a panel of three professionals selected from respected firms within the commercial A & D community. For sponsored categories, an honorary sponsoring judge also participates in the evaluation.

The judging evaluates in three main areas:

  1. CREATIVE USE OF FLOORING — First and foremost, entries are evaluated on the creativity reflected in the use and selection of flooring materials.
  2. FLOORING DESIGN & INTEGRATION — The next criterion for evaluation is the flooring design and how it integrates in to the overall design of the space. How impactful is the design and is the flooring an integral part of that impact?
  3. MEETING CLIENT OBJECTIVES — Based on the strategy statement provided, how well do the flooring choices reflect a creative and successful solution to the client’s challenges?

Specialty Categories

Unique Installation Challenge entries are also given a score based on the difficulty of the installation challenge and the effectiveness of the entrant’s strategy for solving it.

Starnet Design Award 2021 Project Winners

Honorable Mention: KIPP Atlanta Collegiate

Location: Atlanta, GA

Starnet Designs Award Ceremony
KIPP Atlanta Collegiate

Category:2021 Education
Honorable Mention Education

Architect: Perkins + Will

Starnet Member: DCO Commercial Floors (Dalton Carpet One)

Starnet Preferred Vendors: Armstrong Flooring, Inc., Daltile, MAPEI, RFMS, RFMS Measure, Roppe, Tarkett | Johnsonite,

PROJECT STRATEGY

When completely renovating an older school building, many unforeseen issues may arise. Due to not being able to get a large demo machine on the elevator, our installers removed thousands of square feet of very old and stubborn VCT using only handheld heat guns and a small demo machine.

The new VCT pattern in the corridors proved to be extremely tedious and time-consuming. Our crews worked many days with the designer and general contractor to ensure that the pattern tied in nicely with the planned murals throughout the building. Another challenge of working with an existing structure was removing the hardwood in the common study area while keeping the existing subfloor intact. Replacing this area with new engineered wood flooring created a very inviting area for the students to enjoy. In the end, the entire school is now bright and refreshed for the returning staff and students.

Bronze:  Piedmont Atlanta Hospital – Marcus Tower Expansion

Piedmont Atlanta Hospital

Location: Atlanta, GA

Category:2021 Healthcare
Bronze Winner Healthcare

Architect: HKS

Starnet Member: DCO Commercial Floors (Dalton Carpet One)

Starnet Preferred Vendors: Armstrong Flooring, Inc., MAPEI, RFMS, RFMS Measure, Tarkett | Johnsonite

PROJECT STRATEGY

The newly constructed 16- story tower for Piedmont Healthcare posed several challenges in the process of completion. The project featured a curved architectural style that implemented a lot of natural glass lighting for the new Marcus Heart and Cardiovascular Center and the Samsky Invasive Cardiovascular Services Center. The lower 10 floors will feature 132 new hospital beds serving Piedmont Hospital’s Buckhead campus with the remaining floors to be added in the next few years. The project was located on a dense, high-traffic site in downtown Atlanta that created delivery challenges and complex installation schedules.

Scheduling for the project frequently required multiple workers to labor in multiple locations. Due to the high-rise nature of the project, product delivery required the use of a buck hoist, which limited the speed of the product getting to needed locations. During preconstruction, multiple rounds of estimating and preconstruction meetings were required; likewise, extensive shop drawings were needed to help bring the architect’s vision to fruition. Our team partnered with Starnet vendors Mapei for patches and adhesives, Tarkett for cove base and LVT, and Armstrong for sheet vinyl, LVP, VCT, and wood.

Silver and People’s Choice: Rivers Edge Recovery Center

Location: Macon, GA

Starnet Design Awards Ceremony
River Edge Recovery CenterCategory: 2021 Healthcare

Category: Silver Winner Healthcare, Silver Winner People’s Choice

Architect: Azar + Walsh Architects

Starnet Member: DCO Commercial Floors (Dalton Carpet One)

Starnet Preferred Vendors: Armstrong Flooring, Inc., MAPEI, RFMS, RFMS Measure, Tarkett | Johnsonite

PROJECT STRATEGY

The new 48,000 SF River Edge Behavioral Health facility was a true team collaboration between DCO Commercial Floors, Parrish Construction Group, and Azar Walsh Architects. The lodge-like feel was designed to provide a more relaxing environment for the large one-story footprint. Separate wings were created to serve adults and children in the short-term crisis service center. Our team spent a great deal of time and preconstruction effort with our estimations, shop drawings, and layout meetings due to the heavy pattern coordination. Working alongside adjacent finish contractors, we were able to achieve the architect’s design intent to make the space welcoming and comforting.

 Silverspot Cinema @ The Battery

Location: Atlanta, GA

Silverspot Cinema

Category: 2021 Hospitality/Public Space
Gold Winner Hospitality

Architect: Collins | Webb Architecture

Starnet Member: DCO Commercial Floors (Dalton Carpet One)

Starnet Preferred Vendors: Armstrong Flooring, Inc., Daltile, Flexco, Mannington Commercial Carpet, MAPEI, MATS, Inc., Milliken, RFMS, RFMS Measure, Tarkett | Johnsonite

PROJECT STRATEGY

We were proud to work on this cinema within walking distance of one of our offices. Floor and wall substrate issues in the bathrooms with a polished granite tile was a challenge that is all too common. The floor substrate was sloped for drains, but the 12×12 refused to bend. Each bathroom was leveled to receive the new tile.

However, what we didn’t anticipate having to navigate was polishing out all of the scratches and damage that this polished granite tile received. Many hours were spent to make these bathrooms look as fantastic as they do today. Another challenge was the design of the lobby with many different finishes coming together seamlessly. A unique design of walk-off mats, polished concrete, tile, and carpet were carefully placed so that there were no height differences to achieve the designer’s intent for this high traffic area.

For more Starnet Design Awards news, click the link below.  https://www.starnetflooring.com/

The Warrior Alliance

Each year the winner of Starnet’s Design Awards receives funds to either host a party or donate to a charity of their choosing.  DCO Commercial Floors elected to donate and match the funds for a local 501c3 organization in the Battery community with a much larger reach.  DCO really cares about giving back to those who served our country and we found a great partnership with this organization.

The Warrior Alliance is an organization with a mission of helping veterans. Their mission is to help Warriors and their families achieve a fulfilling civilian life by promoting collaboration between the organizations that can support them during the transition from military service. DCO had the opportunity to give a donation to the Warrior Alliance at the Starnet Design Awards Ceremony on Tuesday and is honored to be a part of making a difference in these Veterans’ lives.

For more information on the Warrior Alliance, click the link below. https://www.thewarrioralliance.org/about/

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About the firm: DCO Commercial Floors is a nationwide flooring dealer that is committed to being a flooring solutions leader for all finishes, bridging the gap between traditional floor covering and modern access flooring solutions. We provide comprehensive project management so that your project is smooth from the estimating stages to breaking down the bid, and procurement, from install to closeout. DCO will provide and deliver on all facets to become the partner of choice for your project.