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SPOTLIGHT

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

At one US college, the need to supersize the catering service
has turned into an opportunity for Corian Quartz.
®

isitors to college campuses in North America usually walk Quartz done in the Cloud White and Mystic Black colors, which
away impressed by the size of the student body and the together present an elegant offering for operators working in the
Vfacilities at their disposal. Many institutions of higher food service industry.
learning often function as self-contained cities, hosting everything
from their own police force to post office. Since many students live Envisioned to serve thousands of meals per day, the introduction of
on campus or spend most of their waking hours at the university, the Corian® Quartz into the dining hall offers university officials with
schools often need to operate large-scale cafeterias to feed hungry an ideal solution, both designwise and budgetwise, thanks to the
young minds. innovative material’s durability, beauty and longevity. The evocative
aesthetics of the two Corian® Quartz color schemes used here help
Situated in the majestic town of Bozeman, Montana State create a more attractive setting that stands out from the crowd.
University (enrollment 16,000) is the Big Sky state’s largest
institution for higher learning. Officials there decided to think Since each of the eight food stations represent a different restaurant
big when it came to finding a solution to providing nourishment theme and type of cuisine, the countertop material needed to be
to students, faculty and staff. Their ambitious plans led to the customized to fit the design and precise needs of the catering staff.
opening of the Rendezvous Dining Hall, a massive 30,000-square- Among the benefits of the Corian® Quartz material is its smooth
foot all-you-can-eat dining establishment. Able to host 830 people, surface, which does not permit liquids to penetrate it nor allow for
the facility features a whopping eight serving stations where cooks the growth of bacteria when it is properly cleaned. The advanced
prepare a variety of cuisines, including Mexican dishes, pizza and surface is sturdy enough to withstand bumps from food trays and
a salad bar, to whet the appetites of students in need of a refuel in routine spills common in cafeteria environments.
between classes.
For educators, the advantages built into the Corian® Quartz product
To ensure the space would withstand the impact of high volumes of offering made it a no-brainer when it was time to choose a surface
daily diners, staff outfitted countertops in food and beverage areas that could survive the constant wear and tear of a dining hall that
with Corian® Quartz. The solution saw both curved and sharp-edged is expected to be operating at full capacity day in and day out. For
surfaces in the hygienic and nonporous Corian® Quartz material, students, Corian® Quartz provides a clean, well-presented space
which is able to handle wear and tear while preserving a pristine where diners can relax and take their mind momentarily off their
appearance. The dining hall boasts a total of 62 sections in Corian® studies while enjoying one of the classic rituals of campus life.

OPPOSITE: Views of the food serving stations at the Rendezvous Dining Hall on the Montana
State University campus; photos courtesy of Alison Sund, Fabricators Unlimited; Fabrication of
Corian® by Fabricators Unlimited.

62 Corian® Design / ISSUE TWO