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Brownsville International Airport (Modena SL)

The Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport is the newest major airport in Brownsville, TX. With quick access to the Gulf of Mexico and US Interstate Highway, this airport serves as a strategic hub for all international and domestic airlines, as well as private aviation operations and continues to grow and support the expanding community.

In developing the buildout of a new passenger terminal Corgan Architects along with Jacobs Engineering developed new design elements and an aesthetic overhaul that reflects the region and culture of Brownsville. Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport was formerly designated as the headquarters of Pan American’s Western Division in the 1930s. The airport made history establishing the first international Airmail Service when Charles Lindbergh landed in Brownsville in 1929 after a historic flight from Mexico City. The city then became a pioneer training center for teaching pilots to fly with navigation instruments only.

The new two-story, 89,000-square-foot building utilizes the latest terminal design features and amenities that include designing and constructing a new four-gate terminal and a Federal Inspection Services (FIS) Facility for commercial and general aviation, replacing the existing facility built-in 1971. Previously restricted to regional aircraft, the project now allows the airport to accommodate larger aircraft and is designed for a future terminal expansion with expected increased air travel.

When it came to renovating and revitalizing the airport, Corgan wanted to make sure that the city’s unique history was represented in all design aspects. Corgan worked with Bomanite Licensee, Texas Bomanite, starting in December 2017 on the initial design, several 6” x 6” concrete samples of different gray tones and finishes were a must-have to a make sure the airport flooring would provide as much as an insightful impact as the surrounding structures. Working in close proximity to Corgan’s office allowed for several larger-scale mock-ups to be seen in person at Texas Bomanite’s facility. Ultimately polished concrete was chosen for its long-term durability and low maintenance. Texas Bomanite contracted through the winning bid GC SpawGlass Contractors to provide 42,300 square feet of the Bomanite Modena SL polished concrete system; an installation that finalized in December 2020.

The final color of choice was Nickle Gray Bomanite Modena SL, used throughout the ticketing area, TSA Security Checkpoints as well as the upper floors for Boarding. Texas Bomanite provided the ultimate solution to the early design concerns for finding an acceptable concrete finish for the existing structural slab. The polished concrete floor in gray complimented the stainless steel borders seen throughout the terminal. Precast stair treads were also created with the Bomanite Modena SL system for a cohesive design. Bomanite Modena SL is a versatile engineered interior polymer modified cementitious topping that is blended with selected aggregates and then ground and polished to the desired gloss level. The new terminal floors were prepped with 24-40 metal bond diamonds and a rapid set epoxy primer with sanding to refusal prior to installing the Bomanite polished concrete system. Polished to a final 800 Grit with Bomanite Stabilizer Poly Pro and Bomanite VitraFinish provided for a solid surface with superior stain resistance. Metzger McGuire RS-88 in warm stone was used for the joint filler to complete the overall custom decorative concrete flooring for the Brownsville International Airport.

The Modena system is a low-cost alternative for renovation projects and provides the durability and strength for this exceptionally long lifespan system. With the Bomanite Modena SL systems ability to be installed over concrete or properly prepared wood substrates, with cove base and stair components generally pre-cast, it made for the perfect complement to the overall design elements and architectural plans. Having the industry’s lowest lifecycle costs, low to zero VOC and minimal maintenance requirements, Bomanite Modena SL was the optimal choice for Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport and earned Texas Bomanite the 2020 Best Custom Polishing Systems Project Bronze Award.

Herman Miller, Inc. (Modena SL)

When Herman Miller, Inc. relocated their offices from the Dallas Design District to the uptown area on McKinney Avenue, the space they selected offered some interesting flooring challenges. 2811 McKinney Avenue is a mixed use office complex built in 1984. Herman Miller designs, builds and distributes some of the most sophisticated furniture in the world. While the space Herman Miller leased is on the ground floor, most of the space is on a suspended slab. The existing concrete floor had elevation changes in excess of 3” across the 5,400 square feet of area. The requirement of the interior finish  was to produce a high end refined look specified by TVS Design.

Bomanite Licensee, Texas Bomanite achieved the specified design with the Bomanite Modena SL polished concrete system that produced a flat floor by installing self-leveling concrete overlay to produce an acceptable concrete canvas to polish. The finished product is a stunning showpiece that complements the modern sophistication of the new office space.

MMGY Office Lobby (Modena SL)

MMGY, the largest integrated travel marketing organization in the world, and Lisa Jensen Design contacted Bomanite Licensee, Musselman & Hall Contractors, for a decorative concrete flooring solution for the outdated, 800 square foot lobby of their office. The existing flooring was a worn cork flooring that showed wear and damaged from years of use.

The client wanted a “white polished concrete floor” and was looking for a thin overlay application to achieve the desired finish. The Bomanite Modena SL system was proposed with the production of finished samples for client review of the final color and finish.

Bomanite Modena SL is a polymer-modified, cementitious interior bonded floor topping that is blended with selected decorative aggregates then placed with no finishing. Once fully cured Bomanite Modena SL is ground to expose the aggregates and polished to the desired gloss level.

The project was a fast-track installation in order to keep a minimum disruption to their operation. Bomanite Modena SL may be lightly walked on 12 hours after placement providing a benefit for needed accelerated renovations. On a Thursday evening, prep began with removing the existing cork flooring, grinding the exposed concrete sub base, and applying Bomanite XP Primer with a sand broadcast. The next morning the Bomanite Modena SL integrally colored product was poured and size 0 and size 1 white terrazzo glass was blended into the overlay. On Saturday, the floor was polished and completed. The client was able to be back at work within 48 hours.

The finished floor is a gorgeous representative of Bomanite’s Modena SL system and the design flexibility of decorative architectural concrete. The Modena system transforms existing or worn surfaces into beautiful walkways, showrooms and lobbies and is available in a range of colors and patterns using decorative sawcuts. Additional topically applied stains and a variety of aggregates, such as recycled glass or porcelain along with regionally sourced materials, are all options in creating a beautifully designed, environmentally friendly and functional floor.

Grain Valley High School (Modena SL)

With school out for the summer that leaves room for designers and contractors to have more readily available access for specified improvements and upgrades. Growing School Districts looking to restyle, update or renovate can trust the Bomanite Modena SL system for low maintenance and cost saving benefits. The Grain Valley High School originally built in the late 1990s finished its phase 4 expansion to accommodate its rapidly growing student body. Expansion brought much needed instructional and collaboration space, a game changer for students. With a large amount of community support, the School took into consideration the need to provide a low maintenance flooring with an element of design to embody the school’s colors and team spirit.

Hollis + Miller Architects worked with Bomanite Decorative Concrete Licensee, Musselman & Hall Contractors, LLC on several other past projects and knew that they could come up with a custom winning design. They searched through a number of samples, library binders, created idea boards and pulled together a combination of polished concrete and different aggregates that would give the students academia pride in their newly expanded school.

Phase 4 creates a new main entrance, media center, lecture hall, administration area, and courtyard for student use. The new entrance to the “Eagle Way” promenade is flanked by a huge monolithic concrete wall dressed out in the school colors of royal blue and white. The entrance’s 2,890 sq. ft. hallway contains two shades of vibrant blue glass aggregate and eye-catching pieces of sparkling mirror glass polished to a brilliant luster. After the concrete base slab was poured, it was topped with a two-inch thick Bomanite Modena SL topping slab, aggregates added and after a brief curing period the floor was then polished to the perfect grit and shine.

Additionally, included in the project were 1,945 sq. ft. of a refined “cream polish” surface (Class A aggregate exposure with a Level 3 polish) and 4,335 sq. ft. of a perfect “salt and pepper” finish (Class B aggregate exposure with a Level 3 polish). Musselman & Hall crews also polished three sets of concrete steps with a three-line nose detail engraved into the concrete. The newly created grooves were filled with “Grain Valley Blue” epoxy to bring some school spirit and color into the Bomanite cream polished finish designed surface areas.

The Bomanite Modena SL Custom Polishing System is an engineered interior cementitious topping that is blended with selected aggregates and then ground and polished to the desired gloss level. The Modena system transforms existing or worn surfaces into beautiful walkways, school hallways, showrooms, restaurants and lobbies and is available in a range of colors and patterns using decorative sawcuts. Additional topically applied stains and a variety of aggregates, such as recycled glass or porcelain along with regionally sourced materials, are all options in creating a beautifully designed, environmentally friendly and functional floor. The Modena system is a low-cost alternative for renovation projects and provides the durability and strength for this exceptionally long lifespan system. With the industry’s lowest lifecycle costs, low to zero VOC and minimal maintenance requirements, Modena by Bomanite Polished Concrete was the optimal choice for Grain Valley’s expansion and renovations.

Musselman & Hall Contractors, LLC received several awards for their exceptional work at Grain Valley High School. They were awarded the Bomanite Outstanding Grand Award as well as the Bomanite Custom Polishing Systems Gold Award.

Nickel & Suede Retail Shop (Modena SL)

Be Brave. Take a Chance. Change Your Life. These words are the mantra of Nickel & Suede, believing that trying something new can change your life. What started out in a basement and now has become a multimillion-dollar business with a 12,500 square foot facility for their Headquarters, Nickel & Suede just opened their flagship store with many more retail spaces to come.

The Missouri local, Kilee Nickels and her husband Soren tell the story of how the idea and need for a pair of statement earrings became a bigger than life moment. Kilee’s simple teardrop design made from a leather purchase inspired by her family’s previous belt business was an immediate success and she set about making earrings for others. Kilee and her husband, Soren Nickels founded Nickel & Suede in 2014 and have grown the company to thirty employees while keeping their product made in the United States. The Kansas City couple creates lightweight, statement earrings made of leather and high-quality materials such as 14 karat gold. They started their company in the basement of their home but quickly outgrew the space and knew they needed to expand. They reached out to Kansas City based Hufft Design, recognized as one of the top 50 design firms by Architect Magazine, to help them create a plan for growth. Hufft designed their retail store in their new 12,500 square-foot headquarters in Liberty, Missouri. The facility is a master’s course in retail design, providing a refined shopping experience that evokes the quality of the Nickel & Suede products. Hufft designed the Nickel & Suede floor system with a honey-colored wood island inset into a Bomanite Custom Polished concrete floor.

Bomanite Licensee, Musselman & Hall Contractors, LLC had previously worked with Hufft on their award-winning designs for the Tuft & Needle store in Overland Park, Kansas. The contractor and designers had worked together to choose a polishable overlay for the Tuft & Needle shopfront that would allow minimal issues with transitions, but still create a durable and attractive floor. That first installation ended up being just the ticket, so Hufft decided to utilize the same high performance self-leveling concrete polish overlay, Bomanite Modena SL in the Nickel & Suede flagship shop. The overlay was to be installed at only ⅜” thick, so preparation was key. The Musselman & Hall foreman, Johnathon Eggert, and his crew used large abrasive diamond grinders to profile the entire interior floor as preparation for the overlay. A five-man crew was able to place the entire floor in just one day using small onsite mixers. The new flooring overlay only needed 24 hours to cure before it could be finished. Diamond tooling was used to polish the floor to a satin finish. A Bomanite penetrating sealer was applied to provide resistance against stains while still keeping a low maintenance surface. The warm gray floors show no perceptible aggregate and are an integral part of the overall design aesthetic.

Soren Nickels had this to say about his experience, “We wanted to build up the concrete floor to the level of our decorative inset, while going for a refined concrete look. We were introduced to Musselman & Hall with the understanding that their creative work in concrete concepts would give us some trustworthy options. This definitely proved to be the case. We wanted to avoid any surprises, so we let our trust in their experience lead the way. We felt that the product they recommended would match what we were looking for-even with all the particulars we asked for. The team that showed up to do the work definitely proved to be careful masters of their craft. In our minds it was fine-finish work and they delivered. We even made a few last-minute adjustments that were handled with ease, flexibility and speed.”

The finished retail interior floor is a simple, but elegant representation of the design flexibility of decorative architectural concrete and Bomanite’s diverse sustainable offering of flooring and paving systems. As Nickel & Suede continue to inspire individuals to be brave and try new things. We encourage you to imagine the possibilities and let Bomanite Decorative Concrete make those dreams a reality.

AWARDS: Musselman and Hall Contractors, LLC was awarded the 2019 Bomanite Custom Polishing Project Bronze Award for their work on the Nickel and Suede Flagship Store.

Angeline by Michael Symon Restaurant (Modena SL)

Located in Atlantic City’s Marina District, the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is steadfast at introducing diverse, innovative and world-class dining experiences. Guests looking for a one-of-a-kind culinary experience on the East Coast will find that the Borgata offers a wide array of restaurants and world-renowned chefs under one roof, including Wolfgang Puck (Wolfgang Puck American Grille), Bobby Flay (Bobby Flay Steak), Michael Schulson (Izakaya Modern Japanese Pub), Geoffrey Zakarian (The Water Club hotel at Borgata), restaurateurs Greg and Marc Sherry (Old Homestead Steak House) and now Michael Symon’s Angeline.

Angeline is Iron Chef and James Beard Award winner chef Michael Symon’s ode to classic Italian food, inspired by his heritage and personal history. Growing up with Greek and Sicilian influences, Michael Symon creates meaningful dishes that showcase his unabashed love for food, passionate hospitality and zest for life. The menu captures nostalgia with red-sauce style favorites from family recipes, including his mother Angeline’s Sunday Sauce. The design of the restaurant needed to reflect this balance of old and new world.

Parts and Labor Design, a New York-based interior design firm, whose breadth of work includes restaurants, bars, hotels and retail projects at every scale, collaborated with Philadelphia’s famed Cope-Linder Architects to pull together the design of the 8,200-square-foot Italian restaurant Angeline by Michael Symon. The 223-seat fine dining experience features a bar area, main dining room and private dining space, with the intent to showcase the soulful cooking and joyful personality synonymous with the award-winning chef. It’s described as a mix of casino glam with the comfortable familiarity of a typical neighborhood Italian restaurant.

Bomanite Licensee, Beyond Concrete, having worked previously on several other top-chef restaurants at the Borgata, was brought in by Cope-Linder Architects to make sure the restaurant interior flooring was up to the design standards and within budget. Knowing the specification called for approximately 1,800 of square feet of polished concrete floors, Beyond Concrete proceeded with showcasing several custom samples with variety of colors and depth of exposure, to the architect as well as to ABC’s The Chew co-host Chef Michael Symon. The Bomanite Modena SL Custom Polishing System was chosen for its sleek and modern design, complimenting the mixed media used throughout the dining establishment.

In preparation for the Bomanite Modena SL System the floorings base slab needed to be corrected as it was extensively out of level and in poor condition. Custom colors in black and brown pigments were mixed for the final color placement of the Bomanite Modena SL System. Once cured, the flooring was ground and polished to a medium satin finish and given two coats of Bomanite Stainguard for that final seal and durable protection. Beyond Concrete’s expertise in the field made sure that the high-end restaurant was engineered for a super star review.

The Bomanite Modena Custom Polishing System is an engineered interior cementitious topping that is blended with selected aggregates and then ground and polished to the desired gloss level. The Modena system transforms existing or worn surfaces into beautiful walkways, showrooms, restaurants and lobbies and is available in a range of colors and patterns using decorative sawcuts. Additional topically applied stains and a variety of aggregates, such as recycled glass or porcelain along with regionally sourced materials, are all options in creating a beautifully designed, environmentally friendly and functional floor. The Modena system is a low-cost alternative for renovation projects and provides the durability and strength for this exceptionally long lifespan system. With the industry’s lowest lifecycle costs, low to zero VOC and minimal maintenance requirements, Modena by Bomanite is the optimal choice for renewed surfaces.

AWARDS: Beyond Concrete received the 2018 Best Bomanite Custom Polishing Project Honorable Mention Award for their work on Angeline by Michael Symon.

Starbucks Brookside (Modena SL)

The General Contractor, J.E. Foster Building Company, contacted Bomanite Licensee, Musselman & Hall Contractors, LLC about a new Starbucks Coffeehouse being built in the Brookside community of Kansas City. Starbucks was considering the incorporation of new flooring material in a prototype store.

Starbucks design studios are located around the world so that their designers can fully understand the communities they serve. The mission of each designer is to create a spectacular Starbucks café experience that is steeped in the local culture and reflects the unique characteristics of each neighborhood.

Starbucks believes a coffeehouse should be a welcoming, inviting and familiar place for people to connect, so they design their stores to reflect the unique character of the neighborhoods they serve. They are also interested in the way design can connect everyone to sustainable building practices and provoke thoughtful questions and engagement with the built environment. To guide their building and design efforts, Starbucks uses the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® certification program as a benchmark for success.  In addition to reducing energy and water consumption, they incorporate reused and recycled materials wherever possible and often use locally inspired design details and materials in their stores.

After some research and several references, the general contractor worked with the local contractor Musselman & Hall for assistance. Based on a tile sample provided by the Starbucks design team and an overall design concept, Musselman & Hall produced a series of Bomanite Custom Polishing Modena SL samples for the client’s consideration. The samples immediately impressed the Starbucks staff.

The Modena System, unique to Bomanite, is a trowel applied cementitious overlay that contains zero VOC and no solvents in the chemically hardening product with attributes to its “Low-Emitting Materials” LEED credits. Modena is polished to a highly durable finish and is commonly used to renovate floors that are unacceptable candidates for polished concrete. It can be applied as thin as 1/8” or as thick as ¾” dependent upon existing elevations. Modena can be either highly decorative with aggregate exposure or simpler with light aggregate exposure similar to finely ground concrete.

The Modena system contributes to additional LEED accrual points in “Innovation by Design” by its ability to renovate an existing concrete slab that would otherwise be unsuitable for concrete polishing. This provides specifiers the ability to use polished concrete much as they would traditionally select a manufactured tile or other flooring system only without the maintenance requirements. Bomanite Modena is more economical than typical terrazzo, is breathable which minimizes moisture vapor issues, can be colored in any color, lessens the amount of product brought to a jobsite compared to stone or tile and provides all the benefits of polished concrete.

The relatively small project (600 SF) utilized the Bomanite Nickel Gray Integrally Colored Bomanite Modena SL system. The polished overlay was placed at approximately ½” thick. The overlay was ground and polished to a 400-grit finish. Musselman & Hall coordinated with Starbucks artist who utilized a portion of the floor as a canvas to paint a fun and colorful mural. This is the first Starbucks location in the region to utilize the Bomanite Custom Polishing Modena SL flooring system.

The finished floor is a simple, but elegant representation of the design flexibility of decorative architectural concrete and Bomanite’s diverse sustainable offering of floor systems.

AWARDS: 2018 Bomanite Custom Polishing Project – Honorable Mention