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Old Donation School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is decidedly forward-looking in its educational mission, complete with facility design approaches geared to innovative learning concepts.

One of the school’s design features, however, offers a view in the other direction — to the long-ago past, as measured in millions and billions of years.

This design element is the school’s Geologic Time Walk, a collaborative construction feature conceived and built by Virginia Beach City Public Schools, RRMM Architects, faculty members and general contractor McKenzie Construction Corp.

A major supporting role, however, was played by Carolina Bomanite Corp., the decorative and architectural concrete contractor that installed and served as a key design participant for the Geologic Time Walk. Carolina Bomanite recommended materials and design details, such as stamping tools, and provided answers to various design challenges that took the time walk from abstract design concept to built reality.

"These kinds of projects are what define the level of expertise in what we offer and bring to clients,” says John Fletcher, Carolina Bomanite president, of the time walk. "We do the extraordinary, not the ordinary.”

On the Geologic Time Walk, one can find replicas of fossil remnants of the various eras and epochs of the Earth’s past. There’s the Mesozoic Era, for example, some 252 million to 66 million years ago.

Not your mom and dad’s school

Old Donation School, completed in 2017, replaces facilities for three "gifted learner” programs operated by VBCPS. The $63 million, 225,000-square-foot facility uses "circulation space” as "learning space,” with small collaboration rooms in between classrooms called "think tanks” for smaller independent groups. Outdoor classrooms also provide learning spaces.

Much of the school’s curriculum focuses on the geography and ecology of the Chesapeake Bay region of Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. The region’s concern with storm water runoff and rising sea levels are reflected in the curriculum’s emphasis on ecosystems, aquatic and marine life, and environmental sciences.

The school is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, with advanced HVAC systems, LED lighting, extensive daylighting, collecting rainwater to flush toilets, and other "green” design elements.

"Students and staff asked for colorful, wide-open spaces and lots of daylight, so that’s what we gave them,” says Rob Berz, RRMM’s design architect for the school.

The Geologic Time Walk came to the attention of Carolina Bomanite in late 2013 or 2014, when architects for the Old Donation School project contacted the company.

Jurassic walk and more
On the Geologic Time Walk, one can find replicas of fossil remnants of the various eras and epochs of the Earth’s past. There’s the Mesozoic Era, for example, some 252 million to 66 million years ago. If that term doesn’t ring a bell, surely you’ve heard of the Jurassic, made famous by Hollywood through a series of films with immense special effects. The Jurassic period is the portion of the Mesozoic when the great dinosaurs dominated the planet.

The Geologic Time Walk dramatizes the mind-boggling size and scope of geologic time, and the miniscule place human history occupies in the scale of Earth’s existence.

The earliest modern humans are thought to have emerged some 200,000 years ago, during the current geologic era, the Cenozoic. The Precambrian eon of geologic time, meanwhile, is dated to when Earth was forming some 4.6 billion years ago. Along the way from coalesced mass orbiting the Sun those many years ago, to earliest life forms, to the age of reptiles and age of mammals, to the dawn of man, the succession of geologic periods etched a fossil record documenting the genesis and evolution of life forms both extinct and existing.

So, the Geologic Time Walk task facing Carolina Bomanite and the school design team was downright dinosaur size in scope of design and installation challenge, if not in sheer physical size.

The gelled-acid Flattoo process from Surface Gel Tek was used for much of the walkway’s fossil artwork and geologic timeline elements.

Concept to concrete
The Geologic Time Walk came to the attention of Carolina Bomanite in late 2013 or 2014, when architects for the Old Donation School project contacted the company. After talking to suppliers of concrete stamps and artwork templates, Fletcher got back to the architects on what was possible in delivering on the design concept.

He submitted samples of time walk sections that included fossils created with stamp tools and acid etching, concrete surface textures and integrally colored concrete.

For fossil imprints, Carolina Bomanite enlisted the craftsmanship of Matcrete Decorative Concrete Products and Surface Gel Tek. Matcrete supplied a variety of stamp tools from its Fossil Effects product line. Surface Gel Tek’s role was significantly more complex, as the company produced customized templates of fossil images, words and numbers to be etched into the concrete using Surface Gel Tek’s gelled-acid etching process.

Marching forward through time
For Carolina Bomanite, installing the time walk presented the challenges of skilled concrete construction, geometric precision and artistic craftsmanship. Fletcher went with a relatively small crew, recognizing the need for tight management of all the processes involved.

In the spring of 2017, "Wind was the biggest issue,” Fletcher says. "It was an open area, and unusually windy.” This put the crew to the test in ensuring consistency in the pours.

Concrete with integral colors was used, with each color of the walkway indicating a different span of geologic time.Concrete with integral colors was used, with each color of the walkway indicating a different span of geologic time. The colors from Scofield, most of which have since been discontinued, were Sombrero Buff, Navajo Red, Roman Tile, Surrey Beige and Moonlight Gray.

The entire walkway surface was textured with a Bomanite slate mat. To lend authenticity to the visuals, other textures were matched with individual fossil images and used on the concrete surface adjacent to the fossils. The texture and fossil stamps from Matcrete were placed as the sections of walkway were poured.

The Carolina Bomanite crew laid out the design for each section of walkway with precise measurements in the surface for saw cuts, fossils, wording and numbers. "Logistics were everything,” Fletcher says. "It required a concerted effort. Everyone had to be on the same page.”

The fossil templates from Surface Gel Tek were "sticky” self-adhesive elements attached to the hardened concrete. Here, acid gel was used to etch the surface prior to a secondary coloring process using Bomanite Micro-Top.

Gelled acid and concrete art
The gelled-acid Flattoo process from Surface Gel Tek was used for much of the walkway’s fossil artwork and geologic timeline elements. For the project, owner Tamryn Doolan created custom vinyl adhesive templates based on images of fossils specified by the Old Donation design team. Doolan also created templates for the geologic terms and the numbers indicating years of various geologic periods.

To create these elements, Doolan employs a software graphics program that creates multidimensional templates that can be used for acid etching and coloring concrete. Following design-team approval of the artwork, a vinyl adhesive template is produced and shipped to the contractor.

To create the intended image, the template is "weeded” before it’s placed on the surface – meaning parts of the template are removed to expose areas of the concrete that will be acid-etched for color contrast, or etched and colored using products such as dyes, stains or acrylics for more dramatic coloring. Areas that remain covered by the template aren’t etched and colored.

The acid etching opens up the concrete’s pores, allowing the color to penetrate and permanently color the concrete. "It’s very much like tattooing,” Doolan says. Acetone dyes are typically applied without prior acid etching, as the acetone penetrates the concrete on its own.

Doolan emphasizes how important communication is when it comes to matching process details with color specifications and other project parameters. "We are the contractor’s art department, in that we understand graphics that work with concrete,” she says. "We take the fear of art out of the equation.”

School as teaching tool
Tim Cole, VBCPS sustainability officer, says LEED and sustainable design have been part of the district’s mission for new facilities for some time. Old Donation is the ninth LEED design project for the district, and these facilities incorporate features that capture rainwater, emphasize daylighting, and use geothermal heating and cooling, among other sustainable-design functions.

"What we’ve gotten better at is designing the school to also serve as a teaching tool,” Cole says. Old Donation’s atrium floor — a terrazzo installation — is a scale replica of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, depicting the region’s geography and ecology and serving to illustrate the challenges the low-lying region faces from pollution, surging storm water and rising sea levels.

The Geologic Time Walk also serves the school’s teaching-tool aspirations in a big way — millions of years of planet Earth’s history in a brief stroll from parking lot to school.

Concrete is a very durable construction material but it needs to be maintained like any other products if it is to achieve its expected life-span.  Normal problems with concrete are as varied as their solutions. Each condition requires a clear understanding of what is expected of the repair including protection needs, appearance and load carrying requirements. From residential homes to the largest commercial properties, Decking Around can help.  As specialists in concrete repair, we can develop cost-effective solutions for your specific project that will ensure the guaranteed long term performance of every repair.

If you have a driveway, walkway, patio, or floor that is damaged and worn please, get in contact with us. We have spent over 20 years transforming concrete into beautiful surfaces that will last you for years.

In addition to these services, we also offer maintenance services to keep your surfaces looking new.


Decking Around

707-255-1555

http://deckingaround.com/concrete/

Universal Studios is one of Hollywood’s oldest and most legendary working film studios. It first opened in 1915 in the era of silent films and grew to become one of the largest studios in the world. Huge sound stages sprung up with the "talkies” in the 1930s, and its back lot set the scene for such films as "To Kill a Mockingbird,” "Back to the Future,” "Psycho” and "Pirates of the Caribbean.” It has also become one of the country’s largest tourist attractions with a theme park and behind-the-scenes tours.

A century later, Universal Studios has created a new main street to welcome visitors into the park lined with shopping, dining and retail venues.

In the heart of the new Universal Boulevard is a 5,000-square-foot store inspired by the history of Tinseltown movies and culture.

 Read the full article at http://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-universal-studios-hollywood

Recovery Room - This company offers therapeutic advantages of exclusive treatments. Located at 279 S. McGregor Ave. in Mobile, AL you can think of this as a spa for your blood. Each treatment is carefully selected based on the resident RN and yourself. Treatments are approximately 1 hour depending on what your treatment is and is delivered via intravenously. Check them out at www.recoveryroomal.com or give them a call 888-597-DRIP.

Jason Ryan - contractor with Gulf Concrete of Pensacola, FL installing this corporate logo via the Flattoo System - an system offered exclusively
by Surface Gel Tek. The installed logo matches the company's trademarked logo perfectly.
 
Owner of Gulf Coast Bomanite - Ralph Christman commissioned Surface Gel Tek to create and install Recovery Room's trademarked logo.

Gulf Coast Bomanite specializes in Polished Concrete Floors - an extremely durable and cost effective decorative concrete treatment. In this picture Ralph is applying the final treatment called the Guard which will give both the floor and the logo longevity.

Surface Gel Tek has worked with Bomanite contractors for over 15 years. I originally met Chris while he was working with Bomanite of New Orleans so our working relationship goes back many years. We are very fortunate to work with Chris and Gulf Coast Bomanite.

For more information on Gulf Coast Bomanite - call the owner Ralph Christman (Chris) at 504-234-6642.
 

Rebekah & Company joins a collection of companies striving towards the goal of ensuring that you are dealing with well trained and educated industry professionals. Our affiliates allow us access to continuous training, thus keeping us up to date with the latest innovations in our field. Aiming to be the most knowledgeable, well-trained liaison between product and customer. Whether you choose to design an original look or polish the old one, Rebekah & Company –a woman minority ownership and family based company, brings true value and competitive pricing to every project.

Our high standards for timeless quality, craftsmanship, and service are evident in every job we collaborate with. Our highly trained staff will evaluate your needs and help you determine aggregate size, color, matrix color, and stripping dimensions. For nearly three decades, Rebekah and Company has been synonymous with quality terrazzo flooring.
Recently we were part of a project to work with Rebekah and Company to create the concrete floor graphics for the new Edmunds HQ in California.  Rebekah and Company were the install contractors for the project.
 
Edmunds is a company that sells cars via the internet.  Check them out at http://www.edmunds.com/price-promise.html and check out how our graphics look on their floors!

Rebekah Imus- Owner

P. 951.479.5671

F. 951.848.0606

M. P.O Box 6675 Norco, CA 92860

A. 1870 Town and Country Norco Ste. 102, CA 92860

CA Lic# 1000819 | OR Lic# 205555

http://www.rebekahco.com/

Check out more Atlanta Concrete Artists' brilliant work or contact directly at 770-823-5575 or [email protected].

 Recently ACA's garages caught the attention of the CEO of Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville GA. The Motorsports Park, home of the "100 mph lunch", has a two-mile race course created for high-end sports car owners.  Mike Jensen of Atlanta Concrete Artist was contacted by Jeremy Porter, the CEO of the Park, to create a map of the two mile track for the showroom floor.  Surface Gel Tek was contacted to create the 24 piece Flattoo. The finished results beautifully display the skill and craftsmanship of ACA's vision and dedication to carving a unique niche in the world of decorative concrete.

For more information check out Concrete Decors' full article and CNN's story on the Atlanta Motorsports Park.

Art has been with humans from the very beginning and continues to be a daily part of life.  Dan Doolan is no stranger to art, having received his Master's Degree in Fine Art and having taught art at several Arizona schools.  Dan is also the inventor and patent holder of Surface Gel Tek's gelled acid.

Mr. Doolan took inspiration for his newest experiment from some of the earliest know examples of human-kinds love of art, the 30,000 year old cave paintings from the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave in Southern France.  The idea was to reinterpret some of these images into concrete using Surface Gel Tek's Flattoo and Gelled Acid system.  Starting first with a precast 18"x18"x1" concrete paver, acid stain was applied in layers. The colors were applied starting with the lightest shades and building towards a very dark brown, almost black, earthy color.  The layering affect of the acid stains becomes important later on in the project.

With the acid stained paver dry, a Flattoo (high precision vinyl template) created for the project by Tamryn Doolan, was applied to the paver on top of the acid stains.  Gelled acid was used in varying degrees to etch through the layers of acid stains and to model the colors around the Flattoo to give a more organic feel to the lines and to create subtle color variations throughout the piece.  Additional color was added in at this point to create more variations throughout the piece.  When this step was completed the Flattoo was removed to reveal the unetched areas.  The last step was to apply a sealer to protect the new piece of art.

 We can easily say that the final results of this project raised the bar for what can be accomplished with decorative concrete.  Projects like these remind us what is possible with the proper tools, the right imagination, and a taste for experimenting.

The world of decorative concrete is constantly changing and evolving.  Technology and imagination are pushing the boundaries of what can be done with concrete.  Surface Gel Tek recently evolved its Flattooing process to a new peak.

The University House is a state-of-the-art 19 story student apartment near the Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ.  Flooring contractor, Jeremy Thiede of CFS needed to find a way to make the lobby floors of the University House not only look appealing, but the floors had to be durable enough to stand up to years of heavy foot traffic.  Mr. Thiede contacted Surface Gel Tek to brain storm the project.

The solution that was created by Thiede and Tamryn Doolan of Surface Gel Tek was to utilize Surface Gel Tek's Flattoo system; the Flattoo system is a process of etching an image into concrete using SGT's patented gelled acid and high precision vinyl templates for the graphics.  Once the concrete was etched open a water-based color was added, while the Flattoo was still in place, to create a giant and repeated pattern across the 1,200 square-foot lobby floor.  The biggest Flattoo created to date!

For more pictures and a more detailed account of this project, check out the article on Concrete Contractors site.

 Gaye’s training materials include comprehensive manuals as well as DVDs covering the most basic fundamentals of concrete acid staining to the most advanced artistic concrete staining techniques.
In July of 2012 Gaye was contacted by Monte's, a local cigar lounge, about installing a new logo for the entry way floor to the lounge.  Gaye contacted Surface Gel Tek to collaborate on the flattoo - the results of which are nothing short of stunning.

Click here to view Gaye Goodman's blog which follows the project from beginning to end