Nora flooring products have been installed at the State of Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality Laboratory.

The State of Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Laboratory performs thousands of analyses each month on air, water and land samples to protect and enhance Oregon’s environmental quality. Meanwhile, the state’s Public Health Laboratory (PHL) conducts close to 11 million tests annually and regulates approximately 2,000 laboratories, supporting state and local infectious disease control efforts, detecting metabolic disorders present in newborns, and assuring the quality of testing in clinical and environmental laboratories.

With responsibility for so many tests, it’s no wonder that both labs outgrew their home of 31 years — a converted parking garage below a science building on the Portland State University campus — and moved into a spacious, new 85,000-square-foot facility in nearby Hillsboro, Ore. Surrounded by state-of-the-art equipment in offices and labs designed for efficiency, employees in the new building have moved from the dark environment of a basement to an above-ground structure that features an abundance of natural light and colorful accents on walls and floors.

With IDC Architects in Portland leading the $36 million effort, the state began modifying an existing shelled office building in 2005. As structural changes were made inside and out to support the work of the laboratories, interior designer Gloria Mortera considered appropriate finishes for the building. According to Mortera, the building owner sought sustainable products and, with respect to floor coverings, products that delivered comfort, stain resistance and an easy maintenance routine.

“As happy as I am with nora, I needed to convince my firm and our client that nora rubber flooring was the right choice for this particular project. So, I proposed the use of a matrix that compared the advantages and disadvantages as well as the price points associated with VCT, linoleum, vinyl sheet and nora rubber flooring.”

Ultimately, this matrix, along with stain resistance test results performed on nora samples, influenced the choice of nora’s noraplan products to cover laboratory floors, hallways and common areas throughout the facility.

“I’m impressed with the durability and longevity of nora products, improving the cost cycle value,” added Mortera. “And finally, I love the innovation of nora products — the color selection and the creativity they bring to their products and the thought they give as to how their products will be perceived and used.”

The linear pattern in the floor features a beige field with blocks of green, blue and terracotta tiles in public areas, hallway intersections and entrances to labs. Inside the labs, the same colors appear in the floors around lab benches and workstations to lend interest and personality to the otherwise pristine surroundings. “It’s definitely an attractive floor,” said Mary Deason, PHL operations manager, “and it seems easy to clean, leaving behind a soft sheen.

“In addition, durability plays to the sustainability of the floor and contributes to the overall sustainability of the building,” said IDC project architect Ernie Staley, who also notes the importance of comfort. “Unlike research labs, these are high throughput labs where workers spend hours on their feet analyzing thousands of samples. There’s a much higher level of activity around the benches and throughout the labs, so the comfort and durability of the floors is important.

“The story of the DEQ/PHL facility is a good story to tell,” Staley continued. “The building represents a great example of a successful innovative adaptive reuse project.”