While already onsite at Virginia State University working throughout the newly built 175,000-square-foot Alfred W. Harris Academic Commons building, our team was brought in as a supplemental installer for the gymnasium after the original installer was unable to perform. The gym floor needed immediate attention to keep the project on track.
Once we took over, we found portions of the concrete slab were up to ¾ inch out of level, well outside tolerance for an athletic floor. To correct this, we installed more than 1,000 bags of self-leveling underlayment, sequencing the work to achieve the flatness required for a durable, high-performance installation.
After leveling was complete, we installed Matter Surfaces athletic flooring throughout the gym. The line layout required careful planning to make the most of a single space. The finished floor includes one full basketball court with multiple cross-court practice layouts, four pickleball courts, two volleyball courts, and two tennis courts, all separated with a color-coded system that keeps the floor readable and functional during daily use.
By stepping in mid-project, correcting major substrate issues, and delivering a flexible, multi-sport floor, our team turned a problem area into a fully usable gymnasium. The project highlights practical problem-solving, solid execution, and a flooring solution built to perform.
In addition to the gym, our team installed flooring throughout the Academic Commons, including approximately 90,000 square feet of carpet, 12,700 square feet of LVT, 1,800 square feet of rubber tile, a 2,452-square-foot sleeper system in the theater, and 17,000 square feet of ceramic tile. These areas are not shown, as they fall outside the FUSE supplier network.
Nancy Thiel, founder and principal of Thiel Architecture + Design, is a licensed architect and an interior designer. With 40+ years’ experience working with luminaries in the architecture world, including Michael Graves, Robert A.M. Stern, and Rockwell Group, where she served as a studio leader, Thiel’s extensive portfolio includes single-family homes and multi-story residences, hotels, restaurants, retail, fitness clubs, offices, theaters, schools and shopping centers. She is a member of the AIA, holds NCARB certification and is a LEED accredited professional. Prior to her career in architecture, Thiel was a dancer and choreographer.
Thiel Architecture + Design is an award-winning multi-disciplinary architecture, interior design, planning, and product design firm with offices in CT and NY. The firm’s work focuses on high-end residential design as well as hospitality, contract, and retail projects. Thiel Architecture + Design’s work has been featured in Interior Design, Architype, New York and Connecticut Cottages and Gardens, Connecticut Magazine, Archello, and Fast Company magazines. In 2022, the firm received a Connecticut AIA Excellence award for Interior Architecture. Thiel earned a BA from Penn State University and her Master of Architecture degree from Syracuse University.
