Clemson, S.C.—February 23 marks the first-ever National Tile Day, and the staff of Anderson, S.C.-based Tile Council of North America (TCNA) will celebrate the occasion with a tour of Clemson’s new 140,000 square-foot Football Operations Building. The $55-million building is currently pending LEED silver certification, thanks in part to its ubiquitous use of tile.
The Clemson Football Operations Complex encompasses 30,000 square feet of tile, along with 4,000 square feet of thin brick. Jeff Thomas, senior account executive, DCO Commercial Floors, said both the expanse of the project as well as the wide variety of styles used—including stone- and wood-look tiles and glass tiles—contributed to the complexity of the install. Thomas added the TCNA Handbook was instrumental in the team’s success, especially considering they had a firm due date: ESPN’s live broadcast on National Signing Day.
“We’re proud that our research, industry standards and reference materials have been of service to the companies who worked on the Clemson Football Operations Complex project,” said Bill Griese, director of Standards Development and Sustainability Initiatives (Clemson ‘06). “Seeing tile playing a key role toward the building attaining LEED silver certification is even more rewarding. Further, we fully anticipate the energy, environmental, health and lifecycle benefits resulting from the project’s extensive use of tile will serve Clemson and its athletes well, long into the future.”
Clemson aims to achieve at least a LEED silver rating for all newly constructed buildings and large renovations. The LEED green building certification program is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. It contains prerequisites and credits in five categories: sustainable site planning, improving energy efficiency, conserving materials and resources, embracing indoor environmental quality and safeguarding water.