Elegant, durable, timeless, with endless design possibilities, Terrazzo has proven to endure and perform even in the most creative design applications.
Terrazzo, the original recycled floor, descended directly from simplified forms of centuries-old styles of marble mosaics that were used in Venice by the mid-16th century. For architects and interior designers, today’s terrazzo is an environmentally friendly material that combines extraordinary design potential, optimum durability, and low maintenance.
Terrazzo’s reputation of hand-crafted luxury has been solidly built on the traditional sand cushion, cement-based terrazzo still found intact in historic structures around the country after 100-plus years. It’s logical to assume that such a high-end finish won’t come cheap or easy. Its life cycle beats carpet by decades, but unlike carpet, it can’t just be dropped in at the end of construction. It’s the kind of reputation that can cause a general contractor to assume the worst about what a terrazzo installation is going to do to the cost and scheduling of their jobs.
In keeping with its original premise of recycle/reuse, today’s terrazzo installations combine exceptional beauty, extreme design flexibility, durability to last the life of the building, and incredible ease of maintenance with the best practices of sustainable building. Terrazzo has long been valued for its life cycle characteristics, and can also contribute to the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) credits for new construction.
The NTMA has provided Guide Specifications in Word Doc, PDF and CAD format for downloading and use. http://ntma.com/types-and-systems/
Of course Terrazzo Masters is available at your office or ours to assist in helping the Designer provide Job Specific information in their project specifications. As members of the Construction Specification Institute and an Affiliate Plus member of the American Institute of Architects, we are available as a resource and a credible source of information for your project team.
Continuing Education Credits for Architects
Terrazzo Masters understands that you have a variety of options when designing for flooring and surfaces, so to keep you up to date on the latest changes, applications and materials available to you and your contractors, we partner with certified/approved suppliers and materials-dealers who can offer Continuing Ed lunch-and-learns for you and your staff. It’s our way of sharing our knowledge and know-how with you and your team.