The architects at Leo A Daly had some important clients to please when construction began on Great Ape Trust, formerly Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary, in Des Moines, Iowa. A family of bonobos was anxiously awaiting its new home. “At the time, the design was actually a first for us,” noted Tnemec coating consultant Ken Efferding. “The coating system used was quite unique.”

The interior walls and flooring of the research facility encompassed an alternating design:

• The Deco-Tread system - in this case a decorative floor and wall system - included Series 222 Deco-Tread, a quartz-filled polyamine epoxy applied at 1/8” thickness, Series 284 Deco-Clear, a clear polyamine epoxy applied at 14.0 to 16.0 mils DFT, and a topcoat of Series 295 Clear CRU, a chemical-resistant clear polyurethane applied at 2.0 to 3.0 mils DFT. The system was applied on the floor and troweled up the walls anywhere from 4 to 8 feet.
• The Deco-Fleck design included Series 237 Power-Tread, an impact-resistant polyamine epoxy; Series 280 Tneme-Glaze, a glaze-like corrosion resistant polyamine epoxy; and Series 295 Clear CRU. Chips were blown into the Series 280 and topcoated with Series 295 at 2.0 to 3.0 mils DFT. The process was again rolled up the wall in variations from 4 to 8 feet.

In other facility areas, the interior walls received two coats of Series 84 Ceramlon ENV, a ceramic-like modified aliphatic amine epoxy coating, with a topcoat of Series 290 CRU, an extremely hard, chemical-resistant urethane coating, at 2.0 to 3.0 mils DFT.

Series 633 Prime-A-Pell H2O, a clear sealer designed to resist water intrusion and stain damage, was applied on various wall and flooring areas throughout the bonobos facility designated as needing extra protection.

A Tnemec coating system was also used in the interior flooring design of an adjacent building on the property that housed Great Ape Trust’s orangutans. A rock-reinforced solid-color flooring system featured Series 203 Epoxoprime LV, a moisture tolerant epoxy, as the primer, followed by Series 237 applied by double broadcast at 1/8” thickness. Series 280 and Series 290 CRU were then applied.

“These are first rate facilities,” added Efferding. “Everyone involved with the project from start to completion understood the level of quality and the importance of the design.”