Civica’s insulin manufacturing plant required a rapid, high-precision flooring installation within a highly regulated clean-room environment. The entire project—from mobilization to final inspection—was completed in just 12 days, demanding exceptional coordination, discipline, and execution.
The scope included 21,000 square feet of Gerflor 24” x 24” solid vinyl tile, fully heat-welded with a flash cove border and integral cove base. The installation required 25,000 linear feet of welding (equivalent to 4.75 miles), featuring over 500 inside and outside corners. Substrate preparation, doorway grinding, self-leveling, tile installation, welding, and finishing were all completed within the compressed schedule.
To meet the aggressive timeline, the project was executed on a 24-hour schedule using carefully coordinated day and night crews to maintain continuity and quality. Clean-room protocols significantly increased complexity—installers worked fully suited, followed a strict containment plan, manually carried all materials into the space piece by piece due to a no-cardboard policy, and maintained continuous air-quality monitoring with a dedicated technician walking the space using a particle counter.
Gerflor solid vinyl tile was selected for its durability, cleanability, and suitability for pharmaceutical manufacturing environments. The finished installation was subject to exceptionally strict inspection standards, including hands-on client reviews, crawling the space on hands and knees, using flashlights and magnification to identify even the smallest pinholes in the sealant.
Despite intense scrutiny, regulatory constraints, and an unforgiving schedule, the project was delivered on time with no compromise to quality. This installation demonstrates outstanding project execution under pressure and exemplifies excellence worthy of recognition for Most Aggressive Timeline and Best Flooring Solution.
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.
