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By Gaily Von Schlichting
Ninety
percent of the time, assembly seating does not wear evenly. Whether in a
stadium, auditorium or theatre, certain areas of the venue are more “heavily
populated” and subjected to more use (and abuse). Often, isolated sections
of the venue are in need of repair or replacement, but the facility manager
faces the problem of fabric availability. What was on the market two, five
or ten years ago may be out of production. While this can be a problem, it
isn’t insurmountable, and you don’t necessarily have to budget for replacing
all the seating in your facility.
“Custom weaving can save a lot of money,” says Randolph
Taylor, president and CEO of Absecon Mills, a textile manufacturing plant in
southern New Jersey. “While it’s true that custom fabrics — woven
specifically to match existing seating — can be more expensive than stock’
fabric, it can actually be a more economical solution for facility managers.
“When faced with the expense of replacing all the
seating fabric, as opposed to refurbishing worn areas, custom fabric
suddenly becomes more economically feasible. As long as there are no
copyright issues involved, we can duplicate almost anything.”
An Effective Option
In light of leaner budgets and environmental issues (i.e., unnecessarily
creating more landfill fodder), many furniture manufacturers are now adding
reupholstering to their list of services. Scott Ashbrook, of American Office
Services in Westlake, Ohio, points out that fabric matching is not the only
reason to opt for reupholstering. “You have situations where the seat is
still structurally in good shape, but the fabric may be outdated,” he says.
Having just completed the refurbishing of California State, Los Angeles and
the University of Michigan’s Michigan Stadium, Ashbrook adds, “It’s
basically a matter of dollars and cents. We’re a fraction of the cost of
new.”
Andrew Grossman, of Andrew Grossman Upholstery in
Belmar, N.J., agrees. “The three major concerns tend to be cost
effectiveness, environmental responsibility and maintaining structural
integrity,” he says, adding that time constraints can also be a mitigating
factor. “We recently completed a major renovation for Madison Square Garden
— 6,000 seats in 21 days. That would be an impossible time frame with total
seat replacement.”
Madison Square Garden opted for Absecon Mills’
Sherpa/Shire fabric, long the standard for public seating areas. The use of Marquésa Lana, American Fibers and Yarns-branded olefin also addresses the
concern many facilities now have in terms of going green. Because it’s a
byproduct of post-industrial waste, and is now recyclable through Absecon/
American’s fabric recycling program, it is green from manufacture through
disposal. “Because it’s so durable and can be cleaned so easily, this fabric
is ideal for heavy use applications,” says Grossman. “The green issue is
becoming more paramount all the time,
so this ends up being the ideal
all-around solution.”
Reupholstering or refurbishing can save up to 70
percent for a sizeable facility. Even custom-woven fabrics and those with
special moisture-repellant and soil-resistant finishes can represent huge
savings in the overall picture. Keeping materials that enter the waste
stream to a minimum is also of primary importance, as the impact of
environmental responsibility continues to
increase.
Companies like American
Office Services and Andrew Grossman Upholstery have always seen the value in refurbishing, but now even major fixed seating manufacturers are finding
that this is a service that can no longer be overlooked.
“The fabric is the life and breath of the overall
design in these applications,” Taylor points out. “Reupholstering can create
a huge transformation in the venue without major structural changes. It
appears to be a growing trend in fixed seating, and it’s easy to understand
why.”
Manufacturers need not worry; new facilities are still
being built and existing ones replaced, but for many facilities where
architectural or historical aesthetics are better retained, a face-lift is
exactly what is warranted.
The underlying reason for refurbishing may be
economical, visual, environmental or structural, but there’s no doubt that
in our throwaway society, all trends are pointing towards change and
socioeconomic responsibility. So, facility managers, broaden your view begin
to think “refurb” — it works on so many levels, and everyone wins.
fm
Gaily Von
Schlichting is director of communications for Absecon Mills, Inc. in
Cologne, N.J.
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