by Brianna Crandall — April 8, 2016—The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota, was founded in 1892 to showcase regional agriculture while providing an entertainment venue. Today, the facility also supports concerts and sporting events that attract 500,000 tourists annually. Known for its design artistry, the Corn Palace is completing its largest renovation ever, featuring wall murals to provide both function and aesthetics.
The corn-based BioSurf decorative wall panels offer “striking” aesthetics and transparent scratch-and-chemical resistant surfacing.
When designing decorative wall panels for its lobby, the Corn Palace was first drawn to BioSurf for its corn-based composition, and is now reportedly sold on its proven durability and visual appeal. Award-winning BioSurf by Biovation is an eco-friendly decorative laminate that offers design flexibility to architects, interior designers, building owners and product fabricators.
BioSurf bio-based (formaldehyde-free and PVC-free) decorative laminate provides custom digital imagery, transparent scratch- and chemical-resistant surfacing, high formability, and on-demand production for applications including wall panels, table tops, cabinets, furniture, store fixtures, ceiling tiles, signage, and more.
BioSurf’s glass-free, disinfectant-resistant surface facilitates cleaning, prevents damage.
A recent press release from the company also points out that BioSurf provides a glass-free, disinfectant-resistant surface that facilitates cleaning, which could also aid in infection prevention, particularly in healthcare facilities, which are increasingly using wall art to promote comfort and healing.
Eric Amel, architect for Minneapolis-based Meyer Scherer & Rockcastle, explained:
To cultivate the overall theme of this project, we researched if any corn-based building materials exist that would also meet our functional design needs. I discovered BioSurf and immediately gave Biovation a call. It was not only corn based, but provided an ideal set of attributes — bio-based to provide high sustainability, no red-list materials to optimize public safety, and digital printing to offer image customization. This combination made BioSurf the clear choice for the project.
The Corn Palace lobby now features BioSurf photomurals of past palace exteriors, a corn-field panorama, and a historical timeline — all expanded to large scale using a durable surface at an affordable price. And visitors often take photos beside the BioSurf wall panels since the images are so “relevant and striking,” says the Corn Palace.
Terry Johnson, deputy director of Public Works for the City of Mitchell, added:
In practice, we find the durability of BioSurf to be equally impressive. We get a lot of visitors per day, which previously led to scratches, markings, and other wall damage. Now we never see damage where we use BioSurf panels. In fact, we are installing more BioSurf on the lower four feet of high traffic areas to keep our walls clean. While the corn component of the BioSurf story matters to us, its overall performance is its selling point for us today.
