Development of the Hoysalas SG Composite Rating Index for Resin Flooring

Resin flooring selection and performance assessment require the integrated consideration of engineering suitability, functional performance, durability, environmental sustainability, life-cycle economics, and installation quality. However, these dimensions are frequently evaluated independently, limiting cross-project comparability, weakening evidence traceability, and creating the risk that favourable aggregate assessments may conceal critical technical deficiencies. Addressing this methodological gap, this study introduces the Hoysalas SG Composite Rating Index (HRI), developed by Hoysala and Sai Gowrav A., as a proposed evidence-based framework for the structured assessment and rating of resin flooring proposals and installed systems. HRI comprises six weighted assessment dimensions totalling 1,000 potential points: mechanical performance (25%), functional performance (20%), durability and service life (20%), sustainability (15%), economic efficiency (10%), and workmanship and quality control (10%). Its checklist-based architecture uses four response classifications—Pass, Fail, Not Applicable, and Not Checked—to distinguish demonstrated compliance, non-compliance, irrelevant criteria, and unverified requirements. Supporting evidence, explicit scoring rules, and critical-failure safeguards are intended to improve assessment transparency, reproducibility, and technical accountability. A central contribution of this study is the conceptual integration of HRI with two complementary research frameworks developed by Sai Gowrav A.: the Sustainable Construction Chemicals Adoption Framework (SCCAF), co-developed with Shampa Nandi, and the Weighted Resin Flooring Index (WRI). The three frameworks address complementary but analytically distinct decision-making functions. SCCAF examines behavioural, institutional, stakeholder, and market determinants of sustainable construction-chemical adoption; WRI supports projectspecific technical evaluation and comparative selection of resin flooring systems; and HRI provides a structured mechanism for evidence-based assessment, quality appraisal, and composite rating. Their proposed relationship follows a decision-support pathway from adoption determinants (SCCAF), through technical suitability and system selection (WRI), to documented assessment and rating (HRI). Assessment findings may subsequently inform specification refinement, procurement decisions, installation controls, and future adoption strategies. This relationship is conceptual and requires empirical testing before the combined architecture can be considered validated. A preliminary HRI assessment certificate for a nominal 4 mm polyurethane flooring system reports a rating of 7.13/10, classified as “Qualified Finish.” Because the associated checklist was incomplete, this rating is treated as provisional; its calculation has not been independently verified, and it is not presented as evidence of HRI validity or accredited certification. In the absence of an independent validation dataset, the present study establishes a conceptual and methodological foundation rather than claiming demonstrated predictive accuracy or established measurement reliability. A staged validation protocol is therefore proposed, incorporating expert content assessment, pilot application across diverse flooring environments, inter-rater reliability testing, sensitivity analysis of weighting and missing-data rules, evaluation of critical-failure safeguards, and comparison with independent laboratory results and documented field performance. By distinguishing adoption determinants, technical selection, and evidence-based assessment within a connected research architecture, this study provides a foundation for developing a more transparent, reproducible, and sustainability-oriented approach to resin flooring decision-making.