Terrazzo in Public Transit: Durability in Heavy Traffic
Designing transit hubs requires balancing efficiency, safety, and passenger experience with extreme durability. Architects emphasize passenger-first designs, integrating multiple modes of transport while creating safe, navigable, and attractive spaces. Flooring plays a critical role: it must endure continuous foot traffic, resists slips, and often incorporate wayfinding cues. Transit buildings see more foot traffic than almost any other public space, so materials must hold up to heavy foot traffic. Key criteria for selecting flooring materials include:
- Seamless, non-slip surfaces
- Long-term durability
- Low-maintenance performance
- Opportunities for branding or artistic expression
In this blog post, we’ll focus on how terrazzo solves the long-term challenges public transit buildings face. We’ll examine how it compares to other flooring, and discuss how Concord Terrazzo Company supports architects in project planning and material selection for their building space.
Why Terrazzo Excels in Public Transit Buildings
Durability & Life-Cycle Performance
Terrazzo stands out for its exceptional durability and low life-cycle costs. With epoxy terrazzo, buildings get a lifespan of 75 years, or more, with proper care. Combined with marble and/or glass aggregates, epoxy terrazzo offers a nearly indestructible resilience. Terrazzo is one of the most durable flooring systems for heavy use. While other floors wear down or crack over time under heavy traffic, terrazzo maintains its performance, making it cost-effective over the decades, especially in larger spaces.
Seamless, Safe Surface
Poured-in-place terrazzo creates a continuous floor with no grout joints, eliminating seams that can impede luggage wheels or wheelchairs. In practice, smooth terrazzo floors greatly improve accessibility and reduce noise from carts. Owners point out that a seamless, durable floor offers greater ease of movement compared to floors like tile. Likewise, a properly finished terrazzo floor comes with a non-slip finish, helping prevent slips and falls in the facility.
Low Maintenance
Terrazzo’s hard, non-porous surface resists stains, chemicals, and fires. It’s much easier to clean terrazzo with a system absent of grout lines. Routine cleaning, including mopping and periodic resealing, keeps the floor in pristine condition. Most importantly, a well-maintained terrazzo floor requires no frequent repairs, making it highly maintenance-friendly for public transit buildings.
Aesthetic Flexibility and Branding
Terrazzo is not only functional, but highly customizable – a key advantage for modern transit designs. Designers can choose among a wide range of colorful aggregates (marble, glass, shells) and resin tones to create any style of floor they like. On top of that, logos, wayfinding cues, or artistic patterns can be embedded directly into the floor by creating a layout with divider strips. Some of the award-winning terrazzo installations have crafted intricate designs using multiple colors and great detail. Terrazzo has the ability to provide both beauty and simplicity, welcoming visitors who are always on the go.
TERRAZZCO collaborates with architects to translate design visions into high-traffic floors, joining durability with creative expression. Terrazzo puts designers into the driver’s seat, allowing them to achieve anything possible.
Users’ Perspectives
Design teams specify terrazzo because it is a durable and seamless system that is conducive to a clean and easily maintained environment. These floors are meant to last a lifetime while also looking beautiful. The floor can be simple or complex, but it achieves the design intent.
Terrazzo floors have seen a greater use in recent years, not only in public transit buildings, but in airports, universities, and hospitals. Architects see terrazzo as a way to faithfully realize artistic floor designs at large scale. These floors become part of the building’s identity, with many commuters even stopping to take photographs of the floor.
Case Study: Terrazzo Floors at Cary Train Depot
Cary Station underwent improvements to provide a more efficient experience for a growing population. The improvements included a full-service Amtrak service, including ticketing and baggage, and expanding the passenger waiting area. Terrazzo floors were installed with TERRAZZCO Brand Products, throughout the train station.
The white terrazzo floors reflect light, brightening the interior space. This contributes to the space feeling more open, clean, and welcoming. The number of train passengers is expected to increase yearly. With terrazzo in place, the floors are designed to last the lifetime of the entire building.
Comparing Flooring Options
Each flooring type has its trade-offs. When compared to terrazzo:
Polished Concrete & Epoxy Floors
- Lower initial cost, but lacks terrazzo’s longevity and design control.
- Concrete often develops cracks or dulls over time; terrazzo’s divider strips help control cracking to maintain a flawless, long-lasting finish.
Ceramic Tile & Quarry Tile
- Tiles are more susceptible to cracking under impact.
- Durable and cost-effective, but has visible grout joints that can harbor dirt and require re-grouting.
Carpet
- Although a softer material, carpet is rarely used in transit lobbies due to stains and wear.
Vinyl or LVT
- Vinyl and LVT have low installation costs and are easy to maintain; however, they typically only last 10-20 years in heavy use.
In conclusion, terrazzo offers the lowest lifecycle costs among commercial flooring options for busy environments. You’ll most likely find epoxy terrazzo in very large spaces, which pays off over time, as this floor is built to last.
Case Study: Terrazzo Floors at Petersburg Multi-Modal
The Petersberg Multi-Modal transit facility replaces an existing bus stop. The facility is part of a revitalizaiton for downtown Petersburg. The new facility features gray terrazzo floors that enhance the building’s aesthetic and functional appeal.
The terrazzo floors feature a wayfinding design resembling railroad tracks. Embedded within the terrazzo floors are cast bronze medallions that offer passengers a glimpse into the city’s rich history. The floors exemplify how design elements can combine functionality with artistic expression.
Challenges and Considerations
Terrazzo does require skilled installation, careful substrate preparation, and a consistent maintenance program. These are all factors to consider when deciding to choose terrazzo for a transit center. Maintenance is essential to maximize the life of the floor; however, architects note that once an owner gets the terrazzo maintenance schedule down, the floor is very user-friendly.
Despite these considerations, the benefits in heavy-traffic transit spaces are clear. For architects seeking to design resilient and visually appealing transportation hubs, terrazzo delivers a compelling combination of outstanding performance, long-lasting durability, and sustainable benefits. Its successful track record in bustling airports and hospitals extends naturally to transit centers, making terrazzo a smart and reliable material choice.