Laminam by Crossville Makes the Grade in Three Amarillo, TX High Schools
Picture the world of 30 years ago – the mid-1980s in all its glory, and you have a good idea of the look and feel that students of three Amarillo-area high schools had been surrounded by in their cafeterias until recent updates were made. The last time the kitchens and cafeterias of Amarillo High, Cap Rock High, and Palo Duro High were renovated, movies such as Sixteen Candles, The Karate Kid, and Ghostbusters were just hitting theaters, the world saw the first Apple Macintosh computer, and Michael Jackson’s album Thriller sat atop the charts.
Suffice to say, by 2014, it was time for fresh looks and new materials to bring the school facilities into the present day. Answering the needs of the schools today and knowing that it may be a very long while before future renovations would be considered, the design team prioritized the selection of leading edge materials that are extremely durable and will look good for many years to come. They turned to Crossville’s large format Laminam porcelain tile panels to achieve an up-to-date, clean look that would also offer long-term durability and style.
The Laminam collection, with its large array of styles and abundant hues, was a great choice for creating looks and color palettes unique to each school. To incorporate Amarillo High’s school colors of gold and black, the designers specified Laminam Collection in Fumo, I Naturali in Ossidiana V Scura, and Filo in Rame. Palo Duro High’s blue, white and silver color scheme was interpreted with Notte, Blend in Avorio, and I Naturali in Ossidiana V Grigia. Caprock High received a warm neutral palette of Laminam’s Collection in Avorio, Blend in Noce, and Filo in Oro.
The design team said they were going for a clean look, and the large porcelain tiles panels filled the bill. As an added bonus, Laminam by Crossville products with their generous outer dimensions (measured in feet, not inches) require fewer grout joints in installation, supporting simplified cleaning and long term maintenance for the kitchen staff. Another appealing feature of the Laminam 3+ panels was the fiberglass backing that offers an extra layer of durability. And as for the longevity of the look, the designers were confident that the colors, durability, and size of the Laminam panels will be ‘on trend’ for years to come.
Project Participants:
Architect: Dekker/Perich/Sabatini (Albuquerque & Las Cruces, NM; Amarillo, TX; Phoenix, AZ)
Lead Architect: Barry Taylor
Interior Architect: Dekker/Perich/Sabatin
Lead Interior Architects: Kelli Henson and Jess Westhoff
General Contractor: A&S General Contractors (Amarillo, TX)
Tile Sub: A-1 Flooring (Amarillo, TX)
Distributer: Design Materials, Inc.(Albuquerque, NM)
