Designs that Guide

Wayfinding systems guide people—they provide a visual experience to make complex spaces easier to navigate.

Terrazzo is especially suited for helping patients orient to large healthcare facilities, students navigate from one classroom to another, and travelers find their way in airports.

Adventist Cancer Institute is a case in point. Its poured in place terrazzo floor features a “compass of meaning” and “ribbons of hope” mentioned in the Institute’s mission statement.

“The colors of the ribbons correspond with the colors of the points on the compass, which represent peace, hope, faith, and love,” said Abby Weilmuenster, senior interior designer at Earl Swensson Associates. “And while they’re decorative, they’re also wayfinding (guides) for visitors and patients.”

The design at the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens drew inspiration from the winding Rock River. Designer and artist Linda Beaumont describes how the design brings each visitor on a journey. “The composition of the entire floor suggests water, with additional sinuous lines of river currents adding color and rhythm. The bits and pieces of glass bring a presence of the movement of the river, swirling and pulling all the different shapes through the Conservatory lobby, and into the magical world of exotic plants seen in the distance.”

Terrazzo “takes your design factor to another level,” says Kenny Stanfield, partner at Sherman Carter Barnhart, architects for Brooks Elementary. With the design freedom and vast color palette of terrazzo, designers and architects can create wayfinding to direct wherever they want visitors to go.