Salvation Army, Hoffman Estates, IL

After being pleased with terrazzo at a Chicago building, Major Cheryl Lawry chose terrazzo again for the Salvation Army Illinois office.

The Salvation Army’s main office in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, now has 15,000 square feet of terrazzo flooring in white and gray. “Terrazzo is in our main entryway and in our dining room and gives the space a professional look,” Major Lawry added.

When Major Lawry used the flooring in the dining hall at the College for Officer Training at 700 W. Brompton Ave., the flooring stood up to the test of children, one of whom spilled Kool-Aid on the floor the first day it was installed. After witnessing its durability, it made sense to Major Lawry to use the terrazzo in the headquarters, too.

“I told a co-worker we’d be steam cleaning the next day if we hadn’t chosen terrazzo,” said Major Lawry.

Installing the terrazzo came with challenges typically incurred in older buildings, but overall the process went smoothly, said Lisa Smith, project manager (retired) at Wright Heerema Architects.

In addition to the main entryway, atrium area and dining hall, terrazzo was installed on the staircases on the third and fourth floors and in the elevator lobbies.

Of particular note is the poured in place terrazzo reflection fountain on the first floor. Poured in place terrazzo is a beautiful and simple answer to provide a decorative finish to the reflection fountain’s concrete substrate.

The exterior of the building was black before, so the white flooring really brightened up the space, Smith said. “The white floors really helped to bring the light in,” Smith said.

“It makes a nice statement when you come in,” Major Lawry said. “We have a long entrance hallway, so when you walk in, you can see the wonderful shine of the terrazzo floors.”

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