Schönox Rapid Healthcare Conversion Initiative in Action
140,000 Square Foot Former Newspaper Building Converted to Overflow Hospital Space
In just a three-day project window, a variety of Schönox subfloor product solutions were used to convert 140,000 square feet of a former newspaper office and production space to a permanent overflow hospital. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and the US Army Corp of Engineers selected the Memphis, TN site for conversion to healthcare use to add hundreds of hospital beds in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Just a couple months ago, we formed an initiative to assist with the conversion of office and hospitality spaces to healthcare use, allowing contractors to move quickly,” explained Thomas Trissl, principal, Schönox HPS North America. “The Memphis project is the latest example where the ability to cover, rather than demolish, subfloors with fast-drying materials made a tangible difference.” The project work took place across four stories of the historic 495 Union Avenue building, addressing existing ceramic tile, VCT, and concrete slabs of varied conditions. Schönox primers and self-leveling products allowed contractors to forgo time-consuming subfloor demolition work.