Chapter 5: Flooring Impacts |  Section 1: Top 10

Acoustics
Soft surfaces vs. hard surfaces deliver drastically different
levels of sound reverberation throughout a given space.

Pattern
Flooring patterns contribute to a space having visual clarity or
complexity. Certain patterns can be beneficial to some people,
while others can be disorienting.

Creating space definitions and territories
Changes in flooring help to identify a change in zone or space type.

Tone
Critical in creating either calm or invigorating spaces.

Orientation and navigation
People who are neurodiverse sometimes have an aversion to
looking straight ahead or looking others in the eyes.
In these cases, flooring patterns and colors can be critical in
navigating a space.

Texture
Texture can create either a sense of comfort or contribute
to visual interest in a given space.

Friction
Different flooring surfaces will either be slippery or help
users to feel secure.

Temperature
Changes in flooring types will cause people to feel differences
in temperature. For example, there is a natural perception that
hard surfaces are cold and plush carpets are warm and cozy.

Smell
Flooring materials and adhesives contribute to the olfactory
stimuli in the space. For example, rubber products will smell
differently than carpet tiles.

Maintenance
Products that are easy to maintain contribute to predictability
and ease for the people who maintain them.