Modernizing University Housing
Bathrooms: Wetwall at Flagler College

The renovation of The Ponce began with the goal to upgrade the building’s performance, meet the demands of modern college students and staff, and maintain the building’s architectural charm. Surprisingly, the project actually started with a plumbing disaster.

Laura Stevenson, Flagler College Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President, said, “We had a pipe break that made this the perfect opportunity to turn a crisis into a gift. We had been looking toward a modernization project for the future, and once we saw the damage, it was an obvious time to renovate and restore The Ponce.”

The pipes burst just before students were to begin moving in ahead of the fall semester, so the east wing could not be occupied. That meant Lane Architecture and AD Davis Construction Corp., who were responsible for the design and construction, had to work quickly.

“We had less than a year to design, build, and move all the furniture in before students returned,” said Lane Architecture’s Michael Blake, the project architect. This created a logistical challenge to overcome with the project timeline: delivering and staging products for installation. Limited interior space meant materials needed to be staged almost immediately.

Wetwall waterproof panels are durable enough to withstand the high-touch transport and staging — and lightweight and seamless enough to keep installation moving at a speedy pace. Staying on the timeline was critical because the students were moving in directly after project completion.

Sumner Coddington of Lane Architecture was the project’s interior designer. “My first inclination was to use a large format tile,” she said.

“But we didn’t have the manpower or the time to install all that tile in a hundred showers.” Wetwall was fast to install and also met the college’s most important performance need: as few grout lines as possible for easier cleaning.

“If the showers are not taken care of regularly, then all of a sudden we have all this grout to scrub; it just doesn’t lead to a really great environment in terms of our ability to access it and clean it appropriately,” explained Stevenson. “Wetwall met that need.”

Beyond the timeline and performance was a different challenge. The products specified needed to aesthetically respect the Ponce’s architectural past while offering the performance and ease of maintenance to withstand high use into the future.

“We wanted the design to feel neutral and timeless. Wetwall was really great because there are a lot of patterns and colors to choose from,” said Coddington.

Coddington ultimately selected Wetwall’s Tahiti Sands finish. The neutral tones of the panels create an off-white limestone texture with

an earthy flair that feels at home amid the building’s abundance of textured wood and stone.

The restoration of Ponce Hall integrated historical charm with 21st-century functionality, creating a significant upgrade for the current and future needs of Flagler College students. The strategic use of Wetwall panels played a pivotal role in this transformation. With its durability, aesthetic, and ease of installation, the panel system was essential for the commercial project’s tight timelines and the modern expectations of every Flagler student.